This post is just to thank all the members of the UAE Community blog for their advice and encouragement to file a case with the Dubai Rent Committee. Special thanks to i*maginate.
I had posted "Is there a Rent Cap?" on 11 October 2007, when my landlord had moved to increase my rent despite a decree by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed stating there would be no rent increase in 2007, if the rent was increased in 2006. My landlord refused to listen to reason and turned highly non-cooperative, forcing me to approach the Rent Committee.
After a few months and 6 hearings later, due to some delay tactics from the Landlord by his non-appearance, the Rent Committee finally ruled in my favour and ruled out a rent increase for the rent contract supposed to be signed in 2007. I must state that the Dubai Municipality is doing its best in patiently hearing cases and sorting out disputes. They also used DHL to ensure the landlord got the summon to be present at court. They were friendly and approachable from the very start and deserve to be lauded for their efforts to enforce the decree.
With the new rule capping the Rent to a 5% increase for 2008 in Dubai, I encourage others facing a similar situation from their landlords, to approach the Rent Committee located on the 2nd floor of the Dubai Municipality Building, Deira.
I had posted "Is there a Rent Cap?" on 11 October 2007, when my landlord had moved to increase my rent despite a decree by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed stating there would be no rent increase in 2007, if the rent was increased in 2006. My landlord refused to listen to reason and turned highly non-cooperative, forcing me to approach the Rent Committee.
After a few months and 6 hearings later, due to some delay tactics from the Landlord by his non-appearance, the Rent Committee finally ruled in my favour and ruled out a rent increase for the rent contract supposed to be signed in 2007. I must state that the Dubai Municipality is doing its best in patiently hearing cases and sorting out disputes. They also used DHL to ensure the landlord got the summon to be present at court. They were friendly and approachable from the very start and deserve to be lauded for their efforts to enforce the decree.
With the new rule capping the Rent to a 5% increase for 2008 in Dubai, I encourage others facing a similar situation from their landlords, to approach the Rent Committee located on the 2nd floor of the Dubai Municipality Building, Deira.
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16 comments:
Congrats, I salute you for standing up to your landlord…
Hip Hip HURRAAAAAAAAY!!!
Mabrook - alf mabrook :)
I had a similar experience, with some different circumstances and the rental committee ruled in our favor (36 tenants) against the landlord. Some people get the wrong idea that rental committee rules in favor of landlords because they are locals, which is not true at all!
Congratulations!! :)
Congratulations. I also had to drag my landlord to the rent committee.
Our story in short:
The landlord had served us an eviction notice under the spurious argument of having to renovate the house completely.
The law stands that a landlord has to get a renovation project approved by DM in the same way he'd need to obtain building permit if he wants to demolish and redevelop. Only upon obtaining permission he can then serve a one year notice.
Since our landlord had done that we weren't even given the one year notice but the landlord was ordered to renew the rent at the same amount as last year, minus the 5% fee I had paid to lodge the case. Ha!
NB: This one year notice period may not apply to all eviction notices, for instance where the landlord wants "to move in" himself.
Yayyyyyy! Free Mind, you set an example for others. For a change, there's no isolated moaning and whining; you have actually done something to change the situation you were in.
Much respect! And another YAYYY for i* ;)
Well, Hatem, it is the fashion to criticizes anything here so its ok.
You may have won the battle, but the war is far from over. I have gone through this process before and won. The result was a full-fledged war against me by the landlord. It began by disconnecting the compressor from the central cooling unit and telling me that it's broken. I am responsible for fixing it ($$). He then had electricity occasionally disconnected and the watchman would simply say, "Ah, we must have disconnected the wrong unit, we meant to disconnect flat #xxx".
This was happening during the peak of the summer. I had a good fight, but I am not sure I want to go through it again. Having said that, not all landlords will resort to these types of tactics, but it is safe to assume that if someone is disregarding the rent cap, they probably have a very low opinion of the law in general.
I tell friends who ask me about this to weigh the pro's and con's. Sometimes, it's worth the battle and you are willing to deal with the consequences. Sometimes it simply isn't worth it. You have to be able to make that call.
I hoep your landlord doesn't end up doing what mine did to me!
*Free Mind, I am thrilled to hear of your victory, and am very grateful for your appreciation of my advice...THANK YOU. I think for the rest of my life, I will be happy that words I have shared have benefited one individual. I am truly happy you have fought for your rights and have exprerienced justice.
The irony of our interaction is that I gave you all the advice I could, yet derived no benefit from the same advice myself.
That is the way the world works. Some people are lucky, others are not, even when the rules seem to be set in stone.
I Have a prob. with my Landlord, he is try to increse more than 5%.
please advice?
I have may landlord wanting to charge me for the building service fee for 2008 and a 30% increase in rent for 2009, on a property where his mortagage, based on purchase price is 70000 per year. Currently he has a margin of 69% and with his proposed increase this margin will increase to 116%. What he is doing is illegal. If he stayed within the law his margin will be 56%, account for services fees to double. That sort of bottom line put any company I have ever worked for to shame.
With respect to Angleica, the problem landlords are not the Emirati. They are the people from South Asia who do not know how to handle authority with common courtesy. They are a greedy people who are giving the UAE a bad name. they are saying to the Emirati, look I can make more money than you and hang the consequences. The UAE need the western expats, and but with these pariahs being the landholders, it will be all of us that lose out in the end.
With respect to 'doormat' (although I am not sure if this name deserves any respect), what you say about South Asians in your posting is simply slanderous, inflammatory, probably can be qualified as racist, and of course there is no supporting fact or logic you give in favour of your opinion. How do you know that South Asians are the ones who are the masterminds of such law-violating rent increases? And aren't you insulting the intelligence of Emiratis by saying that some greedy South Asian employees can fool them into breaking the law of their own country? South Asians are the ones manning most low-paid jobs in UAE and they have a great (possibly irreplacable) contribution in developing the economy of UAE. As about the western expats, much can be said too but I would prefer not to stoop to your level. Mind your words please, think twice or more before you hit the 'Submit' button and try to co-exist harmoniously in this cosmopolitan city.
With respect to 'doormat' (although I am not sure if this name deserves any respect), what you say about South Asians in your posting is simply slanderous, inflammatory, probably can be qualified as racist, and of course there is no supporting fact or logic you give in favour of your opinion. How do you know that South Asians are the ones who are the masterminds of such law-violating rent increases? And aren't you insulting the intelligence of Emiratis by saying that some greedy South Asian employees can fool them into breaking the law of their own country? South Asians are the ones manning most low-paid jobs in UAE and they have a great (possibly irreplacable) contribution in developing the economy of UAE. As about the western expats, much can be said too but I would prefer not to stoop to your level. Mind your words please, think twice or more before you hit the 'Submit' button and try to co-exist harmoniously in this cosmopolitan city.
hi evy1- kindly advice- we r staying with ur inlaws ina 2bhk flat- the landlord has given us NON RENEWAL NOTICEdue to leave by jan (after the 3 month notice period)but when approached he verbally said the rent wub be hiked from 38,000 to 65,000 for 2009, in addition he gets signature from such tenants in a white paper saying they agree to to the hike and also the 2010 rent wud be increased by so much.IN addition THE NEW CONTRACT HAS A LAST LINE STATING "I AGREE TO VACATE THE FLAT ON THE LAST DAY OF CONTRACT AND RETURN TO THE LANDLORD"he has managed to get almost all tenents sign these clauses and also pay the hike.iam in afix- whether to toe the line as others or to fight it out?earlier one tenent went to rent committee amd lost on the grounds that the landlord wants the flat vacated asper the last"CLAUSE"in the contract.
but for me that clause is not there but the last line states that the "LANDLORD RESERVES THE RIGHT NOT TO RENEW THE CONTRACT UPON EXPIRY"- now what shud i do= any1 ? PLEASE -by RENT TORTURE VICTIM
guys...i have filed a case with rent committee....just wanted to know do we need a lawyer or i can attend the hearing myself....i mean is it better to hire a laywer.....secondly...idont know arabic...is there a requirement to bring along some arabic speaking person
Hey Guys,
I have recently served a one month notice on my landlord towards vacating my flat. Nothing is mentioned in my tenancy contract regarding the notice period & penalty. However the landlord is asking for 3 months rent + Dh 5000 as cancellation penalty. Please let me know the legality of this. Also suggest what can i do now.
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