Tenants in Dubai villas live rough

Dubai: A communication gap between landlords and tenants is leading to Dubai Municipality taking the blame for the disconnection of utilities.

As a crackdown on multi-occupancy villas continues in various parts of the emirate, tenants are becoming increasingly frustrated.

The landlords, they say, did not inform them that utilities were going to be cut off so soon by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).

A Dubai Municipality official told Gulf News it is the responsibility of the landlord to convey the message across to their tenants regarding evictions.

"An eviction notice is served to a landlord if there are illegal partitions erected in the villa in order to rent it out to numerous families," said the official.

Dewa has been instructed by the municipality to cut off the utilities to buildings that break building regulations. The Building Inspection Section in the Municipality Buildings Department has been inspecting multi-occupancy villas. Landlords have been instructed to remove illegal partitions and if they don't comply, are served with disconnection notices.

Tenants who are being evicted through disconnection of utilities and are owed rent by landlords, are being instructed to take up their cases with the Rent Dispute Committee at the Municipal Council.

About 25 families living in a Mankhool villa got a rude shock when their water and electricity supplies were disconnected without any notice from the landlord, last Tuesday.

Seven families in a Rashidiya villa have been living without electricity and water since July 17.

J.K. lives with his wife and seven-year-old daughter in the villa that has been illegally sectioned to house more people than building regulations allow.

"Two months ago we were told that the electricity would be cut unless the extended areas were demolished. Our landlord told us that he had spoken to the authorities after this and that the electricity and water wouldn't be switched off for two years. We relaxed after this, but then when I returned home last Thursday, my neighbours said the facilities were cut off. It's a big villa with seven families - children are really suffering in the heat."

J.K. has lived in Dubai for the past 15 years and has an office job in the emirate.

"Living in the villa is impossible. I cannot go home with no water or electricity. My wife and I collect our clothes and go to friends' houses to use their water. Luckily my daughter is at a summer camp. I have to find somewhere else to live this month. We are really suffering - we're almost on the streets and I find it embarrassing to stay at other people's houses all the time.

"I have looked around the rest of Dubai for housing but the rents are so expensive now. I went to Sharjah and the situation is the same. I even went to Ajman and the minimum for a one bedroom [flat] I found was Dh40,000 a year and more - I cannot give this. I went to Al Ain and found two rooms in a villa, but it was like a shelter and wasn't even solid concrete. They were asking for Dh65,000 to Dh75,000 - this is crazy," he said.

J.K. and his family were considering returning to India, but now have no family in the area in which they once lived.

E.B., a Filipino, lives with his family in Mankhool villa and had to spend the entire night in a bus along with the rest of the tenants.

He said: "Some of the families slept in their cars with the air-conditioning switched on. We were not given any prior notice on the disconnection on the supply of electricity and water to our villa. The landlord blamed it on Dubai municipality."

Blame

An inquiry made by Andrew, a tenant, revealed that the fault lay with the landlord as he was served with an eviction notice about 20 days back by the municipality.

"The municipality has an acknowledgement on the notice received by the landlord. Now we are left in the dark. If the landlord had informed us earlier we would have got ample time to search for a new accommodation," he said.

Most of the tenants in the Mankhool villa yesterday said that they stayed back from work to search for a new place to live.

Rents in Dubai

Studio apartments
Dh40,000-Dh42,000/year (International City)
Dh85,000-Dh95,000/year (Dubai Marina)
1-bedroom apartments
Dh60,000-Dh64,000/year (International City)
Dh130,000-Dh140,000/year (Dubai Marina — South Ridge)
2-bedroom apartments
Dh90,000-Dh95,000/year (International City Central Business District) Dh190,000-Dh220,000/year (Jumeirah Beach Residence)
3-bedroom apartments
Dh285,000-Dh320,000/year (Jumeirah Lakes Towers)

Rents in Sharjah

Studio apartments
Dh40,000-Dh45,000/year (Jamal Abdul Nasser, Al Khan, Al Nahda)
Dh18,000-Dh20,000/year (Al Qasimia and Al Rolla)
I-bedroom apartments
Dh 45,000-Dh48,000/year (Al Nahda, Jamal Abdul Nasser, Al Khan)
Dh 27,000-Dh 37,000/ year (Al Yarmook, Abu Shagara, Al Qasimia)
2-bedroom apartments
Dh42,000-Dh50,000/year (King Faisal)
Dh50,000-Dh75,000/year (Al Khan)
Dh60,000-Dh85,000/year (Al Nahda)
3-bedroom apartments
Dh80,000-Dh150,000/year (Al Buhaira Corniche, King Faisal, Al Nahda)