Landlords still not sticking to the rules...
Why is it that Dubai has all these wonderful laws in place to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords who increase rents on a whim and yet not one landlord pays any attention to the laws...
...and tenants are left to pay up or get evicted?
My lease is due for renewal in three weeks, no one contacted me to inform me of any rent increase or change in the contract on or before the 90-day deadline and yet now I have to pay an above RERA guidelines rent increase.
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Are you facing a similar problem? What steps do you think the government should take? Send your letter to letters@7days.ae
If I want to dispute it I have to pay 3.5 per cent of the rent and get a bunch of documents that the landlord may, or may not give me. Where is the justice in this for the poor renter?
Surely Dubai is technologically advanced enough to see when a new contract is submitted to RERA that the rent is above the stated guidelines and immediately render the new agreement illegal and force the landlord to accept the same rent as the previous year as a punishment.
Seems like what is really happening is landlords are sitting pretty with their piles of cash while renters are struggling to find the money to pay.
Georgina, Dubai
2 Comments
by Jazz16
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 9:28AM
“Hi Georgina - don't panic. The law is on your side! As was reported in 7 Days on Feb 6th, landlords CANNOT impose an arbitrary rent rise on a tenant. Rent increases have to be agreed by BOTH the LL and the tenant, and if the tenant disagrees, it is the LL - NOT the tenant - who must pay to open a case at the Rent Committee. All you need to do is sit tight and make clear your agreement to continue to pay rent in line with the RERA calculator. If it says you are not liable for an increase, you are not liable - no matter what the LL may insist. If it says a 5% increase, or whatever, then that is what you pay and NO MORE.
The Rent Committee is famous for putting unscrupulous LLs in their place, so don't worry. If your LLS is trying to increase your rent above the RERA calculator, then they will simply reject his case, and the fact that he did not inform you before the 90-day deadline only reinforces the case against him. But whatever you do, DON'T give in and DON'T pay to open a case yourself - it's entirely the LL's responsibility. Usually, once you make it clear that you know your rights, they back down., but if yours doesn't, let him find out the hard way.”
by Jason
Wednesday, February 13 2013, 7:45AM
“Same old, same old...I constantly read about how rents are increasing in the Springs yet there are loads of places available - is this because people have become fed up with the constant abuse by landlords. Why is this a hot topic....because Real Estate Agents inflate the prices ALL THE TIME! Just look at the headlines in the media. So people move out and leave the empty property to rot. Some of the yards in the Springs are disgusting I can only imagine that due to neglect they are now attracting rodents...but sure leave it open because the Landlord is greedy!”