Abu Dhabi checks misuse of government housing
Campaign to raise awareness about negative impact of abandoned and exploited homes
Abu Dhabi: The Department of Municipalities and Transport, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, has launched a joint field survey campaign across Abu Dhabi to address the situation of abandoned or misused government housing.
The campaign aims at achieving the goals of Abu Dhabi’s government vision to develop integrated residential communities with sustainable standards that contribute to enhancing social welfare and family cohesion. It continues the awareness and field survey campaigns conducted in the past in accordance with the provisions of Law No. (8) of 2019 regulating the occupancy of properties and residential units in Abu Dhabi.
Alongside the field survey campaign, the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority is launching an awareness campaign aimed at raising community awareness of the negative impacts of abandoned and commercially exploited housing. It also seeks to explain the regulations and violations related to renting housing grants, in addition to working jointly with the community to promote awareness of the civilised appearance of Abu Dhabi and contribute to addressing these issues, which have negative social and environmental effects.
The campaign also aims to inform owners of government housing about the solutions provided by the authority, including the provision of maintenance loans and loans for demolition and rebuilding, to rehabilitate the houses and maintain their general condition, reflecting the modern and developed character of Abu Dhabi.
Majid Abdullah Al-Muhairi, Acting Executive Director of the Housing Benefits Allocation Sector, stated: “The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority is keen to provide suitable housing in safe and integrated communities for citizens in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in line with their needs and family requirements, and to monitor the occupancy in accordance with the terms and conditions of government housing usage.”
Al-Muhairi added that maintaining the general appearance of the residential communities developed by the authority and reporting any violations of the terms and conditions for benefiting from government housing is a shared responsibility among all members of the community. This supports the efforts made by official bodies to rectify the status of non-compliant housing. He urged adherence to the housing usage regulations and the initiative to correct the status of the housing to avoid violations.
He said non-compliant housing would be given a one-month period to rectify its status, after which water and electricity services may be cut off in accordance with the approved legal procedures.
He confirmed the continuation of inspections on housing that had their status corrected during the previous period to ensure legal occupancy. In case of repeated violations, legal procedures and measures will be applied directly without warning.
Fahd Al-Shehhi, Acting Director of the General Appearance Department at the Department of Municipalities and Transport, said: “Our cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority to launch this campaign reflects our ongoing commitment to working according to our shared vision to achieve the goals of the Abu Dhabi government in establishing integrated and sustainable residential communities that enhance quality of life. It is part of the significant efforts and vital initiatives launched by the department to maintain the appearance and public tranquility of the emirate.”
Members of the community can report violations of the terms and conditions of government housing usage through the “TAMM” application.