Annual rent hike illegal in Sharjah

Landlords can increase the rents only after three years from the commencement of the tenancy contract, and only every two years thereafter

Annual hike in rents before the completion of first three years is illegal in Sharjah, a top official has said.
The Sharjah Municipality official said that the first rent hike will be allowed after the protection period, as a rental cap hasn't been stipulated by the tenancy law.
The top official added that though the tenancy law that was issued on June 6, 2007 has not stipulated a cap, it protect the tenants from an annual hike in rents.

As per the current law, landlords can increase the rents only after three years from the commencement of the tenancy contract, and only every two years thereafter.
"Tenants must read the lease carefully before signing it," he said.

If your rent is increased... If your landlord increases the rent before the three-year protection period, the tenant should approach the Rent Dispute Committee at the municipality and request a rent payment form for paying the rent to the municipality treasury. He must then notify his landlord to collect the rent from the municipality.

Khaled Al Shamsi, Director of Rental Regulatory Department at Sharjah Municipality, said the civic body has solved 2,089 rental disputes between landlords and tenants during the first quarter of this year.
These include vacating of rented units, failure to pay rent, lack of maintenance and unjustified and illegal rent hikes.
"Many cases were solved amicably," he said.
The municipality, in coordination with the Sharjah Police, also established a police office in the dispute section to execute the verdicts and rulings of the Rent Dispute Committee.
Al Shamsi urged the tenants and landlords to review the tenancy law on the municipality website to know their rights, because ignoring the law makes one lose his/her rights.
He pointed out that the number of leasing attestations conducted during the first quarter of the year touched 58,032.
He added that in order to facilitate the attestation services for tenants, the municipality recently launched 13 centres in various parts of the city.
This is in addition to services though smart contracts that are provided by real estate companies.
The real estate must first register with the municipality to get the approval for providing the attestation services through smart services.
 If the rent is increased...
If your landlord increases the rent before the three-year protection period, the tenant should approach the Rent Dispute Committee at the municipality and request a rent payment form for paying the rent to the municipality treasury. He must then notify his landlord to collect the rent from the municipality.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com 

• UAE
• Sharjah

Afkar Ali Ahmed

• afkarali@khaleejtimes.com