Saying the accommodation is not EKs fault is to overlook their woeful lack of planning.
The expansion has been ongoing for years but the logistics to support the expansion have always taken second place to headline aircraft deliveries. So it is no surprise to anyone except it seems those in management that the aircraft will require more pilots, engineers, cabin crew and other support staff who will need somewhere to live.
It is their fault and higher up the chain the rampant, uncontrolled speculation driving up accommodation prices has created rental prices that EK are not prepared to pay for. So they find the cheap short term solution pending the cheaper long term one of mass accommodation blocks out in the desert somewhere.
There are even some villas available on existing EK compounds, just a few, but left empty because they are unwilling to pay the inflated rental price.
Prior planning would have prevented this p*** poor performance.