Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

What is standard and what are the regulation regarding rental contracts in Dubai?

Who pays the service charge?

Service charges now include repairs and a sinking fund.

So who pays what?

In Germany the tenant pays the service charge minus sinking fund, insurance repairs etc, but pays for running costs such as security and cleaning.

Can someone please clarify what the legal position is.

regards

Rednrosy

Landlord should cover this. In the past some have tried to bypass the rent cap by adding these fees, but in todays climate with rents dropping it is a buyers market and rents are negotiable.

there is no rule. rental contracts are governed by a contract and the contract is negotiated between the two parties.

service charges are negotiated and stipulated by contract. in the current economic climate these are very negotiable.

I signed a loose contract about 18 months ago, it included covering all costs. This included at the time service charge. Now they have increased the service charge due to sinking fund, reserves, insurance etc, which is basically something which the owner should pay for, however the remaining part which is security and cleaning etc I would not normally have a problem paying.

However I have been unable to find a definative law regulating who pays what.

It is soooo much clearer defined in German.

define "loose contract", there is an official contract document that has to be submitted/ registred with the dubai municipality. this is the one that is legally binding. if you do not have one then you do not have a legal contract and are basically at the mercy of the landlord

well not quite at the mercy, we signed the contract 18 months ago before there was a legal requirement regarding official rental contract.


So this was written on the back of a beer mat so to speak.

A verbal contract is also a contract but difficult to enfore in a court.

As far as I am aware, a contract is a contract unless it is against the law at that time or can be considered a violation of standard legal practice.

I am not a lawyer, (wish I was...this must be the only occupation which is growing just now)

tennacy contracts have had to be registered with the DM for at least the past 8 years in order to be effective. the rent control board is relatively new, but has also been in existance for at least 4 or 5 years.

i agree, trying to fight something like this is a waste of time.

contracts in the UAE are only consider binding if they are completed in Arabic.