DUBAI 19 April 2017: Summer is coming and one of the tactics used by landlords, developers and home owners associations in Dubai against ‘offending’ tenants – is to cut off air conditioning or chiller and to restrict tenants free access to the property.
The Dubai Land Department and Dubai Police have made it very clear that both practices are illegal, a violation of the law and tenants’ rights and will not be allowed.
Landlords in Dubai are not allowed to cut services or prevent a tenant from the use of the property, even if there is a dispute between the landlord and the tenant.
This was emphasised during a meeting organised by the Rental Disputes Center of Dubai (RDC) – the judicial arm of the Dubai Land Department – with the Dubai Police General Command.
“I am very glad at this clarification,” said Raj Kumar, a tenant at one of the landmark properties in Dubailand. “In the past, my air conditioning was cut off during the summer months as I disputed my bill. It is not only a monopolistic pressure – but also an inhuman practice – to cut off air conditioning during the heat of the summer and let families sweat it out,” he added.
Centrally air conditioned freehold buildings are not allowed to access air conditioning privately, but are tied to the sole provider to the entire complex.
Dubai Police Role
During the DLD-Dubai Police meeting, the attendees discussed the important role played by the Dubai Police General Command in offering assistance if property occupants are wronged by landlords who do not act in compliance with Article (34) of Law No. (26) 2007, which outlines the legal relationship between real estate landlords and tenants in the Emirate of Dubai.
The meeting took place at RDC headquarters and was chaired by Judge Abdulqader Moosa Abdulrahman, Chairman of RDC, in the presence of Brigadier Saeed Hamad Mohammad bin Sulaiman, Director of Al Rashidiya Police Station; Brigadier Ali Ahmad Abdulla Ghanim, Director of Al Muraqabat Police Station; and Major Rashed Matar Saif Al Jabri, Director of Government Communication Department.
“The RDC in Dubai appreciates the important role the Dubai Police General Command plays in helping us to achieve stability in Dubai’s real estate environment,” said Judge Abdulqader Moosa Abdulrahman.
This initiative furthers the emirate’s strategy of stabilising the rental sector in the real estate market, achieving happiness among all residents, and protecting their rights.
It also helps to highlight the role Dubai Police plays to limit the damage inflicted on tenants by landlords and to establish and verify the details of the dispute.
Dubai landlords cannot cut services or prevent tenant use of property in case of dispute, RDC said.
– By Angel Chan