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29 March 2024

How you can get your rent back in Sharjah: Click to know

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

Tenants in Sharjah can get rent refund provided they furnish evidence of a force majeure event, a legal expert told 'Emirates 24|7'.

“The tenant can request for early termination prior to the expiry date to the landlord provided evidence of existence of a force majeure event can be furnished in the absence of a contractual provision in the lease,” said Aruna Mukherji, Associate - Property Practice, Al Tamimi & Company.

“Upon happening of such force majeure event, the Rent Disputes Settlement Committee in Sharjah may order termination of the lease by payment of compensation by the tenant for a rent equivalent not less than 30 per cent of the rent for the unused period.”

Likewise, the landlord can also request for early termination upon the happening of a force majeure event and the settlement committee would order payment of compensation to the tenant in light of the facts and circumstances of the particular case.

According to the lawyer, a landlord in Sharjah is generally not permitted to evict tenants prior to expiry of three years from the signing of the lease and may terminate the lease upon the occurrence of specified events of default by service of a written notice to the defaulting tenant.

“Even a tenant can request for early termination if the lease contains an early termination clause,” she added.

'Emirates 24|7' has reported earlier that the Sharjah Municipality allows a landlord to fix a new rent post the expiry of three-year rent contract, but tenants can file complaint if they think the increase is “unreasonable”. In fact, landlords are not allowed to hike rent for two years post the first rental increase.

Sajeel Kumar, an Indian who has just moved to UAE and rented a one-bed apartment, said he wasn’t aware of any rent refund regulation in the emirate.

“I never knew there was such a regulation. It’s good to know that the emirate does protect the tenants in case of any force majeure events,” he added.

In Dubai the contract cancellation terms are mentioned in the rent contract, with the norm being landlord receiving two months’ rent as compensation. In cases where the landlord seeks higher compensation than mentioned in the rent contract, the tenant can approach the dispute settlement committee for relief.