Workers barred from areas housing families

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.