We bought an apartment that is currently rented. An eviction notice was send to the tenant by the previous owner, registered in the court and sent by courier. The reason for the eviction is our intention to sell the apartment. I have been trying to contact the tenant but she does not reply to our messages, emails or phone calls. The rental agreement expires very soon and is the same date as the eviction notice that was served a year ago. If the tenant does not vacate apartment in time I am in a really uncomfortable situation. What can I do? AK, Dubai
In theory, the tenant in situ has received the eviction notice in the correct manner and for the correct period (12 months). The only problem I foresee is that if the tenant refuses to leave, you are then left without an alternative but to file a case at the rental dispute committee. However, the outcome may not be 100 per cent what you expect. The judge will have to decide if the tenant should vacate as per the original notice or it is also possible the judge may allow the tenant to stay one more year and request that you (as the new owner), send your own 12 months’ notice. The outcome is not predictable at all.
Every year I have a rental dispute with my landlord's agency in terms of increasing the rent. I normally wait for couple of months and then deposit the cheques at the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) with a nominal increase of rent. This year too they have demanded an increased rent, which I think was within the Rera index at that point of time. However, they refused any negotiation. The tenancy is in my wife's name and she is outside the country now but keeps travelling to Dubai. The landlord's agency, when communicating with me through email, has said it filed a case against me three months ago. It has never given me the case number. Now it is almost six months since my tenancy contract expired. I don't want to continue with this property or the landlord's agency. So how can I file a vacating notice as they say they have a case against me. I am fine with paying the rent that I owe. Should I wait for the eviction procedure or go to Rera? Additionally they have not done any maintenance on the property during my six years of living here. AS, Dubai
If you wish to terminate the agreement, the following should be adhered to: 90 days before the renewal of the agreement, you should inform the landlord (in writing) that you do not wish to renew. The 90-day rule is there to inform either party of any changes to the contract. Not wishing to renew would be a material change (in my opinion), which is why it is important to give this amount of notice.
You mention that it is almost six months since your contract expired but any contract automatically renews unless terminated so I presume you have been living in the property without payment of rent, which is why the landlord is saying that a case has been filed against you. I suggest you pay the outstanding rent owed as you have done before and lodge the cheques with Rera. Check the contract to see what it says about terminating early as most contracts state a two-month penalty clause to leave before expiration date. If you do not wish to pay any penalty by leaving midway through, I suggest you leave at the end of this current term but state this fact by giving the landlord the 90-day notice. In the meantime, I would just sit tight and wait to see what happens with their case, no need to file anything yourself because you want to leave anyway, correct?
With reference to the non-maintenance, I presume this is the case because either you have taken care of this or there have been no maintenance issues to sort during this time. Either way, the landlord does have a duty of care to you to maintain and or repair the property as necessary.
Mario Volpi is the chief sales officer for Kensington Exclusive Properties and has worked in the property industry for the past 32 years in London and Dubai. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not reflect in any way those of the institutions to which he is affiliated. It does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario.volpi@kensington.ae.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Ferrari
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THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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