I live in Abu Dhabi and my property is managed by a company on behalf of the landlord. Since I moved in I have had a number of maintenance issues, some of which are still not fixed, so I have made several complaints. I have received an email from the agent telling me they are not going to renew my lease in May when my tenancy is up. Can they do this? The reason they have given is based on conversations I have had with them where I got angry about the fact that I have outstanding maintenance issues (some more than six months old). I have always paid my rent on time and do not want to move because I love my apartment and want to stay there for couple of years. What rights do I have and how I can get them to retract the notice? TD, Abu Dhabi
Any landlord has the responsibility to maintain the property and keep it fit for purpose; this can include carrying out necessary repairs such as structural issues, any electrical problems, plumbing or any concerns to walls, ceilings or the roof (if a villa) and so on. If a landlord does not deal with the repairs after a certain period of time, the tenant has the right to carry out the necessary improvements but they must first seek the guidance of the rent committee.
With reference to the email you received from the property manager, please note that if an Abu Dhabi landlord does not wish to renew the tenancy contract with you, they do not actually have to give you a reason but merely inform you of this fact by giving at least 60 days written notice prior to the expiration of the contract.
My advice would be to personally meet the property manager. At this meeting, you have to find some common ground between you. Although you were quite within your rights to have got angry or frustrated about the lack of maintenance or repair work that has or has not been done in the past, losing your cool or getting aggressive only leads to individuals clamming up.
I’m not suggesting you apologise for any past behaviour but you clearly have to try and repair your relationship with the property manager to get them back on your side
Ultimately, if there is no way of changing their minds, you really do not have much choice but to comply with the request or if you really do feel strongly about their wrongdoing, you can always file a case at the rental committee.The outcome cannot be second-guessed if it goes that far.
My take on this is, if you cannot get an agreement, use the time to find another suitable property and put the whole episode down to experience.
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Read more from Mario Volpi:
Homefront: Dubai agent refuses to refund Dh6,000 booking fee despite tenant cancelling within 24 hours
Homefront: Should UAE property agents charge VAT on commission?
Homefront: 'My property agent is forcing me into a maintenance contract. Is that legal?'
Homefront: Is there a formal way for a landlord to withdraw an eviction notice?
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I have a couple of units in a building that my company manages that we need back after eight months. Can I lease them out for eight months and issue the Ejari. And since I want them back within eight months, what safeguards should I put into the tenancy contract? Can I get the tenant to sign a vacating letter? Is that legal? RP, Dubai
If you wish to have vacant possession on a couple of apartments in eight months’ time, I suggest you rent them out on a short-term basis. You will be able to register them with Ejari as the requirement is for a minimum of six months lease.
Renting on a longer term basis but also requesting vacant possession after the eight months is tricky because you will not be able to guarantee the tenant will actually vacate at the necessary time. Ordinary vacating letters from tenants are not worth much unless they are legally notarised, only then do they “hold water”.
If you do decide to rent the units out on a short-term basis, remember they will have to be registered with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (www.dtcm.gov.ae/holiday homes) and you must pay the necessary fees.
The license fees are Dh1,520 for online registration, which includes the knowledge and innovation fees; Dh300 per bedroom per year up to maximum of Dh1200; Dh70 for management fees, which includes the knowledge and innovation fees, and a tourism fee of Dh10 per standard bedroom or Dh15 per deluxe bedroom, per night up to a maximum of 30 nights. You should also factor in buildings and contents insurance, cleaning and laundry fees, etc.
Mario Volpi is the chief sales officer for Kensington Exclusive Properties and has worked in the property industry for more than 30 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@kensington.ae
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
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
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
SPECS
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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
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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
Company%20profile
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Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
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