UAE | Housing & Property
Workers barred from areas housing families
Labourers and construction workers are not allowed live in apartments or villa in residential areas usually allocated to families.
- By Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:53 May 23, 2008
- Two couples and bachelors use a kitchen in the same flat as they share accommodation in Dubai. (The picture is for illustrative purposes only.)
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Dubai: Labourers and construction workers are not allowed live in apartments or villa in residential areas usually allocated to families.
Many expatriate men cannot bring their wives and children here for various reasons, from the high cost of living to disruption in the children's schooling.
This means that there are many so-called 'bachelors' living in the UAE.
According to the rental laws, if an owner of a building or house is caught renting a place to bachelors, he will receive hefty fines.
Strict watch
Families are required to report to police and to municipalities if bachelors or labourers occupy an apartment or house in neighbourhoods that house families.
A law regulating bachelors' housing in Abu Dhabi, which is being drafted by the municipality, will impose hefty fines on people breaking the law.
Bachelors are free to stay in flats in any area in the country but such a flat must be away from families or in the outskirts of the city.
Residents complain that when these 'bachelors' move in, they crowd into one room and illegal partitions are made in the homes to accommodate the largest number of people possible, putting an extra load on utilities.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
- Some emirates are studying the proposal of earmarking an area for bachelors.
- Abu Dhabi Municipality plans to build low cost houses for 110,000 bachelors. It will provide flats with one bedroom plus hall to professionals, including doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers and other university degree holders to be built in Baniyas on Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road and Al Shamkah on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai road.
- Dubai Municipality's buildings department will check residency permits of expatriates in the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department records to find out if the person looking to rent a place is accompanied by a family or not.
- Police could also help solve problems between tenants and landlord regarding renting to bachelors in family neighbourhoods.
- In Dubai you can call hotline 800900 to complain.
- Decree No. 15 in the 1989 law imposes limits on the number of people in a room in an apartment.
- Under the initial law, only two people can occupy a room. However, the local authorities later increased the number to
three due to a shortage of properties for bachelors. - Bachelors are not allowed to live in villas, low-cost houses and apartments meant for families.
- The cramped living conditions in these buildings have been identified by municipalities as the major causes of health risks and accidents involving fire.
- Bachelors in Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Al Ain, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and other and areas must live in suburbs away from areas housing families to avoid being evicted and clashes with the authorities.
Share this article
More from UAE Housing & Property
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
A Selection of the best Gulf News reader pictures this week
Latest news
- Safe ways of handling medical waste discussed
- Emirati students to be chosen for German internship
- Public urged to ensure food safety
- Residency section clears 6,000 cases
- Residents opt for other gifts as gold soars
- UAE residents spend hours trying to cross into Oman
- Traditional theme at Etihad celebrations
- Dubai in for breezy conditions
- The true meaning of festival of sacrifice
- Maguindanao massacre victims remembered
- School buses must do safe drop-offs
- Rulers exchange Eid greetings
- Plan to make you reach for the book
- The last strand could count in time
- Mohammad endorses Watani campaign
UAE Editor's choice
-
Interactive Quiz: Fish of the World
Test your knowledge of the deep by taking our aquatic quiz
-
The world's tallest tower in 24 hours
Changing face of world's tallest tower Burj Dubai from dawn till dusk
-
Yoga under a full moon
Some classic yoga postures that are perfect to perform when the moon is full.
