Greater transparency across Dubai’s property market would better protect homeowners, landlords, and tenants
Dubai: Sallie Bowtell, Senior Associate at Trowers law firm in Dubai, said rental rates, evictions, tenant contracts, and utility charges need greater transparency in order to better protect home owners, landlords, and tenants.
She said that clarity over how rents will be calculated would allow both tenants and landlords to budget for the future.
Other challenges are issues surrounding lease agreements and the right to evict tenants.
Currently, landlords have to provide their tenants with 12 months notice that they won’t be renewing the lease agreement with the tenant, Bowtell said.
The tenant can elect to move out at the end of the agreement without giving notice.
“Its great if you’re a tenant but it seems to undermine the idea of a contract,” she said.
Cooling companies
However, it is not just landlords and tenants who are feeling the repercussions of current regulations where in some respects the law can either be very landlord friendly or very tenant friendly.
Bowtell said that homeowners were often left surprised by the number of charges they are subjected to.
She said the private district cooling companies regularly increase the prices enforced on homeowners.
“There needs to be some sort of regulation or an ombudsman that homeowners can go to,” she said.
Source: gulfnews