ABU DHABI // Residents living along the Corniche say the Department of Transport is clamping down on landlords who have been illegally leasing parking spaces from them in their buildings.
According to Law No. 18 of 2009, each tenant has the right to one free parking space in the garage of his or her building.
The law, which was issued directly by the court of Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, stipulates that the leasing of parking spaces in building car parks is not permitted, unless there is a surplus.
Despite the law, some landlords were still demanding payment for all parking inside their buildings.
One of those was the Waqf Zayed Higher Organisation building on the Corniche, managed by Burooj Properties. Tenants there said they were being asked to pay Dh10,000 per parking spot per year, and multiple parking bays were provided to tenants willing to pay the price.
Ayman Hegab, from Egypt, signed his lease in October and after refusing to pay the additional Dh10,000, Mr Hegab was not provided with a spot for his car. He filed his first complaint in November and has been following up with the Department of Transport (DoT).
Last Thursday, Mr Hegab finally received the free parking space he was always entitled to.
"Inspectors from the DoT have been making site visits to the building and meeting Burooj officials," he said. "And they also requested copies of the contracts of all tenants."
Tenants said their leases did not specify the parking rate. Instead, the price changed when the tenant came to sign the contract - a flat rate of Dh120,000 without parking or Dh130,000 with parking.
Burooj Properties was required to redistribute its underground spaces as per the law and now, according to Mr Hegab, 70 tenants who previously did not have parking spots now had one free of charge as a result of DoT intervention.
Since Waqf Zayed building consists of 240 apartments and has only 186 parking spots, parking is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
"I contacted the DoT about getting a parking spot, and they told me to apply but that it depends on the date of my contract," said a Jordanian tenant who did not want to be named, fearing repercussions from the property owners.
"Two families left the building after the DoT demanded the property owner take back parking spots from tenants who had more than one."
Under the law, if there are not enough parking spaces for each tenant, priority goes to the apartments with the most bedrooms. If all the units in a building have the same number of bedrooms, such as the Waqf Zayed building, priority goes to families who have been living in the building for a longer time.
In buildings that combine residential and commercial space, the law says that residential needs must come first.
Other tenants who have already paid the Dh10,000 for a parking spot said the DoT informed them they would be reimbursed.
One tenant from New Zealand said that, as per DoT instructions, she had written a letter in February requesting a document that confirmed this agreement from the bank sponsoring the building. After receiving no response, she followed up with the bank, who suggested she write another letter.
"The DoT informed me the money would be returned to me in the form of credit towards next year's rent," she said. "But to date, I have nothing in writing confirming this. I'm writing the bank another letter today and hoping for the best."
