Dubai: Power and water supply to 70 villas in Dubai’s Rashidiya area has been cut after multiple warnings to unauthorised tenants to vacate were ignored, a senior official said.
Jaber Al Ali, head of building inspection department at Dubai Municipality, said the affected residences were violating the “one villa, one family” rule for residential areas.
The disconnections took place over the span of a few days before the weekend.
Dubai has strict rules against overcrowding in villas and the renting out of villas to “bachelors” in residential areas. Generally, only one family is allowed per villa.
Al Ali said there were too many families and bachelors in the affected villas, adding that overcrowding can be a safety and health risk.
“We gave out so many notices, saying what they are doing is not allowed in this area,” he added.
Some tenants admitted there was overcrowding — one villa had 14 residents.
Following the cuts, some people slept in cars to have access to air conditioning in the humid nights.
“It was unbearably hot. I have two school-going children who needed proper sleep before school the next day,” said a villa resident, who asked not to be named.
“We’re lucky we managed to find alternative accommodation,” said J.N., a Filipino, who has been living in a villa in the area for eight years.
Inspectors make daily sweeps of places suspected of housing unauthorised tenants, Al Ali said. Meanwhile, those leaving villas have often found that “bed space” rents have increased in shared flats.
Housing is in tight supply in older parts of town and migrant workers with no families here often share rooms to divide the rent.
