I have a query on the 12-month notary notice that needs to be issued for the tenant to vacate. I issued such a notice and Dubai courts used a courier company to deliver the notice to the tenant. They have sent me the report and it indicates that since the tenant was unavailable, the notice was left at the door. Is there anything more that needs to be done? SD, Dubai
Sending the 12-month notification via notary public is sufficient for its validity, but most of the time the courts also send it to the property using registered mail. The common delivery problem that most registered mail companies face is actually handing the document to the intended recipient, therefore pasting it on the door is deemed as “delivered” in the eyes of the court. At this stage there is no more you need to do, but if you do manage to speak with your tenant, make sure that they are aware of your intentions and their obligation to move.
I emailed a rent increase notification to my tenant almost four months before the lease was due to end. The increase accords with Rera guidelines, but he has chosen to remain quiet. I am assuming that he will pay the increase, because he has not given any notice to vacate. However, in the event that he does not comply, what option is available to enforce the increase, bearing in mind that my wife and I do not live in Dubai? SS, Canada.
As the landlord, you are entitled to an increase in rent as long as you inform the tenant of this increase at least 90 days before the expiration of the agreement, and the Rera rental calculator allows for this. You appear to have complied with both requirements, so you would be entitled to your rent increase. If the tenant does not comply with your request, you will have to file a case at the rental dispute committee, which will involve a fee of 3.5 per cent of the rent. Given that you don’t live in Dubai, you have two choices. Either you visit Dubai to sort this out personally, or arrange for a power of attorney (PoA) to act on your behalf. Organising a PoA from abroad can, unfortunately, take several weeks, so my advice would be to come to Dubai to initially open the case against your tenant and while you are here go to the Dubai court to do a PoA with a trusted person to act on your behalf for when you return home.
After a slew of rental committee interventions, my landlord renewed the lease last year but sent me a 12-month eviction notice immediately after the renewal, citing his intention to sell the property. Since the renewal last year, we have not received any calls from either him or any of his agents for a viewing request. I emailed him couple of times sharing my intent to renew the contract this year as well, as the property has not been sold yet. In case he disagrees about renewing the lease, am I within my legal rights to file a case against him as the property is not yet sold? RA, Dubai
Your landlord does have a right to send you the 12-month notification to vacate notice for reason of selling the property, but this has to be served upon expiry of your tenancy agreement, not during. If the notice is served correctly in this way and after the 12-month period the property still remains unsold, the law is silent on whether you actually have to vacate at the end of the notice period if the property is not sold. The actual decision would be left up to a judge of the Rental Committee once a case has been filed.
I suggest you continue to communicate with the landlord that you wish to renew. But if he insists that you have to vacate then I would file a case, especially if the landlord has made no real effort to find a buyer by the manner of his actions – such as not hosting any viewings.
Mario Volpi has worked in the real estate industry in Dubai and in London for the past 30 years. Send any questions to mariovolpi@aol.com
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Company%20profile
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
How%20champions%20are%20made
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
