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So now Emaar are at it. Sending round notices that they will start withdrawing services due to unpaid service fees by certain Landlords. They say they're going to start with rubbish collection. I thought the municipality dealt with that?

I think punishing tenants for landlords failings is unfair.

Who are you going to complain to about your grievances?
You, as an expat, dont have any rights, and these guys are too powerful in the UAE to care about anything but making money off you!

Chocoholic wrote:I thought the municipality dealt with that?

Nope. They hire private collectors. We had the same problem at the Marina Residence. Nakheel didn't pay the bill and the rubbish overflowed out of the trash room and people were lining it up against the hall wall. It lasted for a few days.

What can tenants do if their services get cut off - is there any legal recourse?

--- Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:44 pm ---

What deadbeat landlords if they can take huge lump sums of rent income and not even pay their bills.

kanelli ,

It's really out of the hands of tenants. There are many LLs that live outside of Dubai. Recently they stopped cleaning the pool and closed the gym. Apparently there were enough LLs who reside here and pay their annual fee and probably made enough noise because within a few days the pool was being serviced and the gym opened. Resident LLs and tenants whose LLs paid the fees were being made to suffer because of those that didn't pay.

In Singapore our condo committee always posted their meeting minutes and they also decided to post the names of the owners of each unit and the amount of condo fees accumulated by those who weren't up to date on their payments. It was a sort of name and shame that embarrassed some people into paying because they were contacted by other landlords or their own tenants to pay up.

kanelli ,

A committee wouldn't mean very much. They have posted the names/apt #s of those delinquent, but I don't think those people really care if they are named and shamed.

If a LL wants the burden to fall to the tenant, then it needs to be in the lease. Fortunately my LL pays the fees on time. Maybe he can't afford to be named and shamed as he lives in Dubai and he does have a reputation to maintain.

We had a crappy landlord in Dubai, he payed nothing for the place except his fees... as far as we know. I suppose it was possible he didn't pay those for 2 years and nothing was done to him or us because of it.

Frequentflier , What are you talking about? Do you even understand the subject matter? Judging by your reply, clearly not! The majority of LL's ARE EXPATS!!!

For those that DO understand. There are name and shame boards up for all they do. I think perspective tenants must make sure their LL has paid the fees. Also in this area they'r now going back to one cheque up front, which is ridiculous. It's in all contracts that the LL's are responsible for community service fees, for some to not pay it is shameful. Maybe they should attach it to the DEWA bill every month and take it out of the yearly rent.

How does a prospective tenant check if the landlord is paying the fees if there is no name and shame board up. Is the info only available to landlords, or can tenants freely enquire?

kanelli , There should be a way for tenants to enquire. It doesn't exist, but should do. Emaar would probably tell you if they were called. We recently needed something done and they said they couldn't help as our LL hadn't paid, we got straight onto him, he paid up and all sorted.

As a LL this is one of the few routes we can take to get action by Emaar. Although I'm up to date I had a number of grievances and holding the service fee back did eventually get action. This benefits the LL and the tenant also when the developers are aware they will not get away with it. It works both ways.

drewpeacock , But the only people suffering are the tenants and to withdraw garbage collecting services will turn the area into something horrible with vermin etc all over the place. Surely there must be other routes to take up issues with Emaar than making the tenants suffer the consequences.

Chocs remember I'm a LL but also have to live in a house. I pay about Aed 50 K per year per apartment and the Emaar attitude stinks as much as the rubbish. I'm really glad to see this as a discussion as its close to my heart.

Any other form of getting developer action has been fruitless where until such times as housing associations take control of what has historically been a profit making business for the developers.

So it's really a catch 22 situation isn't it. Interesting to hear it from the other side of the fence as it were.

Now now let's keep it friendly Jack.

Maybe the new Drew not understanding.

To the letter. Unless provoked!

,

Chocoholic wrote:So it's really a catch 22 situation isn't it. Interesting to hear it from the other side of the fence as it were.

I am Ali Reza Chelokababizadeh. I own apartment in Dobai (using money earned from smuggling), i ask for rent in 1 cheq, but i do not pay survice fee. I pay 2 million for apartment, why i pay more ?
Now i need rent every year in 1 cheq, and i not pay any fee, maybe tenant can pay if he want stay there

--- Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:53 am ---

no seriously, there are 2 types of landlords who dont pay from what i know



1) The Ali reza chelokababizadehs (or Ikechukwu from Lagos or Sanjay from Mumbai); who bought an apartment, or a floor, and just dont care about fees as long as they keep getting the rent from new tenants

2) Owners who feel the service fees arent fair as they increase every year, end up going to the developer, whose books arent audited, and there is no independent OA.

BlackburnRovers , Then why don't they just make it like a council tax and add it to DEWA bills, it gets paid monthly by the tenant, who takes the total cost out of the yearly rent. Or is that too much of a logical solution.

The deadbeat landlords don't want to take it out of the yearly rent, they want to collect rent and pay nothing for their property - no maintenance fees, no service fees.

Urgh we got a dreaded letter this morning which I promptly scanned and emailed to our landlord. He says he's been trying for ages to contact Emaar and pay and they keep trying to make him go in person - he's not resident in the UAE.

Very frustrating.

If you have EmiratesNBD account you can pay online through Banknet. That's how I pay, never had issues.

Nucleus , He's not resident! i.e. he doesn't live here - so not likely.

Chocs, do you really think that Emaar doesn't let people pay their fees by bank transfer if they live out of the country, or even in the country? It sounds like a big fat excuse that they can only pay in person.

kanelli , Yeah I agree. Not cool really. Well let's hope he sorts it before the new tenants move in.

Chocoholic wrote:Nucleus , He's not resident! i.e. he doesn't live here - so not likely.

Depends, if he can open account. I don't know the requirement for somebody living outside of UAE, but I'm sure there are ways to open an account here.

Chocoholic wrote:Urgh we got a dreaded letter this morning which I promptly scanned and emailed to our landlord. He says he's been trying for ages to contact Emaar and pay and they keep trying to make him go in person - he's not resident in the UAE.

Very frustrating.

Chocs, the service fees and district cooling are paid online via Emaars epay site. I've paid from almost any country as long as I have Internet access so not an excuse for the LL. if you want I will post the link so you can send him.

--- Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:02 pm ---

kanelli wrote:The deadbeat landlords don't want to take it out of the yearly rent, they want to collect rent and pay nothing for their property - no maintenance fees, no service fees.

Not all are deadbeats.