Muharraq is stepping up its scrutiny of properties being used as shared bachelor accommodation, with around 200 buildings being monitored as authorities move to ensure landlords meet safety and licensing requirements.
The campaign is aimed at tackling unregistered collective housing and ensuring that properties being rented to groups of unrelated workers comply with Bahrain’s municipal and public-health requirements.
Muharraq Municipality director-general Khalid Al Qallaf stressed that property owners cannot simply convert residential premises into shared accommodation without completing the required procedures and securing approvals from the relevant authorities.
“The requirements include submitting a copy of the tenant’s identity card, the lease agreement, a guarantee certificate issued by the relevant office and a copy of the property owner’s identity card or commercial registration,” he explained.
“Owners must also obtain the necessary approvals from government bodies, including the electricity and water authority and Civil Defence, before using a property for collective accommodation.”
Mr Al Qallaf said the municipality continues to inspect properties in residential areas to ensure that owners comply with the regulations governing shared housing. He said the monitoring programme covers properties suspected of being used for labour housing, with violations dealt with through the legal procedures available to the municipality.
“Under the rules, property owners must comply with health, security and safety requirements as well as technical and building regulations, and co-ordinate with the relevant authorities before making use of the property,” said Mr Al Qallaf.
He has also warned that failure to register collective accommodation or fulfil the required conditions can trigger legal action.
“In serious cases of non-compliance, the municipality has the right to request the disconnection of electricity and water services to the property until the violations are rectified and the requirements completed,” stressed the director-general.
He elaborated that measures are based on Muharraq Municipal Council Resolution No 1 of 2002, which provides for action against unregistered collective housing.
“Illegal extensions, alterations or construction works are also subject to separate action under Bahrain’s building regulations and the relevant executive regulations,” said Mr Al Qallaf.
“There are also wider public-health requirements governing workers’ accommodation, including standards covering ventilation, living space and the conditions provided to individual occupants,” he added.
“We, as municipal authorities, are required to maintain a database of shared collective accommodation, giving us a clearer picture of properties being used for this purpose and enabling closer co-ordination with government agencies.”
The municipality’s campaign follows questions raised over the procedures for registering and licensing shared bachelor accommodation, including whether such housing is permitted across all residential areas or is subject to particular classifications and planning controls.
Mr Al Qallaf has made it clear that registration alone is not enough.
“Properties must meet the applicable health, safety, technical and planning requirements before they can lawfully be used as shared accommodation,” he said.
“With hundreds of properties already coming under scrutiny, the municipality’s message to landlords is straightforward – a residential property cannot simply become a collective bachelor residence without meeting the rules designed to protect occupants and surrounding communities.”
Muharraq Municipal Council vice-chairman Saleh Buhazaa highlighted the importance of ensuring that the system is applied consistently, particularly as shared accommodation can have a direct impact on neighbourhoods, public health and safety.
He stressed that landlords have a responsibility to ensure that properties meet the required standards before renting them out as collective accommodation.
The GDN reported earlier this week that the National Institution for Human Rights released its 2025 report in which it laid down several recommendations, with a dedicated section on accommodation for expatriate workers in Bahrain.
It called for licensing of buildings operating as workers’ hostels or shared accommodations. It also stressed the need to link the facilities to a government platform that determines their capacity, monitors the number of residents, and regulates the issuance of smart cards linked to that address. The report further urges relevant bodies to instal an identification sign at the entrance to workers’ accommodations, including a QR code.
The NIHR further recommended introducing stricter controls on the provision of housing cash allowances by employers, limiting them to exceptional cases based on a worker’s income level and ensuring that formal housing alternatives are made available whenever possible.
In addition, the report proposed issuing building regulations that set minimum standards for essential facilities, in line with international best practices, including sanitary facilities, bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry areas.
It further calls for a maximum building occupancy limit for every licensed labour accommodation at a rate of one occupant per 4m² of the building’s total floor area, with a maximum of six to eight people per room.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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