Some Dubai tenants get eviction notices a month after renting

After moving into her newly rented apartment in Dubai Marina last month, Jennifer (who asked to use her first name only) has been served with a notice from her landlord, issued by the public notary, stating that he wishes to sell his apartment.

She rented the one-bed apartment in Dubai Marina for Dh90,000, but will have to find move, paying, once again, the real estate agent’s commission and relocation charges.

“I paid Dh4,500 to the agent. When I took the apartment, the agent told me that the landlord was not going to sell and that I could renew my lease next year. I trusted him,” she says.

“This month, however, the landlord has sent me the official 12-month notice to vacate the apartment, saying he wants to sell his apartment next year.”

Jennifer claims she spoke to the agent, but he declined to help.

“I have to go back to the market again to look for the right apartment at the right price. It’s so frustrating,” she says.

Real estate agents admit that a number of landlords in Dubai are resorting to such a move to evict tenants so they can continue to lease their apartments at market rates.

“Most of the landlords prefer to give public notary eviction notices a month after the new tenant moves in. This is the most convenient way to evict a tenant.

“They have to pay Dh500 to Dh800 for the notary, which they don’t mind,” SK, a real estate agent, who wished not to be named, told Emirates 24|7.

We reported earlier that there were three main reasons that qualified, or gave the right to the landlord to evict a tenant.

(Read here: Dubai tenant can be evicted for 3 main reasons: Legal expert)

In a statement sent to Emirates 24|7, Mohammed K. Bin Hammad, Senior Director of Real Estate Relations Regulatory Department, Real Estate Regulatory Agency – Dubai Land Department, said tenants have the right to seek compensation from the landlord by filing a case with the rent dispute settlement centre.

Article (26) of Law No (33) of 2008, which amended some terms in Law No (26) of 2007 regulating the relationship between landlord and tenant in Dubai, states if the tribunal awards the landlord possession of the real property for his personal use or for use by any of his first-degree relatives, the landlord may not rent the real property to a third party before the lapse of at least two years from the date of possession and three years in case of non-residential real property, unless the tribunal, in its discretion, sets a shorter period.

“Otherwise, the tenant may request the tribunal at the dispute centre, the judicial arm of Dubai Land Department, to award him a fair compensation,” Bin Hammad states.

No cases have been heard so far of where a tenant has moved the dispute center to seek compensation from landlords.

“Never have we seen any tenant seeking compensation from the landlord for s/he not selling the apartment post the notice or renting out the apartment to some other person,” adds SK.

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