Spouse residence visa needed for rent contracts in UAQ

Umm Al Quwain - If any such violation is detected, a hefty fine up to Dh5,000 will be slapped against violators, he underlined. "Erring companies are given a two-month grace period to amend their positions."

Tenants of apartments at residential areas in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) need to submit a copy of the spouse's residence visa to be able to attest tenancy contracts.
Obaid Ghanim Al Saqqal, head of tenancy contracts section at the UAQ Municipality, said most of the violations reported were from contracting companies. "Though warned several times, many of these companies intentionally accommodate their staff workers at residential areas."
If any such violation is detected, a hefty fine up to Dh5,000 will be slapped against violators, he underlined. "Erring companies are given a two-month grace period to amend their positions."
Recently, the UAQ Municipality ordered bachelors to vacate 25 houses and move out of the Salma residential area mostly populated by families in response to several complaints from families there.
The bachelor men, hailing from different countries, have turned the family area into a sort of labour camp, according to Ibrahim Mahmoud, a general inspector at the UAQ Municipality. "The bachelor expatriates posed a risk to the residents of the area, particularly young children."
Bachelors and blue-collar workers are only allowed to stay at the old UAQ city, Umm Al Thaub industrial area, the Industrial area No 4, Al Lazima area, Lemaghdar, Al Rigad, and Falaj Al Mualla industrial area, he explained. "Only a maximum of four workers were allowed in one room."
Al Saqqal said the contracts of some of the houses rented by bachelors are not attested as due in the civil body. "They are divided into partitions that are difficult for municipal inspectors to notice."
Raids against bachelor houses shall be intensified to put an end to this phenomenon, and protect families' privacy, he elaborated. "All tenants need to attest these from the municipality to better streamline the relationship between lessors and lessees in the emirate."
Al Saqqal said tenancy contracts section has attested up to 4,650 contracts of family apartments and labour camps this year so far. "Two per cent of the total value of the rent is charged for attestation."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Umm Al Quwain