My salary has been reduced by 90 per cent because of the coronavirus pandemic. When I received the email from my employer, I was worried that the cut will make it impossible for me to pay my rent. I went down to the rental management office and asked for a discount or some sort of relief. All I wanted was a small reduction to help me push through this pandemic with a reduced rate.
Instead of giving me an immediate answer, they asked me to come back later. When I did return, they said 'sorry, we can't reduce the rent'. Their only offer was to postpone a payment of Dh500, which must then be repaid in a couple of months. I realised this would not help me in any way and decided it would be better for me to leave the apartment and look for a place better suited to my budget. I also did not want to trouble the landlord or myself with issues in the future.
So when I told the management officer that I could not stay, he said 'fine you can leave but you have to complete the remaining two months with full payment'. I agreed to this and paid them in full. They then said they would not return the security deposit. Is it legal to do this, particularly at such a difficult time? What should I do? I've found social media reviews that this management company has done this to many people, forcefully finding a reason to not give them their security deposit. I have lost my sleep over this and find it all so depressing that they can do this even though I provided proof of my salary reduction. Are they allowed to say stuff like this and be so unprofessional? MZ, Abu Dhabi
Handing over a security deposit at the beginning of a tenancy is done in case any repairs need to be made to the property when the time comes to hand the unit back to the owner once the contract is finished. It can also be used to clean and paint the property to bring it back to the original condition it was in at the start of the agreement.
In any case, it is not a given that the landlord has the right to withhold the deposit and any expenses should only be deducted by mutual consent. I have never heard of a landlord blatantly telling a tenant that the deposit would not be returned. I assume you asked the person who told you this to explain the reason for keeping it? Keeping a deposit without good reason or consent by all parties is not allowed at any time, yet alone at a difficult time such as this.
My advice to you now would be to file a case at the Rental Dispute Settlement Committee in Abu Dhabi. Here you will be able to get a final judgment and hopefully have the ability to get your deposit back if it was retained illegally.
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
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MO
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'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
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