My landlord sent me a lease renewal notice 94 days before contract expiry, demanding a 47 per cent increase in rent to Dh250,000, from Dh170,000.
He also attached a Dubai Land Department (DLD) valuation certificate used for vacant properties. The document cited Dh250,000 as the rental value of his villa.
He claims this is the current rent I have to pay in accordance with the DLD valuation.
I told him that this was in breach of Decree Law No 43 of 2013 and not permissible.
My landlord sent me a follow-up email 80 days before contract expiry, stating that he was willing to raise my renewal rent by 20 per cent only to Dh200,000 if I agreed.
Is his revised renewal offer in breach of Law No 43 of 2013 and Law No 26 of 2007, as he tried to change the terms and conditions of my current lease agreement 80 days before renewal?
This strategy seems to be working as some people agree to the landlord’s rental renewal offer and pay whatever rent increase is suggested rather than filing a case with the Rental Dispute Settlement Committee (RDSC). Please advise. PC, Dubai
You are correct about the landlord wanting such high percentage increases and they are in breach of Decree Law 43 of 2013.
DLD valuation certificates are not currently tested in court and given the law in the UAE is not set on precedent, it is up to the presiding judge to decide how to use this evidence, if at all.
The important point to note is that the valuation quoted is for a vacant property. Your rented property is not vacant, so it doesn’t matter what the rental price valuation is because it cannot be deemed valid.
Rental prices have been increasing at a high rate for vacant properties. This is evident online through major property portals, so having a DLD valuation confirming these prices appears irrelevant.
Any changes to a contract have to be sent to all parties, giving 90 days’ notice. Your landlord’s revised offer falls after this window but it could be argued that he opened the subject of an increased rent within the allowed time.
I would suggest you inform the landlord to stick with what the Real Estate Regulatory Authority rental calculator states is allowed and this increase, if any, should be the basis of your renewed rental amount for your contract going forward.
Ultimately, it is up to the two parties to mutually decide whether this falls within or outside of what the law states is allowed.
I recently purchased a villa in Dubai to live in with my family. However, there is a lease valid on the villa for five months until December 27.
Can I send an eviction letter to the tenant to inform them that I don’t plan to renew the lease? Do I still have to send 12 months’ notice to vacate, according to the law? SW, Dubai
Although you bought the villa for your own use, the fact that there is a tenant in situ means you will have to follow set procedures and guidelines to gain vacant possession.
The law states that if you wish to use the villa for your own use or use by next of kin of first degree, you have to send the tenant a notification to vacate.
This document can only be sent via notary public or registered mail and has to give the tenant 12 months’ notice to leave.
This vacating notice should be sent to the tenant upon expiry of the tenancy agreement, that is, shortly before December 27, 2022. However, some judges at the RDSC have allowed the 12 months’ notice to be served at any time.
Therefore, you can send the notice any time from now, but will have to wait one year before being able to move in.
Alternatively, you can set up a meeting with the tenant — face-to-face is always better — to ask them what their intentions are beyond the end of the contract and also explain the reason why you bought the property in the first place.
It is possible to negotiate with your tenant or to offer them an incentive to request they move out by the end of the year. Both these options will ensure you have vacant possession but one will cost you time while the other could cost you money.
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
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The%20Last%20White%20Man
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SPECS
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Soldier F
“I was in complete disgust at the fact that only one person was to be charged for Bloody Sunday.
“Somebody later said to me, 'you just watch - they'll drop the charge against him'. And sure enough, the charges against Soldier F would go on to be dropped.
“It's pretty hard to think that 50 years on, the State is still covering up for what happened on Bloody Sunday.”
Jimmy Duddy, nephew of John Johnson
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
