Daraa – Mahjoub al-Hashish
Near his destroyed house in the Sadd Road neighborhood of Daraa city in southern Syria, Muhammad al-Mahamid built a house made of prefabricated panels, locally known as “caravans.”
The caravan was his only option after rental prices skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, as al-Mahamid could not repair his destroyed home in the Sadd Road neighborhood and was unable to rent a house in Daraa.
The caravans consist of metal sheets filled with insulating foam material for heat and moisture, and they have spread across most areas of Daraa governorate. There are sales centers and workshops that undertake their installation and deliver them ready for housing.
Lower cost
Muhammad al-Mahamid told Enab Baladi that the cost of rebuilding his destroyed house is not less than 300 million Syrian pounds (32,000 USD) at a minimum, and he does not have this amount. Therefore, he resorted to purchasing a prefabricated house for 24 million Syrian pounds (2,500 USD), which consists of three rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
Al-Mahamid had to go for this solution as he needs an independent house since he lives in his family’s home and has a family of five.
He added that he will move into his newly constructed house within just a week, considering it one of the easiest, quickest, and most financially viable solutions.
After the fall of the Assad regime and the continuous return of displaced people from northern Syria and those who had been in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon, the idea of prefabricated houses transferred from Idlib governorate to Daraa.
Booking installation appointments
Shadi al-Masri returned to installing prefabricated rooms after the fall of the previous Syrian regime, by shipping them as separate panels from Idlib in northwestern Syria.
Al-Masri noted the increasing demand for installing prefabricated rooms, telling Enab Baladi that residents book with him in advance so he can install the rooms for them.
He added that he did not stop working during the Eid al-Adha holiday to expedite the installation of some homes.
The price of a single room, measuring four meters long and three meters wide, reaches 600 USD, which is a small amount compared to the prices of building materials that have reflected an increase in the costs of constructing buildings.
High rental prices
Before deciding to install a caravan, Muhammad al-Mahamid searched for a house to rent, but the unavailability of houses in Daraa and rising rents drove him to abandon this idea.
He told Enab Baladi that securing a rental home is not a solution, as the landlord may require him to vacate the house or demand an increase in the rent at any moment.
As for Louay al-Hashish, who has been living in Jordan for 13 years, he could not find a rental home in Daraa or even in the countryside and stated that he postponed his return to Syria until he finds a house.
Al-Hashish told Enab Baladi that he is considering buying prefabricated rooms if he cannot find a house.
Rental prices for apartments in Daraa governorate, especially in city centers, have surged, with some apartments in Daraa city reaching 2.5 million Syrian pounds in rent.
Abdul Rahman al-Samadi, a real estate office owner in Daraa city, told Enab Baladi that there is no specific price or regulatory law to determine a rental ceiling in Daraa governorate, and this matter is controlled by the landlord who imposes the price he wants.
Al-Samadi attributed the rise in rental prices to the return of displaced people to Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, whereas before it, there was a significant emigration and availability of homes.
He added that some families left Syria as a single family and returned as four families after their children’s marriages, in addition to the extensive destruction that the governorate witnessed, noting that there are new constructions in the real estate market, but they do not meet the increasing demand for apartments.
Daraa governorate has witnessed confrontations between the former regime’s forces and the opposition, which led to widespread destruction in most areas.
International organizations or the previous regime’s institutions did not work on fully repairing the destroyed homes; rather, their work has been limited to partial repairs of doors, windows, and sanitation facilities.
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