Expats moving to Saudi Arabia are struggling to find suitable accommodation amid a surge in foreign workers.
The housing shortage is particularly acute in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where rents have shot up by an average of 10 per cent for the last four years.
Expats flocking to the Gulf nation normally specify compounds to live in as they offer high levels of security while allowing Western traditions.
Saudi Arabia is infamous for its strict Islamic rules that ban alcohol and unrelated members of the opposite sex to socialise. But inside compounds expats can escape such tight regulations, making them highly popular.
While demand for compounds has gradually increased as the economy grows, supply has remained stagnant due to a lack of housing investment. Developers were reluctant to build new compounds after a spate of attacks on foreigners in the mid-2000s saw a decline in expats relocating to Saudi Arabia.
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