The ceiling in the foyer of my apartment has a leak. It has stained the ceiling brown and a patch of black mould has appeared over one of the water marks. My landlord told me to contact maintenance, which I did, but they require payment from me. This is a problem with his apartment, and which was not created by me, so I don’t believe that I should be made to pay for this. Is this the landlord’s responsibility or am I liable for the cost to address the leak and repair the ceiling? ND, Dubai
The arrangement in most tenancy addendums is that the minor maintenance is taken care of by the tenant and the major is the responsibility of the landlord. Typically, to differentiate what is major or minor, most contracts stipulate putting in a specific monetary figure, for example any repairs between say Dh500-Dh1000 could be classed as minor or any amount over this as major. Consider what sort of relationship you have with your landlord. If it is a good one, then after getting an estimate from the maintenance company you will be able to see who is likely to be responsible. If your relationship is cordial, then initially paying the amount (if it’s the responsibility of the landlord) could speed up the repair and then claiming it back from him should hopefully not be a problem. If, however, you are not prepared to make the initial payment then you will have to convince him it is his responsibility, as the landlord, to keep up with the maintenance. This situation is fairly common but I stress that having a major/minor maintenance clause in the contract eliminates the inevitable arguments that often ensue.
I have a friend that has a Dubai real estate license (RERA) and he’s never done anything with it. He now wants to set up a real estate firm and commence trading. In your experience do you think now is a good time to do this? I know the real estate market is somewhat oversaturated in Dubai by thousands of brokers and real estate companies. I for one think it could be a none starter - unless he focuses on a niche market. AJ, Dubai
It is true that Dubai has, in my opinion, too many agents trading. At the real estate brokers summit held the day before Cityscape Global this year, I hosted Ali Abdullah Al Ali from the Land Department who confirmed there are currently 7,515 individual registered brokers in Dubai this year and 3,990 registered broker companies. As stated, this, in my opinion, is too many for the size of the Dubai population especially when you consider the other brokers trying to work the market that are not registered. Whether this is a good time to start a real estate brokerage business or not, will depend on your friends’ willingness to succeed and therefore the time and effort he will put into the business. The cost of running an agency will mount up dramatically as the competition can sometimes be overbearing. That said, I agree that if he specialises and is 100 per cent committed, there may be no problem starting this kind of business. The market is presently slow in terms of transactions so this will not obviously help a new company to take off quickly, as it does take time to establish. However, if he opens up now, by the time the market does return to normality he should be in a better trading position.
My landlord sent a 12-month notice that he is planning to sell the property and I have to leave in December. I believe he wants to kick me out and rent again with a higher rate since my contract is relatively low. Is there any proof I can ask for before I vacate the property or I must vacate and then submit a complaint? OP, Dubai
If your landlord is issuing you this 12 months eviction notice, it has to be served upon expiry of your tenancy agreement (according to Law 33 of 2008) and then it has to be delivered either via notary public or registered mail. If he does serve you the notice correctly and a sale does subsequently occur, then you are entitled to see the sales contract (Form F or memorandum of understanding), which will confirm that the property has indeed been sold. The law is silent as to whether you can stay on beyond the 12 months if the property remains unsold during this period. If your landlord insists on you moving out at 12 months even if the property remains unsold, your only route would be to file a case at the rental committee if you wish to stay in the property until it actually is.
Mario Volpi is a real estate professional who has worked within the industry for the past 31 years in London and Dubai. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not reflect in any way those of the institutions to which he is affiliated. It does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Please send any questions to mariovolpi64@gmail.com.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The specs: 2024 Mercedes E200
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cyl turbo + mild hybrid
Power: 204hp at 5,800rpm +23hp hybrid boost
Torque: 320Nm at 1,800rpm +205Nm hybrid boost
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.3L/100km
On sale: November/December
Price: From Dh205,000 (estimate)
World Cup 2023 ticket sales
August 25 – Non-India warm-up matches and all non-India event matches
August 30 – India matches at Guwahati and Trivandrum
August 31 – India matches at Chennai, Delhi and Pune
September 1 – India matches at Dharamsala, Lucknow and Mumbai
September 2 – India matches at Bengaluru and Kolkata
September 3 – India matches at Ahmedabad
September 15 – Semi-finals and Final
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp
Torque: 380Nm
Price: From Dh208,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder petrol (V Class); electric motor with 60kW or 90kW powerpack (EQV)
Power: 233hp (V Class, best option); 204hp (EQV, best option)
Torque: 350Nm (V Class, best option); TBA (EQV)
On sale: Mid-2024
Price: TBA
The specs
Engine: 3.0 twin-turbo inline six-cylinder
Transmission: eight-speed
Power: 503hp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: from Dh400,000 (estimate)
On sale: now
Indika
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Publisher: Odd Meter
Console: PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 4/5
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars