Our landlord served us with a 12-month public notarised document to vacate the property we rent at the end of our lease on September 2, 2022. The landlord originally said he intends to sell the property.
However, the owner now said he will only attempt to market and sell the property after we vacate. We feel this is a ploy to remove us from the property and rent it out at a higher price and that he has no intention to sell the property.
We want a new tenancy contract. What rights do we have as tenants to dissuade the landlord and enforce a new tenancy contract?
If we vacate next year, how can we check with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency if the landlord sold the property or broke the law by not selling the property and renting it out instead? JT, Dubai
You are well within your rights to negotiate with your landlord about any point in your agreement. The law steps in at certain points to put a time frame on things.
You could tell your landlord that you can vacate the property after a certain notice period, for example, should a buyer be found.
There are two sets of buyers that will be viewing. The investors, who presumably will want to keep you in the property, and end users, who will expect you to vacate.
If the landlord allows you to extend your contract, you could keep an eye on who is coming to the property for viewings.
Neither Rera nor the Dubai Land Department allow specific data to be made public, such as who bought what property
Mario Volpi,
sales and leasing manager at Engel & Volkers
Unfortunately, neither Rera nor the Dubai Land Department allow specific data to be made public, such as who bought what property.
If you vacate and the landlord subsequently has difficulty in selling and therefore goes on to lease out the property, he has to offer you the right of first refusal.
In this scenario, the only way you can find out if he has re-let the property is to check online portals to see if the unit is being advertised. Another way would be to knock on the door and ask the occupier the name of their landlord.
If you find that it is the same landlord and you were not offered the right of first refusal, you can file a case at the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre against the landlord for compensation.
I am a property agent. As per my knowledge, Rera does not allow a landlord to evict tenants from a rental property unless he serves a notice not less than one year before contract expiry.
A landlord can evict a tenant from the property only if he or his next of kin want to reside there or the unit needs repair that might be harmful for anyone living there.
Is my understanding correct or has there been a change in Rera's laws? KK, Dubai
A landlord can only request eviction from an existing tenant under the following circumstances: for the sale of the property, to move in themselves or allow their first-degree relatives to do so, for modernisation or for property demolition.
The eviction request is legal only if the 12-month notice is sent via notary public or registered mail.
However, a contract is an agreement between two people and the details of that agreement are to be respected by the parties as long as it is in writing and signed by all parties, irrespective of what the law states.
In most cases, the wording in the law says “unless otherwise agreed”. This means that irrespective of what is written in the law, if two or more parties agree on something else, this stands.
However, if there is a disagreement, a judge will, by default, revert to what is written in the law in most cases.
Mario Volpi is the sales and leasing manager at Engel & Volkers. He has worked in the property sector for more than 35 years in London and Dubai. The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario.volpi@engelvoelkers.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Company%20profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
