I have a property in the Springs community in Dubai. In July 2017, we got a new tenant whose contract ends in July 2018. We sent him a 12-month eviction notice in August as we planned to use the property for self occupation. Now our situation has altered, as our stay in Dubai is not certain. We gave an option of extension to our current tenant but he wishes to move out. Can we then look for a new tenant (with the same or decreased rent) or would we run into legal tangles with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency if he were to look for compensation since the laws seem to largely favour tenants? It actually puts landlords like us at a considerable disadvantage. Is there any formal process to withdraw a given vacating notice? MO, Dubai
Firstly (as you have already done), you will need to give your current tenant the option to renew. As he has already stated he wishes to vacate, you need to get this decision in writing from him that despite the fact you gave the 12-month notice to vacate, for reason of personal use, your circumstances have now changed and you will not require him to vacate. Make sure you get in writing that his decision not to renew the contract is his choice and nothing to do with the original notification to vacate by August 2018. This guarantees that you should not have any issues in the future, should he also change his mind about any compensation when you do indeed find another tenant.
You need to confirm his exact date of vacating, presumably it will be before the end of July next year. Given the fact that you need to find another tenant, you will need your present tenant to help by allowing access to the property in advance of his departure. This way you stand a chance of finding a tenant before he leaves avoiding any void periods.
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I have a query that I can't seem to get a straight answer on. Our rental contract is pretty standard and states that large maintenance works are the responsibility of the landlord, however anything up to Dh1,000 is the responsibility of the tenant. My landlord is claiming that this is in relation to each individual maintenance issue - of which there have been many. So basically if 10 different things go wrong in the property each costing Dh900, is my liability Dh9,000? When I signed the contract I assumed that my total liability would be Dh1,000 over the course of the contract. DF, Dubai
The straight answer to your question is that there is not one specific set in stone way, but I can confirm what the normal practice is. Maintenance or remedial works to a property can happen at any time and these are taken into consideration normally on a case-by-case basis. So in this case, your landlord is correct. Under normal situations, as soon as something needs to be taken care of, that is the time that the tenant and landlord agree to what is to be done and who is responsible for what.
Paying Dh1,000 for any minor maintenance issues is (in my opinion) quite high as Dh500 is more in line with what the majority of tenants agree to pay. At this level the amount shared out, whether minor or major, is on a single maintenance issue at a time not cumulative. I suggest you meet up with your landlord and re-adjust the maintenance liability figures to reflect the norm.
Mario Volpi is the chief sales officer for Kensington Exclusive Properties and has worked in the property industry for over 30 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@kensington.ae
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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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick%20facts
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
