Question: After 16 years of living in the same place, my landlord served me a court order to vacate within a year because he is selling the property.
He sold the property after five months to another landlord.
Should the new landlord serve me with a new eviction order or will the existing notice from my old landlord be applicable? SC, Dubai
Answer: It appears that the judges at the Rental Dispute Centre have changed their position on this issue.
Previously, a new buyer who becomes the landlord had to serve their own 12-month notice in addition to the notice from the original landlord.
However, judges are now ruling that the notice served should be attached to the property, not a person, meaning the new landlord – the buyer – can use the eviction notice served by the original landlord.
However, your eviction can only be upheld if the new landlord intends to move in himself or his next of kin of the first-degree because they are not allowed to evict a tenant to then re-let the property to a new tenant.
Q: I have an apartment that has been rented out from January 20 this year to January 19, 2025.
However, my tenant informed me on June 12 by email that she needs to know her options in case she terminates the lease early because of personal reasons and difficulties in staying in Dubai.
I confirmed to her over a call that we will not impose a penalty if she gives me at least 60 days’ notice.
On June 27, she emailed me again saying that since there is no early termination clause in the contract, she will vacate the apartment and move out on July 15, requesting me to return the balance rent as well as the security deposit.
What are my legal rights as a landlord? She wants to terminate the lease early, but I don't want to agree because she is not giving me at least 60 days' notice. However, nothing is mentioned in our tenancy contract.
Is there any specific rule that if an early termination clause is not mentioned in the contract, how many days can I demand for the notice period? CJ, Dubai
A: When it comes to early termination of a contract, if there are no specific terms or clauses within the document relating to this, the penalty (if any) is entirely at the discretion of the landlord.
Technically, the tenant has signed and agreed to a contract with a one-year validity, so if she now wants to terminate the contract early, according to the document, you do not have to return any rent.
However, it is advisable to reach an agreement and typically, a one or two-month notice plus a minimum 30-day penalty charge is reasonable.
Without a provision for early contract termination, the tenant could be liable for the full year’s rent.
However, you would also not be able to re-let the property until the contract officially ends, regardless of whether anyone is living in the unit or not.
If the tenant does not agree, your only option would be to file a case at the Rental Dispute Centre and await a judgment on how to proceed.
Mario Volpi is head of brokerage at Novvi Properties and has worked in the property sector for 40 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@novviproperties.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai World Cup Carnival card:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 | 2,410 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
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
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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
LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
