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World Cup boom forces some Qatari residents to flee their homes

Landlords in Qatar, hoping to profit from the looming World Cup, are evicting mostly foreign tenants, sometimes with several days’ notice.

Over one million football fans are expected to flock to the capital, Doha, during the November-December tournaments, straining the small Gulf nation.

Reem, a foreigner working for a large Qatari company, was told he had a week to move out of his apartment.

“We felt humiliated,” said Reem.

“It was a disaster to leave the house with all my belongings in bags and boxes and go to my hotel room.”

– Sky High Price –

For the two years she lived in the apartment, Ream said the rent was $2,500 a month.

Organizers claim there is enough accommodation for all fans in an emirate of just 2.8 million people.

To ease the crunch, FIFA recently released thousands of hotel rooms it had booked. Experts say this could lead to lower World Cup prices.

You can buy an apartment for two on Airbnb for $2,500 a night.

– “Very High” Demand –

Adele, who listed his tiny apartment on Airbnb for $900 a night, said when he first advertised the apartment, “the demand was very high.”

Rents for tenants whose leases expire in recent months have also risen sharply.

A Western diplomat in Doha said embassy officials demanded a pay rise to meet the rent payments.

“I feel like some people are taking advantage of this situation, but this happens all over the world when there’s an event like the World Cup.”

first published as World Cup boom forces some Qatari residents to flee their homes

World Cup boom forces some Qatari residents to flee their homes

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