Tenants can’t be evicted without demolition permit
Landlords are not allowed to kick tenants out or disconnect water and electricity supplies to apartments without the Rent Dispute Committee’s approval for demolishing the building, Mohammad Rashid Al Hamli, Head of the committee in Abu Dhabi, said yesterday.
He said the landlords who tried to evict the tenants from the building by attempts such as shutting the water and electricity supplies would face a stiff fine.
“The landlord is not allowed to evict the tenants to demolish a building. The demolishing permits would be issued after checking the building,” said Al Hamli.
He issued these clarifications after 40 families were forced to spend their weekend in a police station and the General Prosecution after the landlord of a 10-storey building here stopped the lifts for two weeks and shut the water supply for two nights.
The prosecution sent a report to the police station on Friday, after which the water supply was restored and lifts began functioning again.
Some of the tenants of the ‘Fares’ building located on Airport Road went to Al Shabia police station. They were shifted to Al Khalidya.
A Jordanian woman, one of the tenants, said, “I live in a 10th-floor flat. We have suffered from the landlord as he tried to kick us out of the building by stopping the lifts for two weeks. Finally, the landlord snapped the water supply for more than 20 hours.”
Alaa Abdul Sattar, an Egyptian tenant, said, “I don’t know how the landlord who wants to demolish the building allowed me to renew the contract for another six months.”
Nabih Hazaa, a Lebanese engineer, claimed that the landlord was trying evict them to increase the rents. “The landlord had sent us notices demanding an increase in the rent of the three-bedroom flat from Dh 40,000 to Dh 50,000 and for the two-bedroom flats from Dh 30,000 to Dh 40,000,” he said.
Viren Wahi, an Indian tenant, said, “There are some pregnant women in the building. I live on the eighth floor and I had suffered because I am a heart patient. I couldn’t take the stairs to go up and down everyday.”
Abdul Aziz Safwan, the landlord, told Khaleej Times that the water supply snapped and the lifts stopped functioning because there was no maintenance contract for the “too-old” building.
“We had built the structure in 1977. It means that the building is more than 30 years old. According to the law, we can demolish it. Moreover, the state of the building state is too bad and it is really dangerous to let the people live in it,” said the landlord.
He added, “The tenancy contracts of all occupants had expired in November, 2007 and I have given them a six-month grace period to vacate the building.”
The owner said he would not give anymore grace period to the tenants and they should leave the flats. He would not have any responsibility if the building collapsed, he added. Source
He said the landlords who tried to evict the tenants from the building by attempts such as shutting the water and electricity supplies would face a stiff fine.
“The landlord is not allowed to evict the tenants to demolish a building. The demolishing permits would be issued after checking the building,” said Al Hamli.
He issued these clarifications after 40 families were forced to spend their weekend in a police station and the General Prosecution after the landlord of a 10-storey building here stopped the lifts for two weeks and shut the water supply for two nights.
The prosecution sent a report to the police station on Friday, after which the water supply was restored and lifts began functioning again.
Some of the tenants of the ‘Fares’ building located on Airport Road went to Al Shabia police station. They were shifted to Al Khalidya.
A Jordanian woman, one of the tenants, said, “I live in a 10th-floor flat. We have suffered from the landlord as he tried to kick us out of the building by stopping the lifts for two weeks. Finally, the landlord snapped the water supply for more than 20 hours.”
Alaa Abdul Sattar, an Egyptian tenant, said, “I don’t know how the landlord who wants to demolish the building allowed me to renew the contract for another six months.”
Nabih Hazaa, a Lebanese engineer, claimed that the landlord was trying evict them to increase the rents. “The landlord had sent us notices demanding an increase in the rent of the three-bedroom flat from Dh 40,000 to Dh 50,000 and for the two-bedroom flats from Dh 30,000 to Dh 40,000,” he said.
Viren Wahi, an Indian tenant, said, “There are some pregnant women in the building. I live on the eighth floor and I had suffered because I am a heart patient. I couldn’t take the stairs to go up and down everyday.”
Abdul Aziz Safwan, the landlord, told Khaleej Times that the water supply snapped and the lifts stopped functioning because there was no maintenance contract for the “too-old” building.
“We had built the structure in 1977. It means that the building is more than 30 years old. According to the law, we can demolish it. Moreover, the state of the building state is too bad and it is really dangerous to let the people live in it,” said the landlord.
He added, “The tenancy contracts of all occupants had expired in November, 2007 and I have given them a six-month grace period to vacate the building.”
The owner said he would not give anymore grace period to the tenants and they should leave the flats. He would not have any responsibility if the building collapsed, he added. Source
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