Homeowners across the UAE are urged to install fire alarms before the mandatory January 1 deadline. Victor Besa for The National
Homeowners across the UAE are urged to install fire alarms before the mandatory January 1 deadline. Victor Besa for The National
Homeowners across the UAE are urged to install fire alarms before the mandatory January 1 deadline. Victor Besa for The National
Homeowners across the UAE are urged to install fire alarms before the mandatory January 1 deadline. Victor Besa for The National

Four months until UAE deadline for mandatory fire alarms in villas


Ali Al Shouk
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  • Arabic

The deadline for homeowners to install smoke and fire detectors, and subscribe to the UAE e-alert system is January 1.

Originally reported as September 1, the Ministry of Interior clarified that the initial cabinet order from September 2020 only took effect the following January when it was published in the official gazette, therefore starting the three-year implementation period from the beginning of 2021.

This means residents who own villas now have four months to make the required upgrades.

“We urge homeowners to register in the Hassantuk programme and install fire detectors to protect their homes. Homeowners have until January 1 to comply with the cabinet order,” the ministry told The National.

The order applies only to villas, as apartment complexes have the required fire detection systems in place. The law also refers only to owners of villas, meaning landlords would need to arrange installation and subscribe to Hassantuk for each villa they rent out.

"The homeowner is responsible to install the fire alarm system at homes, not the tenants," a ministry official confirmed.

In September 2020, the government approved a fire safety scheme for all existing and planned homes. The decision came after a number of incidents, including an eight-month-old baby who died in a Dubai house fire in July 2019.

Between 2017 and 2019, fires in homes caused 68 deaths and accounted for 66 per cent of building and facility fires in 2019.

More recently, in May, a fire at a villa in Abu Dhabi killed six people and injured seven. The victims were inside when the blaze broke out in the Al Moazaz area, south-east of Abu Dhabi city.

Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, offered condolences to the family of a baby girl killed in a house fire. Photo: Dubai Police
Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, offered condolences to the family of a baby girl killed in a house fire. Photo: Dubai Police

Sharp rise in installations

The ministry said 43,000 detectors had been installed in villas across the country by mid-August. The figures do not include Dubai.

Abdulla Al Ahmed, senior vice president of government sales at etisalat by e&, told The National there has been a surge of interest in Hassantuk as the deadline approaches.

“There is about an increase by 500 per cent of orders received every month from villa owners. This is due to availability of unique features such a native mobile app and enforcement of the Hassantuk mandate by Abu Dhabi municipality as part of the NOC process,” Mr Al Ahmed said.

Etisalat by e& are also offering a Bukhoor mode, so customers can enjoy incense without triggering alarms.

“Etisalat by e& has continued to deliver Hassantuk nationwide across all the Emirates and will cross 50,000 homes installed in the coming month,” Mr Al Ahmed added.

Nazia Mustafa, sales manager of Red Blue Flame Fire Safety and Security Systems, told The National it was receiving between 120 and 150 requests to install fire alarm systems from villa owners every month.

“We install fire alarm systems in all buildings including villas. We are receiving many requests from villa owners across the country,” she said.

“There are a variety of devices used in the system that people can choose. Prices can start from Dh2,000 depending on size of the villa and brands too."

What is Hassantuk?

Owners must sign up to an e-alert system known as Hassantuk that will send notifications of fires to the civil defence.

The system has many functions, including verifying the alarm and providing firefighters with the exact location and fastest road route to the fire.

As more homeowners install fire detectors before the deadline, the civil defence authority is working to reduce the firefighters' response time from six minutes to four.

Signing up to the scheme is mandatory now for new-build properties, but owners of existing homes have until January 1.

How much does it cost?

Hassantuk was introduced in 2018 and initially subscription was optional.

Now, the basic plan starts from just over Dh233 a month for 24 months or there is a one-time payment for Dh5,903, according to the Ministry of Interior website.

The website also allows tailored pricing depending on how many rooms the villa has.

However, a new set of fire alarm detectors is being tested to give homeowners a range of options and prices, reports of a lecture presented by UAE civil defence earlier this year stated.

Federal and local governments will install the e-alert system devices at no charge for low-income households receiving benefits from the Ministry of Community Development and people with villas under the Sharjah housing programme.

Federal and local authorities must ensure alarms are installed and the owner is subscribed to the e-alert system before granting building completion certificates.

Hassantuk uses a radio network with wireless sensors to ensure installation without the need for wiring.

Homeowners can visit the Hassantuk website to apply for the service or call 800 222 20.

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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

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9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

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10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

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Short-term let permits explained

Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.

Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.

There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.

Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.

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Updated: August 31, 2023, 5:38 AM