5.51 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Fire-hit tenants: Landlord demands notice period

Published
By VM Sathish

Many residents of the tower in Al Nahda that went up in flames a week ago, are stuck as the building’s owner is not ready to revoke their tenancy contracts without notice period or rent for two months.

The worst-affected residents who lived on the 23rd, 24th and 25th floors have spent almost six days after the fire, shuttling from one place to another and waiting for the landlord’s mercy.

--------------------

If alarm rings for 2 minutes, get out: Civil Defence

-------------------

“Our flat on the 25th floor was totally damaged and blackened due to smoke and water logging caused by firefighting.  I cannot live in the flat with my two children aged 10 and four because the air conditioner duct has been completely burnt and the rooms are still filled with the smell of smoke. We have lost all the food items, TV, oven, refrigerator, clothes and other items worth Dh14,000. My children could not attend school because their uniforms were black from the fire and smoke,” said a resident of the 25th floor.
 

Six flats on the 25th floor are totally damaged in the fire. “Only three floors above the 22nd were totally burnt out in the fire. Other floors were affected by smoke. Seventeen flats on one side of the building were also burnt, especially their kitchens,” said another tenant.

“For the last six days, we have been shifting from one friend’s place to another and even today we are living in somebody else’s flat. The fire broke out soon after many tenants had renewed their rent contracts for the next year,” he said.

The tower with 33 floors, including six floors of parking space, went up in flames after a suspected electric short circuit from the eighth floor of the residential tower in the thickly populated Al Nahda area. The affected families were offered flats that are now vacant after some tenants left the building.

According to the real estate company, tenants are bound to give two months’ notice before leaving the building and the compensation, if any, will come only from the insurance company. No one from the company was available to talk on record about their insistence on two months’ notice period.

While the building’s managers tried to improve the situation by cleaning some of the rooms, repairing the central air conditioning system and restoring water, electricity and centralised gas supply, the tenants of the totally burnt out flats are helpless. Some have already left the building and taken other flats.

“As the building owner is insisting on two months’ notice or deducting two months’ rent from tenants who want to leave, many tenants are forced to stay back. The building was inaugurated only in November 2010 and after a year, many tenants had just renewed their annual contracts. Now the building owner insists that the tenants cannot leave without giving two months’ notice period,” added another tenant affected by the fire.

“I am leaving the building because it is no more safe to live here. Fortunately, unlike many other tenants who had just renewed their contracts, we had not done so. We are leaving for good,” said another tenant, who lived outside the building for a few days after the fire.

“There are six flats on each of the four floors totally burnt out by the fire and the household appliances, kitchen utensils, electrical and electronic appliances etc. of the tenants damaged. We cannot enter the rooms because the air conditioning ducts are totally burnt and remnants of carbon and smoke are still there. Those who have not renewed their contracts are leaving the building, and those who have just renewed their contracts are stuck and they have to stay in the same insecure building,” added another resident.

The family rescued from the 25th fifth floor is yet to find alternative accommodation and is now living with another Indian family in one of the flats unaffected by the fire.

“The owner has to reduce the notice period and allow the tenants to leave. The fire did not happen due to any mistake of the tenants. If he has other buildings, he should at least relocate them on humanitarian grounds. The building owner should not insist on two months’ notice period from the fire-affected tenants,” said a property law expert.