Amenities

Amenities are the services and facilities, both around a property and within it, that make it more attractive to buyers and tenants and support its rent and value. They fall into two groups: services around the property in the district — mosques, schools, hospitals, shops and parks — and facilities within the property or compound itself, such as lifts, parking, swimming pools, gyms, guards and security systems. Saudi regulation recognises the effect of available services on land value: the White Land and Vacant Property Fees Law, as amended in 1446H, provides that its regulations set the mechanism for a “coefficient of availability of public services to land and access of public utilities”. In shared buildings, facilities such as a pool, lift or lobby are common parts in which each owner holds a share proportional to unit area, and the owners’ association manages them and allocates their maintenance costs in the same proportion under the Law of Ownership, Partition and Management of Real Estate Units. In practice, every amenity has two sides: a premium in rent or price, and an ongoing operating and maintenance cost. Investors therefore measure an amenity’s net effect, not just its presence, and state in the lease whether shared services are included in the rent or charged separately, to avoid disputes with tenants.