UAE legal Q&As: How to address tenant’s unpaid charges



Q: Does building management or a landlord have the right to stop a tenant from moving their belongings out of a property if the lease has expired but they have not settled their outstanding charges (such as cooling charges) and if the deposit is insufficient? What action can be taken?

A: The owner of a unit doesn’t have the right to evict a tenant either before or after the lease contract expires without an official ruling from the rent committee. A landlord may also not prevent a tenant from moving their belongings out. The landlord may, however, take the issue up with the rental disputes committee to ask for the unsettled dues, provided they produce evidence to support their claim. If the tenant did not settle the outstanding bills, the landlord does not have the right to disconnect water or electricity, or any other such service. If the landlord were to do so, the tenant could report the case to police and use the ensuing report before the disputes committee. Instead of disconnecting services, a landlord is advised to submit the case to the disputes committee.

Q: Are tenants allowed to play loud music before 8am and does a neighbour have a legal right to complain if they do?

A: A tenant is entitled to enjoy their home any way they choose to, provided they don’t encroach on the freedom of other residents in the building. There is not a specified time for listening to music but, if music were to be played loud at what is considered a time for rest, neighbours may report the incident to police. The authorities would warn the person in question. And if they continue to play loud music, the police could make them sign a pledge not to do so again. Should the problem persist, neighbours may file an official report with police.

Q: In a road rage incident, when it is a person’s word against another, how do the authorities decide whether it is worth pursuing? And does the incident even deserve to become a court case? Can a reckless driver be reported to the police when there is no evidence?

A: Road users are obliged to respect one another. The law protects the rights of individuals against even the simplest breach. So if a person has been verbally or physically abused, they should lodge a complaint with the authorities. The plaintiff should produce evidence in the event that they are called to be a witness in court.

* If you have a question for our lawyer, please email it to newsdesk@thenational.ae with the subject line “Know the law”.

The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta

hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

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  • Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
  • Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
  • Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
  • Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match​​​​​​​
  • Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
  • Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
  • Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
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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  • 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
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  • 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
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

'Munich: The Edge of War'

Director: Christian Schwochow

Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons

Rating: 3/5