DUBAI // Housing inspectors are getting tough with tenants who illegally share villas to combat rising rents.
They caught 300 offenders in the first six months of the year, when apartment rents increased by 6 per cent and villas by 9 per cent.
"If rents go up, surely they will come back again to share," said Jabir Ahmed Al Ali, head of the inspection unit at Dubai Municipality buildings department. "If that happens, we will work harder.
"Our message is: don't share. You can rent a house anywhere. It is better and safer for the family. Why should you break the rules? We give a week's notice. If they don't move, we disconnect electricity."
The "one villa, one family" rule was established in 2008. More than 800 people were evicted from illegally shared villas in 2011. This year, Mr Al Ali says his department is stepping up inspections on multi-occupancy in Al Bada'a near Satwa, Al Jafiliya and Al Rashidiya.
"When power is cut and houses are vacated, we take a letter from the owner that the villa will not be rented again to more than one family," he said.
Tenants and owners of illegally shared villas may be fined up to Dh50,000.
Faisal Mirza, a Pakistani expatriate who has moved three times in the past six months after being evicted, said: "If I am comfortable sharing and am ready to bear the consequences, I should be free to choose where I can live."
Mr Mirza, a sales representative in Hamriya, pays Dh2,000 a month rent and shares a kitchen with two other families. "If I had the option, I would live in a flat. But my salary is low and I can't afford to pay rent upfront," he said.
"It is not logical for one family to stay in a huge villa. They can't afford it."
The no-sharing rule applies to all villas, irrespective of the number of rooms. "Only one family can live there, whether there is one room or 30 rooms," said Mr Al Ali. "Let families take another small villa or a flat."
Masuma Hussain, a resident of Al Jafiliya, said the high cost of living forced tenants to turn to multi-occupancy. "Everyone wants to live well but it is very hard for low income families."
Offences are inevitable, said Saddat Abbasi, a housing agent who regularly rents four to ten-room villas to multiple families.
"No one can afford to rent an entire villa," he said. "They say one family is allowed to stay in a villa but it is not possible."
Mr Abassi said at least 20 families approach him every month to share homes and can afford to pay between Dh800 and Dh4,500 a month.
"People know about the municipality regulations but they still stay," he said. "There are advertisements in papers, websites, everywhere."
Like the municipality, he expects demand for sharing properties to increase as the rents pick up again. "Ramadan will be slow, but maybe after Eid demand for villas will increase."
pkannan@thenational.ae
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
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THE SPECS
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The%20specs
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Specs – Taycan 4S
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Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
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About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
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RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.
