I live in Abu Dhabi and my property is managed by a company on behalf of the landlord. Since I moved in I have had a number of maintenance issues, some of which are still not fixed, so I have made several complaints. I have received an email from the agent telling me they are not going to renew my lease in May when my tenancy is up. Can they do this? The reason they have given is based on conversations I have had with them where I got angry about the fact that I have outstanding maintenance issues (some more than six months old). I have always paid my rent on time and do not want to move because I love my apartment and want to stay there for couple of years. What rights do I have and how I can get them to retract the notice? TD, Abu Dhabi
Any landlord has the responsibility to maintain the property and keep it fit for purpose; this can include carrying out necessary repairs such as structural issues, any electrical problems, plumbing or any concerns to walls, ceilings or the roof (if a villa) and so on. If a landlord does not deal with the repairs after a certain period of time, the tenant has the right to carry out the necessary improvements but they must first seek the guidance of the rent committee.
With reference to the email you received from the property manager, please note that if an Abu Dhabi landlord does not wish to renew the tenancy contract with you, they do not actually have to give you a reason but merely inform you of this fact by giving at least 60 days written notice prior to the expiration of the contract.
My advice would be to personally meet the property manager. At this meeting, you have to find some common ground between you. Although you were quite within your rights to have got angry or frustrated about the lack of maintenance or repair work that has or has not been done in the past, losing your cool or getting aggressive only leads to individuals clamming up.
I’m not suggesting you apologise for any past behaviour but you clearly have to try and repair your relationship with the property manager to get them back on your side
Ultimately, if there is no way of changing their minds, you really do not have much choice but to comply with the request or if you really do feel strongly about their wrongdoing, you can always file a case at the rental committee.The outcome cannot be second-guessed if it goes that far.
My take on this is, if you cannot get an agreement, use the time to find another suitable property and put the whole episode down to experience.
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Read more from Mario Volpi:
Homefront: Dubai agent refuses to refund Dh6,000 booking fee despite tenant cancelling within 24 hours
Homefront: Should UAE property agents charge VAT on commission?
Homefront: 'My property agent is forcing me into a maintenance contract. Is that legal?'
Homefront: Is there a formal way for a landlord to withdraw an eviction notice?
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I have a couple of units in a building that my company manages that we need back after eight months. Can I lease them out for eight months and issue the Ejari. And since I want them back within eight months, what safeguards should I put into the tenancy contract? Can I get the tenant to sign a vacating letter? Is that legal? RP, Dubai
If you wish to have vacant possession on a couple of apartments in eight months’ time, I suggest you rent them out on a short-term basis. You will be able to register them with Ejari as the requirement is for a minimum of six months lease.
Renting on a longer term basis but also requesting vacant possession after the eight months is tricky because you will not be able to guarantee the tenant will actually vacate at the necessary time. Ordinary vacating letters from tenants are not worth much unless they are legally notarised, only then do they “hold water”.
If you do decide to rent the units out on a short-term basis, remember they will have to be registered with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (www.dtcm.gov.ae/holiday homes) and you must pay the necessary fees.
The license fees are Dh1,520 for online registration, which includes the knowledge and innovation fees; Dh300 per bedroom per year up to maximum of Dh1200; Dh70 for management fees, which includes the knowledge and innovation fees, and a tourism fee of Dh10 per standard bedroom or Dh15 per deluxe bedroom, per night up to a maximum of 30 nights. You should also factor in buildings and contents insurance, cleaning and laundry fees, etc.
Mario Volpi is the chief sales officer for Kensington Exclusive Properties and has worked in the property industry for more than 30 years in London and Dubai
The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario.volpi@kensington.ae
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
Company%20Profile
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Bob%20Marley%3A%20One%20Love
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Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Company%20profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.5-litre%20V12%20and%20three%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C500Nm%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Early%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh2%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
More coverage from the Future Forum
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.