Question: I rent a one-bedroom apartment in Dubai Marina. My landlord has informed me that he wants to switch the apartment to short-term rental and says that, because this is a business decision, I must vacate the property at the end of my contract. He is offering me 30 days’ notice.
I’m not sure whether this is legal or if short-term rental qualifies as a valid reason to evict a sitting tenant. Can he ask me to leave for this reason? SM, Dubai
Answer: Short-term rental does not qualify as a legal reason for eviction. Law 33 of 2008 states that a landlord may only evict a tenant for four main reasons:
- to sell
- for personal use, or use by first degree next of kin
- for major renovation that requires the property to be empty
- for reason of demolition
Switching to commercial use, such as holiday home licensing, does not fall into any of these categories.
Therefore, your landlord cannot serve you a 30-day notice, nor can he refuse renewal on this basis. The correct procedure if he intended to sell or use the property personally, for example, would be a to send you a 12-month notice to vacate through notary public or registered mail.
Short-term leasing is a business choice, not a legal reason to displace a current tenant.
I suggest you inform the landlord politely of the correct legal framework. Most misunderstandings arise from poor advice. If he insists on proceeding unlawfully, you can open a case with the Dubai Rental Dispute Centre, which is likely to rule in favour of the tenant in situations like this.
Q: I rent a villa in Sharjah and my landlord has informed me that tenants must now contribute to an upgrade fee to cover road repaving and landscaping enhancements in the community. This came with no warning and wasn’t mentioned in my tenancy contract.
It would add nearly Dh4,000 ($1,089) a year to my rent. Is a landlord allowed to add this kind of fee mid-tenancy? SB, Sharjah
A: No, your landlord cannot introduce new fees midway through a tenancy unless they are explicitly written into the contract you signed.
Any upgrade works, infrastructure improvements or community enhancements fall under the responsibility of either the landlord or the developer, not the tenant. Your rent is meant to cover your cost of occupancy. Anything related to the long-term condition or value of the property remains the owner’s responsibility.
If the landlord insists, you can remind them that Sharjah tenancy disputes are handled with a strong emphasis on written contract terms. If the contract does not specify any additional or variable community charges payable by the tenant, then you are not legally obliged to pay.
In many cases, simply clarifying this to the landlord resolves the issue, as they may be passing on costs without realising they are prohibited from doing so.
Q: I purchased an off-plan townhouse in Meydan in early 2022. The expected handover date was the fourth quarter of 2024. Last week, the developer sent an update saying the handover has been pushed to mid-2026 due to infrastructure adjustments. I’m worried this may drag on even longer.
What are my rights when a delay is so significant? Do developers owe compensation and is there anything I should be doing now? DF, Dubai
A: Major delays are frustrating, but they do occur, especially when the developer has to outsource the contractor and when large-scale infrastructure changes are involved.
Your rights are determined by two things:
- Your sales and purchase agreement (SPA)
- The developer’s registration with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency’s project monitoring system
Most SPAs in Dubai include a clause allowing developers a certain delayed grace period, often 12 months after the expected completion date, before a delay is considered material. Given your revised timeline, this delay will probably exceed the grace period.
In such cases, you may be entitled to compensation depending on the wording of your SPA. Some agreements state a fixed penalty per month, others outline a more general compensation formula. The exact amount varies widely.
If delays become unreasonable and more than two years beyond the original date, you also have the option to file a complaint through Rera’s legal affairs department, which can assess whether the developer remains compliant.
For now, document everything. Maintain copies of all updates, construction photos from site visits and your payment receipts. Continue paying instalments only in line with actual construction progress as reflected in Rera’s project tracker.
Delays are always disruptive, but Dubai’s regulatory framework gives buyers a structured process for recourse.
The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario@allegiance.ae
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
