Answer: Landlords hold on to a security deposit in case repairs are needed at the property after the tenant has vacated, or in case of any outstanding invoices such as utility charges.
The property should be returned to the landlord in the same condition that it was offered to the tenant at the start of the lease agreement.
If your apartment was new, I presume all the paint work was in excellent condition on handover.
You would be within your rights to claim the cost of repainting and cleaning, and/or repairing anything to return the unit to the same condition at handover.
The tenant can either pay for the work and you return the security deposit in full, or you use the deposit to do the work and return the remaining funds to him.
Q: My landlord served me with a 12-month eviction notice on March 31 last year and I need to vacate the property by April 1.
However, the owner is set to sell the property well before the expiry of his eviction notice.
If the transfer of ownership happens before the eviction date, does the new owner have to serve me a separate 12-month eviction notice?
If so, will the old lease terms (such as rent) be valid until the end of this new eviction notice?
If I agree to vacate the property many months before the eviction date, can I claim compensation from the new owner?JS, Dubai
A: In the past, some judges at the Rent Dispute Settlement Committee have requested the new owner of a rented property to issue their own 12-month notice to vacate, if they or their next of kin to the first degree need to use the property.
This is irrespective of the old owner having already served a 12-month eviction notice.
However, it is not guaranteed that this judgment will be carried out all the time as it is up to the judge at the RDSC to decide.
The old contract or lease has to be adhered to in its entirety and only changes communicated in writing 90 days before the renewal date will be allowed. So, your contract terms should remain the same as before.
In case you decide to vacate the unit earlier, it is up to you to negotiate and agree with the new owner regarding any compensation owed.
Q: My tenant recently vacated the apartment I own but left an outstanding air-conditioning bill of about Dh4,000.
He handed over a cheque to the building's management but when I deposited it in the bank, it bounced.
I sent him a message but he wants me to release his security deposit of about Dh4,300 before he can pay the outstanding bill.
However, the tenant caused damage to the property, which now has leakages, defective lights and holes drilled in the walls. I can assess the cost of damage only after consulting with my contractor.
Meanwhile, the building's management is asking me to pay the air conditioning bill as soon as possible because I need to move into the apartment. What can I do?SM, Dubai
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A: If you trust your tenant, then go ahead and refund the deposit to allow him to pay the air conditioning bill.
However, I am sure you do not have faith in him. Returning the deposit will weaken your position to retrieve any money.
The only solution I can propose is if the tenant can leave something of value for you to hold as security — but only if they are happy to do so as a gesture of goodwill.
Once you are in possession of this, you can perhaps return the deposit money for him to then pay the outstanding bill.
When he would like his item returned, he can pay you what is owed to retrieve it.
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
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
