Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Let’s all move to Qatar

Reports from Qatar suggest the government is to ban landlords from raising rents for the next two years. The drastic action is to help combat record inflation rates. A 27.7 per cent surge in rents spurred inflation in the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas to 13.74 per cent in December, the second-fastest pace on record.
It is the latest in a series of Gulf government schemes to get a grip on falling purchasing power. If it’s not rent caps, it is price controls on basic foodstuffs or bumper pay rises for public sector workers.
Qatar
says it will study how much to allow rent to rise in two years’ time. How this will affect investors’ enthusiasm to buy in Qatar real estate is unclear. Will a broad base of investors be keen on diving into a market where their potential returns are meddled with by the government?

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