I currently pay rent of Dh110,000 a year in four cheques for a property in Dubai. My rental lease is due for renewal towards the end of April. My landlord has been trying every possible means to increase my rent.
In December, the landlord’s real estate representative called to check if I intended to renew my rent agreement. I said I was unsure as the market seemed like it was still heading down, but advised him to call back closer to the 90-day deadline. The agent never called me back.
With 76 days remaining to contract renewal, the landlord mailed me directly, seeking to increase the rent to Dh145,000 and claimed she had been receiving rent offers for this amount.
I politely declined, citing tenancy laws regarding contract amendments only with a 90-day notice and the Real Estate Regulatory Agency calculator regulating rent increases.
As per the Rera calculator, my landlord is allowed to increase rent by only Dh5,500 upon renewal and if the notification is served 90 days before contract expiry.
I am willing to pay the higher rent as per the Rera calculator, however she refused to negotiate below Dh145,000.
A week later, my landlord said she could not serve the 90-day notice for a rent increase because she contracted Covid-19. That is no excuse because I contracted Covid-19, too. She could have asked for a rent increase well before time. I refused her demand.
Her real estate agent then demanded the rent increase and I declined again. Later, someone claiming to be my landlord’s husband contacted me, saying she wanted to take possession of the property to live in. I said eviction is only possible after serving a 12-month notice.
I reminded him that if she evicts me to take possession of the property, she cannot rent it for two years, or I will be eligible for potential compensation.
Filing a case at the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre attracts a fee of 3.5 per cent of the rental amount
I have now received a notice from a law firm stating that my landlord was legally right in asking for a rent increase. The law firm selectively cited parts of the law stating rent increases were allowed, but avoided referring to the portion that says tenants and landlords must refer to the Rera calculator for a rent increase.
Although I understand this is all a smokescreen, where do I stand with regard to the law? How do I respond to the legal firm’s letter?
Additionally, this case looks like it will go to the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre, where I have to pay a 3.5 per cent fee to lodge a complaint. Can I reclaim this fee from my landlord? NP, Dubai
It is clear to me that you have a very good grasp of the law that governs the relationship between landlords and tenants.
This is Law 26 of 2007, however it was updated by Law 33 of 2008, which amended certain provisions of the former law.
All these laws can be found in their entirety on the internet for further clarification.
Rental increases are covered by Decree Number 43 of 2013. This decree outlines how much a landlord can increase a property’s rent at contract renewal after serving the 90-day notice in writing.
You are correct that it is the Rera rental calculator that determines how much rent can be increased in a given year.
Any law firm knows what is permissible by law. I can only assume the lawyer’s letter is aimed at you in the hope that you are not aware of these laws.
Filing a case at the RDC attracts a fee of 3.5 per cent of the rental amount. Often, but not always, the judge will award costs to any successful application.
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
THE BIO
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Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
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Read more about the coronavirus
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
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
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The five pillars of Islam
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Match info
Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')
Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')
Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
