DUBAI // Homeless and out-of-work estate agent Amina Ali was in a desperate state when she decided to speak out about being trapped in Dubai by a legal wrangle and red tape.
Since telling her story to The National this week, the former employee of S&K, the estate agency, has been “overwhelmed and touched” by public support.
Eighty staff were left unemployed when the operating licence of S&K, also known as Smith & Ken, was revoked in June.
Ms Ali, 27, from London, left S&K in September last year after a pay dispute.
She lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Labour saying the company owed her more than two months’ commission – Dh128,700.
But the company claimed that her Dh5,000 salary for that month was a loan she must repay and obtained an absconding order preventing her from leaving the country or working until the issue is resolved.
As S&K’s representatives have left the country, she is in limbo and has been homeless for 10 months.
Minutes after her story was posted online, there were offers of help. She has since had several job offers and a promise of pro-bono legal advice.
“I am absolutely touched by the response generated by the article in The National,” said Ms Ali, who has been staying with friends.
“The kindness has been overwhelming. I have approached two of the companies who have offered jobs but we will need to work out my visa situation first.”
So far, her legal fees and translation expenses have exceeded Dh15,000. With no resolution, she was forced to sell her laptop and had to rewrite her CV.
“I will have a few more nights on the sofa yet but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I’m a lot more positive about life now,” she said.
“I want to be able to stand on my own feet and make contact with my family again. I haven’t seen them for 18 months.”
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency at Dubai Land Department said it received several complaints about S&K. Since the news of S&K’s closure went public, other estate agencies have issued warnings about the pitfalls of dealing with some operators.
Kalpesh Sampat, director at SPF Realty, is one of the businessmen to offer Ms Ali a job, and has also instructed company lawyers to look at her case.
“I had used S&K for my own property and done many deals with them, particularly in The Springs,” he said. “To find out about their situation was surprising. When I looked into it, I realised there were problems.”
Some of S&K’s clients and former employees said the company routinely asked tenants to write rent cheques for S&K instead of the landlord.
Property buyers were also asked to draw cheques in favour of the company instead of the seller.
Mr Sampat, who first came to Dubai in 1991, said the tactics were not unusual.
“It is absolutely critical landlords in these cases only accept a cheque from the tenant, and vice versa,” he said.
“People should be very careful. When these incidents happen, it gives the industry a bad name and we are guilty by association.
“It is hard to understand how the order remains in place on Amina if S&K are no longer here.
“Once we have the legal guidance, we can then go back to the MoL and find out what we can do for her.”
Priyesh Patel, a director in the sales and brokerage division at Aston Pearl real estate, also offered Ms Ali a job, as did Deepak Sharma, a country director at facility management company Qurum Business Group.
nwebster@thenational.ae
