jobs with housing and renting in general

..it depends on the company's regulations in regards to housing.
but most companies will not allow their employees to seek other forms of housing due to their safety; especially at the present time.

Hay al andalous is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in tripoli; rent for a small studio can be $1,000 a month and villas can be over $10,000.

rent prices have skyrocketed in the past couple of years in tripoli due to the massive influx from nearby towns; mostly people seeking shelter, prosecuted or having lost their homes to looters etc.

assuming you can find a one bedroom apartment such as the one i found recently for a friend of mine; its about $500 a month and the landlord has more requests than he can handle - its 23Km from down town tripoli.

landlords in libya can be picky and nosy.  for example, the landlord mentioned above requested that the tenant be:

- married.
- having one or two children at most and not older than 6 of age. 
- no single women or divorcees ( they neighbors might "misunderstand" )

if you were to find a place to rent outside the company housing facility; these are some of the problems you may encounter on a daily basis.

- harassment by the local street thugs every time you enter or exit the house.
- harassment on public transportation and risk of being mugged; if not abducted like many of the foreigners that have been kidnapped recently ( and i would certainly not exclude sexual assault ).
- public transport drivers - taxis / minivans - are somewhat involved in most criminal activities and kidnappings. 

therefore my advice is to reconsider your intention to go to tripoli until you get a clearer idea of where you're going.  unless you got a network of friends and family that can support you in every way.

and such people would not let you rent a place on your own in the first place considering the circumstances.

hope it helps.

I totally agree with gulfport. Landlords are a real pain in the neck here they know they have the upper hand in a crowded market and wait until you leave the property theu are even more demanding asking the property to be restored to new. It's crazy

I also agree that no single female especially expat should live in their own in libya. You have no idea how dangerous it is here. Like he said you'd need the protection of a whole clan of family and friends. And what kind of friends would they be of they let you on your own in libya?

Life in libya is not safe so if it is your wish to live here you have to accept difficult arrangements for the sake of safety.

Hope you manage to find the right solution for you.

Wow, thank you gulf, I appreciate your very detailed and helpful response. I love the details because it really is so different that I would never imagine the things you speak of.

:-)  so if they move in with a 5 year old, are they asked to leave when the child turns 6?

This reminds me of apt. hunting in NYC. They warned me to be aware if an ad says European bathroom, it means your apt doesn't come with a bathroom but that you have a common toilet/bath with strangers in the building. So I made sure I would ask if I have my own bathroom. Yes, yes, I'm told. I go to see it and see it has a bathroom. I see a door on the other side of the bathroom. I think it is a linen closet. It was locked. The landlord then reveals the bathroom is shared with one other apt and to be sure you lock the doors. That also explained the cat the tenant kept in the bathroom!

Just thought I'd share a humorous story.

It just seemed to me, being with other expats and in a flat with other women, would put a target on us as well.

It turns out the job is strict on this issue and I have agreed to live in their housing.

Thank you again to gulf and Jameela for responding to such an old post.
I have many more that no one responded to so I shall wait and hope. :-)

Best wishes