I rent an apartment in a new building, which is owned by a bank.
My rent contract states that the building will have a gym. However, it has been more than six months since I moved in and the gym has yet to be operational. It does not look like the management plans to operate a gym at all.
Do I have any legal recourse in terms of building amenities that were promised, but not delivered? RH, Abu Dhabi
In any rental agreement, the rent amount is a reflection of the property, the view and the amenities offered.
If you are not able to avail of these amenities, you should be able to request some sort of compensation in the form of a rebate.
This sounds OK in theory but in practice, especially as your landlord is a bank, it may prove to be difficult to carry through. However, you should definitely try to negotiate.
I purchased a property from a developer and it has started handing over units after a delay in completion. I have been asked to sign the property handover contract.
Should I submit a formal complaint to authorities for delayed handover before I sign the form? Or can I sign the handover form, receive the finished property and then submit a complaint? AL, Dubai
If you have an issue with your property handover, my advice would be to finish the handover first and then address your concerns directly with the developer.
If you delay taking the handover, you could be liable for any late handover penalties that may be issued.
Another point to consider is that the developer will not be affected by you not taking handover. Instead, this action will affect you on a much larger scale.
My family and I rented an apartment in December 2021 for Dh85,000 a year. However, from March 2022, the landlord asked us to accommodate viewings because he wants to sell the apartment. He has yet to serve us with a formal written eviction notice.
We moved into this unit at a significant cost and were candid about hoping to stay here for many years.
If the landlord cannot sell the apartment, can he ask us to vacate at the end of the current lease? Is he not bound to serve us with a formal 12-month notice before evicting us?
Can he refuse to sign a renewal lease? Or is he legally obliged to agree to a new lease and then ask us to leave after 12 months? We understand that a 12-month eviction notice can only be served upon the expiry of our lease in December 2022.
If the landlord sells the unit and the new owner is an investor, can he ask us to vacate to try to increase the rent? The Real Estate Regulatory Agency's calculator says the property’s rent cannot be increased now.
Will the new landlord extend the current lease and then serve us with a 12-month notice to vacate? What if our current landlord sells and the new owner wishes to move into the property himself? MR, Dubai
If the landlord wants to sell the property, he must not only inform you verbally so that you co-operate with viewings, but he must also serve you with a 12-month notice to vacate, which is sent via notary public or registered mail, explaining the reason for the eviction.
Your tenancy contract automatically renews under the same terms and conditions as before, unless otherwise agreed, so he cannot simply refuse to renew the contract.
With reference to when the 12-month notice should be served, there are two points to consider. Firstly, as per law 33 of 2008, the 12-month eviction notice should be served upon expiry of the rental agreement. This means the landlord will renew for one more 12-month period, after which he will expect you to vacate.
Secondly, some landlords do not wait for the end of a rental contract to serve the 12-month eviction notice. They serve it at any time during the rental term. Although this appears to go against the law, some judges at the Rental Dispute Settlement Committee (RDSC) have allowed this.
If the landlord sells to a buyer who is an investor, your contract automatically remains the same for the duration of your current agreement. If the new owner wishes to change the contract during renewal, he must give you 90 days’ notice. If you agree to the changes, he can proceed and make alterations to the contract.
The new owner cannot ask you to leave unless he wants vacant possession, for which he has to give you 12 months' notice.
If you agree to move out at the end of the first 12-month notice, then that is the end of it. However, if you do not agree and file a case, the judge may rule in favour of the landlord and you will have to move out at the end of the notice period or he may ask the new landlord to serve their own 12-month notice to vacate.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
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.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
