Abu Dhabi: A malfunctioning computer system for rental property registration is upsetting tenants and property agents in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The system, which issues and renews Tawtheeq certificates for rental property units, was implemented by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City in February. Since then, residents say they have been queuing up at the municipality for days to obtain the contracts, but the system is extremely slow and often down.
“I have been driving down from [the Western Region town of] Ruwais for four days, and every day, I am told that the system is down. If the system had not been tested, why did the municipality even implement it?” Hashim H., a Sri Lankan engineer, told Gulf News.
Hashim requires a Tawtheeq certificate to finish registering his wife’s laundry premises in the capital.
“I have taken leave four days in a row, and I start driving at 2am so that I can grab an early token when I reach the municipality by 6am. I have one of the first tokens issued but I have been here for six hours already. Once again, the system is down and they told me at the counter that there is no record of my previous rental contract on the system!” he added.
Since 2011, Tawtheeq-registered rental contracts are required for visa renewal, school registration, and parking permits. In addition, utility connections are provided only after a Tawtheeq-registered contract is issued.
In the past, these contracts were provided by registered property agents, or they could be obtained by visiting the municipality and its branches. The process took about half an hour or less.
A comment from the municipality was not immediately available.
On the new system, an application for the registered contract has to be filed by first scanning the original Emirates ID of the tenant or appropriate company representative. The approved contract is then sent to the property agents.
“We should be able to get these approved contracts in a day or two. But the new system is often taking longer. More importantly, the system is often down, and we cannot complete the transaction from the office, which is frustrating for tenants in a number of ways,” said an agent at a property management firm. The company manages more than 14,000 rental property units at present.
In addition, the municipality’s branches are unable to access the registration system, and dozens of residents therefore queue up at the municipality’s headquarters on Shaikh Zayed Street every day. There, they must obtain a token and wait.
“I am sure the new system is more secure, but it is facing initial glitches now and there have been quite a few flared tempers at our offices,” the agent said.
J.I., a resident, said he had become quite unwell since moving into his new apartment on March 5 because it still does not have power.
“I am rather ill and it is too hot to sleep in my apartment. The property agents just say it is a Tawtheeq issue but this is ridiculous, especially with [summer approaching],” he said.
Linda S., a Filipino nurse, said she had waited in vain at the municipality for seven hours.
“I went straight after my night shift because I need the Tawtheeq contract to renew my visa. At 3pm, they told us to come back the next day, but it is a lot of trouble for so many people,” she said.
