Tenancy Contracts | ExpatWoman.com
 

Tenancy Contracts

280
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 January 2015 - 22:42

I thought I would bring this to tenants attention for those that may not have noticed. I only realised today after speaking to RERA that before I sign any tenancy agreement I have to make sure the terms and conditions of our deposit. Is it refundable etc.
This process however also brought to my attention the maintenance for the apartment we were about to pay for. We thought we were getting a bargain. It appears that with some properties the landlord expects the tenant to pay for any repairs that occur during the tenancy. Any repair that amounts to a maximum of 500 AED. They are calling it wear and tear. And wear and tear can be from the minute you move in. Any repairs that will ever arise that may cost more that 500 then the landlord will pay. I declined to sign this agreement and also refused the apartment because of these conditions. In the mean time I noticed another apartment had been reduced on Dubizzle just today even though the agent wouldn't budge in price 2 days ago. When I enquired about who pays for the maintenance in that apartment he said ' the tenant pays for any repairs etc up to the value of 1000 AED. Any item that will ever cost over 1000 AED then the landlord will pay. Apart from A/C repairs and waterheaters.
This has come as a great shock to me. Am I the only one? So basically you think you are getting a bargain priced apartment when in fact you as the tenant are going to foot the bill to carry out all repairs, plumbing,drains, floor tiles that become loose,leaking toilets, faulty electrics etc etc that break or become faulty in as little as 2 weeks upon moving in, to bring their property up to the standard it should have been before you moved in. Something seriously is wrong here. Landlords need to have regular inspections by a regulatory body before any new tenant moves in so that all appliances, A/C, electrics and plumbing are safe,inspected and working properly. Then pass these inspection certificates onto the new tenant so they know they are safe and working properly. Basically you could move into an apartment and if it has a washing machine or a cooker and one breaks down even after a week... you,as the tenant, have to get someone in to inspect it and if its unrepairable supply a new one because the owner says....' its wear and tear and we don't know how you misused the item' Doesn't matter that the previous tenant may have used the same washing machine 4 times a day for years. So if you didn't know this please be aware when signing these contracts. We should not accept these conditons. If we all refuse to agree they will hopefully have to reword them. So it all comes back to the old story...' read before you hand over any money and certainly before you sign anything. Tenants get a bad enough deal here anyway especially if landlords don't pay their building maintenance. Access cards get deactivated to car parks, pools and gyms too. It is bad enough that we have to find a years rent in advance, we also pay the agents fees too.Why doesn't the landlord pay the agent? We shouldn't have to worry about what will go wrong in the property after we move in. RERA needs to get this organised and charge the landlords for an annual property inspection with trained electricians, carpenters, plumbers, decorators, pest control etc. They will then have to submit these certificates to new tenants to show they are safe. Lets be honest yes they will have the cheek to increase the rents but they'll do that anyway.

8965
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 27 January 2015 - 12:32
Before I hand over any deposits I go around the apartment with my camera and log everything that may be slightly damaged, marked, scuffed, in need of repair etc. I then send all of this to the agent and LL so there is no come back when I move out I pay for all the small repairs to the property however if it is over AED500 then the LL covers this and I make sure this is set out in the tenancy contract
5334
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 27 January 2015 - 08:51
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties? Hi, it was a suggestion that stricter guidelines or inspections 'should' be made available here for landlords to follow with regards to maintaining the upkeep of their properties and its contents. I have heard of people having problems such as damp coming through walls and onto their furniture, tenants building access cards not working as landlords do not pay their building maintenance. Yes there is no such regulatory body here to protect the tenant but there should be. Most landlords just take their money sometimes never to be seen again, if at all.The tenant is left high and dry for the whole year or they could leave early loosing rent paid or take the landlord to court. All the while the landlord is happy with his years rent and will rent it out again just paying for a quick lick of paint so it looks clean and damp free for the next unsuspecting tenant. RERA need to get this sorted to protect the tenant more. There is RERA - does a lot to protect the tennants. Tennants also need to take personal responsibilty - ask for receipts for payment of service fees - use your eyes and see how well maintaned the place is....
245
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 23:20
Agree with dentro above - AED 500 is a maximum which means that all expensive issues will be paid by the landlord. The AED 500 acts like the excess on an insurance policy an shouldn't be seen as a deterrent in isolation...........otherwise nobody would sign a tenancy.
1184
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 22:24
It is very normal that the tenant pays for small repairs under 1000. The 500 was a good deal, you should not let it go. To be honest, there aren't many things anyway, and you do not want long correspondence for every lightbulb. The major items are AC leaks or water heater, but those are above 1000 anyways. Relax, no one wants to rip you off.
166
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 20:06
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280
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 19:54
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties? Hi, it was a suggestion that stricter guidelines or inspections 'should' be made available here for landlords to follow with regards to maintaining the upkeep of their properties and its contents. I have heard of people having problems such as damp coming through walls and onto their furniture, tenants building access cards not working as landlords do not pay their building maintenance. Yes there is no such regulatory body here to protect the tenant but there should be. Most landlords just take their money sometimes never to be seen again, if at all.The tenant is left high and dry for the whole year or they could leave early loosing rent paid or take the landlord to court. All the while the landlord is happy with his years rent and will rent it out again just paying for a quick lick of paint so it looks clean and damp free for the next unsuspecting tenant. RERA need to get this sorted to protect the tenant more.
5400
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 10:08
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties? I don't know, but in the UK you have to jump through quite a few hoops to rent a property As a landlord in the UK, I have always paid for any and all maintenance and repairs and replacement of white goods etc, as necessary, unless the damage was actually caused by a tenant's actions and not normal wear and tear. You can't compare the rental market here with the one in the UK, either as a tenant or a landlord. No, but Izzy was talking about regulatory bodies and inspections. We've always had to have everything serviced regularly and reports to prove it's been done and is being done. Ah, right! Gosh, do you manage your property long-distance yourself, then? Quite a task from here, I'd guess!
4393
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 09:49
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties? I don't know, but in the UK you have to jump through quite a few hoops to rent a property As a landlord in the UK, I have always paid for any and all maintenance and repairs and replacement of white goods etc, as necessary, unless the damage was actually caused by a tenant's actions and not normal wear and tear. You can't compare the rental market here with the one in the UK, either as a tenant or a landlord. No, but Izzy was talking about regulatory bodies and inspections. We've always had to have everything serviced regularly and reports to prove it's been done and is being done.
5400
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 09:47
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties? I don't know, but in the UK you have to jump through quite a few hoops to rent a property As a landlord in the UK, I have always paid for any and all maintenance and repairs and replacement of white goods etc, as necessary, unless the damage was actually caused by a tenant's actions and not normal wear and tear. You can't compare the rental market here with the one in the UK, either as a tenant or a landlord.
4393
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 09:32
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties? I don't know, but in the UK you have to jump through quite a few hoops to rent a property
5334
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 09:31
Where in the world is their a regulatroy body that comes and inspects properties?
2264
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 26 January 2015 - 08:34
Actually this is all pretty standard and normal. Tenants pay for small things, LL's the big stuff. No shock here. Standard across the board.
 
 

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