COMFORT ZONE: 34 per cent of citizens prefer to live in bigger houses
Muscat - Only 14 per cent of Omanis live in rented houses, as 83 per cent live in their own homes while a small portion of the Omani population live in dwellings obtained by means of housing assistance such as the social housing system or other forms like homes offered by employers or donors, according to a survey conducted by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The survey results show that 55 per cent of Omanis live in villas and 31 per cent live in Arabic houses, 9 per cent in flats and 5 per cent in rural housing. Approximately one-third of nationals (65 per cent) live in homes with space exceeding 210 sq metres, while 19 per cent live in home space below 150 sq metres.
Forty-eight per cent live in accommodations with 3 or 4 bedrooms, 22 per cent occupy homes with 5 or 6 bedrooms, 14 per cent live in homes with 7 or more bedrooms and 16 per cent of the Omani population live in homes with 1 or 2 bedrooms, according to the survey. One-third of Omanis are living in their own dwelling for 20 years or more, while another third live in their own homes for less than 5 years. The report shows that 34 per cent of Omanis prefer to live in a bigger house, 13 per cent said they live in a house bigger than what is needed and 53 per cent believe that they live in a preferred house in terms of space. Ninety-seven per cent of Omanis consider the government water service to be among the most important requirement while looking for a house, 95 per cent prefer a house with yard.
A great majority of those surveyed prefer a house with Internet connectivity, central air conditioning and health and sanitation service, while considering a house with a balcony to be among the least important conditions. Ninety-eight per cent of the respondents consider proximity to a mosque and health centre as important conditions. According to the survey, 6 out of 10 people who applied for housing loans said that they are satisfied with the procedures and two-thirds expressed their satisfaction over the loan amount.
© Oman Daily Observer 2016
