DUBAI // When Irfan Awan was asked to cough up Dh5,000 more in rent or vacate his apartment, he decided to stand his ground.
He leased a two-bedroom apartment in Al Barsha for Dh67,000 in June last year but received an email and letter stating the rent would rise by Dh5,000 on renewal this June.
The marketing manager said he was not willing to unquestioningly uproot his four-month-old baby and family.
“I’m not fighting, I’m just asking for clarification and hoping that rules and regulations will be followed,” Mr Awan said. “I’ve just asked how this figure of Dh5,000 has been arrived at?
“I’m asking for my rights because I believe this figure is not right, so I checked with Rera [the Real Estate Regulatory Authority] and they said it could not be increased. I have a newborn baby and it’s difficult to relocate.”
But when Mr Awan told the landlord he was not willing to pay more, he was told to vacate since “it could easily be rented out for Dh85,000”.
On checking the Rera rent index, he confirmed that the current range was between Dh55,000 and Dh70,000 and he was not liable for an increase.
The index is updated three times a year and, while it is not mandatory to stick to the prices, it is a valuable guide for rentals.
“Everyone has to follow rules and I have spoken to the Land Department and Rera and they have provided me with all the information,” Mr Awan said. “People should also consult legal advisers at their own companies for help.”
Mr Awan asked that the property company not be identified since negotiations were still under way.
Shahram Safai, the head of real estate at Afridi and Angell legal consultants, said tenants needed to remember that they were protected by the law.
“The only way you can be evicted is if you commit wrongful acts like not pay the rent, or do illegal acts like sublease without permission,” Mr Safai said. “A landlord can also ask a tenant to move out if he wants to live there, if the house requires major renovation or he wants to sell the property when the lease is over.
“Even in these cases, he must give one year’s notice. This one year’s notice is applicable one year from the end of the lease term and the reason has to be a legitimate one.”
Yusuf Pingar, who rents an apartment in The Greens, said Rera’s rent index was helpful for landlords, too.
"If tenants are paying 20 to 25 per cent lower than the prevailing rate, then it makes sense to ask for more. Otherwise it's unreasonable," he said. "If the difference is just 5 to 7 per cent then it's sheer greed. They should work something out."
rtalwar@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
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THE%20SPECS
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Bob%20Marley%3A%20One%20Love
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RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
MATCH INFO
Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians won by three runs
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
