Ask Gulf News: Can I be evicted for refusing a rent increase in Sharjah?

Question: I have been renting a residential apartment in Sharjah for the past 2 years. The landlord wants to increase the rent and I do not accept. Does he have the right to raise the rent? Can the landlord require me to vacate the property if I refuse the increase?

Answer: The landlord is not entitled to increase the agreed rent before the expiration of 3 years from the commencement of the tenancy, unless the tenant agrees to such an increase. This is in accordance with Article 16 of Law No. (5) of 2024 Concerning the Leasing of Real Estate in the Emirate of Sharjah, which provides that: “The landlord may not increase the agreed rent before the expiry of (3) years from the date of commencement of the lease relationship, unless the parties to the lease agreement agree otherwise. If the tenant accepts an increase in the rent before the expiry of the 3 years, the landlord may not increase it again until 2 years have passed from the date of the increase. The increase in rent allowance after the expiry of the mentioned periods shall be equal to the value of the fair rent allowance, and the executive regulations shall specify the controls for the fair rent and how it is calculated.”

In addition, the landlord is not entitled to evict you solely because you refuse to accept the proposed rent increase. Article (13) of the same law provides that a tenant of a residential property may not be evicted before the expiry of 3 years from the commencement of the tenancy, except in specific reasons expressly mentioned by law. A tenant’s refusal to agree to a rent increase does not constitute one of the legal reasons that would entitle the landlord to seek eviction.