Reader's query: Can my lanlord hike my rent at will?

One of the readers Mr. Manoj from Dubai asks;

"Dear Mr. Binesh.. I am a resident of Dubai and my lanlord has increased my rent by AED13,000 this year. Is it legally allowed?"

Dear Manoj,

Thanks for your query.

I would have liked to have more details about your previous rent and the area you are staying in in order to give you a much more accurate answer. However, a hike of AED13,000 appears to be unreasonable. As per the exisitng rules and regulations in Dubai, a landlord can hike the rent annually but it has to be in accordance with the RERA Rental Calculator (http://www.dubailand.gov.ae/English/Tanzeem/Rentals/Rental_Increase_Calculator.aspx). You are advised to visit the site and find out the maximum allowable rent hike in your area as per the calculator and then you can decide the future course of action. Following are the guidlines issued by RERA and Dubai Land Department (DLD) for annual rent hikes.

• Less than 10% below the average market rental rate: No increase is allowed.
• Between 11% and 20% below the average market rate: Maximum allowable increase is 10%.
• Between 21% and 30% below the average market rental rate: Maximum 15% increase is allowed.
• More than 40% below the market rate: Maximum allowable hike is 20%.

Before you take any action, I
strongly recommend you find out from the rental calculator whether the hike is justified or not. If it is not, then you can register a complaint against your landlord at Dubai Land Department's Rental Dispute Settlement Centre. The Centre will first try to sort out the issue amicably between the tenant and landlord before initiating the legal procedures.

Hope this will suffice.

Live like King Khan in Dubai

This was THE BIGGEST property launch this year in terms of popularity.. Endorsed by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Royal Estates was bound to attract eye balls right from day 1 and it did, unsurprisingly.. At the press conference, Mr. Naved, the official spokesperson of the development and the MD of the PR agency that put together the event summed up the whole frenzy by saying "I am impressed with the huge number of journalists that turned up today and I wish our every event were attended by the press with such passion and excitement." It was indeed an evening to remember and King Khan, as expected, charmed the audience and answered all the queries (including some nasty ones about his stalled project in Ras Al Khaimah) convincingly with his trademark smile that has been charming the masses for so many years. Click on the text and take a look at the story on the project written by me in the August issue of Property Times..

Your rental expert in the UAE

Finally I have decided to start a blog to help those thousands of tenants in Dubai and other emirates who are looking for solutions for issues related to renting, rent hikes, maintenance, tenancy contracts etc. I will be addressing all these issues in my this blog explaining the legal aspects and creating awareness. Reader's can also post questions which will be answered in this space!