My husband and I bought a property in Jumeirah Heights last month, which is being leased. After some delays, we finalised the sale on August 18. On the same day,the title deed was issued in our names. The previous owner renewed the contract with the tenant until August 13 next year. Presently, the tenant has the contract with previous owner's name on it and the contract has not been registered with Ejari. We went to the land department for help and they said the contract had to be in our name to have it registered with Ejari. We informed the tenant but he said he did not want to change the names in the contract. What are our rights as owners? DB, Dubai
It is not up to the tenant to decide in whose name the tenancy contract is. You are the new legal owners, therefore the contract should be amended to reflect this. My advice would be to explain to the tenant that if you are not on the contract, then how can you be responsible for any issues that may arise for the property. I’m sure that the previous owner will not be interested in sorting anything out for the tenant. Once he has grasped this, I suggest you explain that you will do the change at Ejari. For this you will need copies of the tenant’s passport, the previous Ejari registration, your passport, the tenancy agreement, a Dewa bill and the title deed. Legalising the contract is not open to discussion, so please explain this to the tenant.
I moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Discovery Gardens in March 2011, with a rental price of Dh40,000 per year. Over the past two years it has gone up to Dh53,000, which I understand is still a very good price for the market these days. Now I am liable for the air-conditioning bill (this has been the case since June). I pay Dh700 per month for the air conditioning, plus a Dh725 service charge every three months. This adds an extra Dh12,000 per year, taking my annual accommodation cost to Dh65,000. Recently, the real estate agent gave me an eviction notice (not by courier), as the property is being sold and I need to move out by next June. Is the eviction notice legal even though it wasn't served through the court? Do I have a chance of staying in my apartment or does he have the right to evict me? The apartment has yet to be sold. LG, Dubai
Despite the rising running costs of your apartment, it is evident that you wish to remain living there. Here are my recommendations: a 12 months’ notice to request eviction of a tenant by a landlord has to be served either by notary public or registered mail. The fact that your notice was given to you by the agent, in what would appear not to be the prescribed manner of delivery, would not deem it legal, unless of course it was notarised.
Assuming it was not notarised, the landlord is still of the belief that he has given you the correct notice to vacate. So I suggest that you do nothing at this stage, but 90 days before the expiry of the current tenancy agreement, let him know (in writing) that you wish to renew the lease. He obviously will not accept this, as he is of the opinion that he has sent you the correct notice. But at this point you can seek justice from the rental committee by filing a case against eviction on the grounds that the notice was not sent in the proper manner.
My landlord issued an eviction letter last year, stating he wanted to move in. He now says he wants to sell and has agreed to extend my rent for another year, but only if I accept a rent increase of more than 15 per cent. Does he have to issue a new eviction letter, as he has changed the reason or does the first eviction letter remain valid? DM, Dubai
The law states that when a landlord wishes to evict a tenant for a certain reason (selling or moving in himself are the two main ones), he has to give you 12 months’ notice upon the expiration of your tenancy agreement. And it must be sent either via notary public or registered mail. Therefore, as long as he has done this, I’m sure the rental committee doesn’t specify that another eviction letter has to be issued just because he has changed his reason, as both are legitimate.
Mario Volpi works at Asteco Property Management and has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate industry in Dubai and London. Send any questions to mariov@asteco.com
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
MO
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Supercharged%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20400hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20430Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills