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Anyone else used MARKS FALCON REAL ESTATE ? Help with potential scam!

singingcanary

304

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 10:19

Hi ladies,

JW if anyone else out there used MFRE as their agent. Offices are closed, people have been complaining about bounced checks, and they think the guy in charge left the country. I renewed in March and have not heard anything from my landlord as of yet - so I'm sitting tight hoping he got all his rent money - but I was wondering if other people out there are going through problems with landlord/bounced check? In the event that is happens, what should I do? Go straight to RERA?

I don't even know if I'm registered with RERA, we paid the fee to MFRE to do it but I don't think they ever completed the process (as they also skipped out on paying our building security fee this year and by the time we tried to take serious action the office had closed).

As of now I am just waiting to see what happens but is there any action I should take now to protect myself or do I just need to wait...(and hope..) ?

TIA

Hairy Maclary

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 03 October 2012 - 13:49

I can confirm without a doubt that Marks Falcon are closed for business. I went down to Sama Tower to check for myself. Their offices are literally rubble, no staff there, being gutted as I type. The Security Guard in reception told me they'd left and no one knew where. The guy in their offices told me they were no longer doing business and he had no contact numbers or forwarding address either. Their business sign had been pulled off the wall and was lying in a heap of rubble on the right hand side of the entry. So...where to now????

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AussiePup

494

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 30 September 2012 - 10:26

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Anna Samohina

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 29 September 2012 - 19:22

I didnt know anything about scandal with MFRE and today received call from my Building manager and he told me that i have rent agreement with MFRE, and this company is under criminal investigation and because i paid 1 cheque, which is not enough i have to visit them and make negotiations or to leave or to pay in addition ?????

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Jenc123

256

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 00:22

Is the office in Sama tower closed? They are the dodgiest firm alive and we had a huge battle to get our cash back from them. I hope you all get what you are owed/have paid for from these cowboys.

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singingcanary

304

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 25 September 2012 - 15:13

We are sub-leasing from MFRE too. At this stage I think we are ok, except for the fact that promised maintenance hasn't occurred and the lease has not been registered despite paying for that to be done. Oh, and several years of community fees have not been paid - but that is the owner, not MFRE. I guess we will need to determine what our strategy should be when the 2nd rent cheque is due to be cashed (Jan). Perhaps we should get the cheque cancelled and try and go to the owner of the villa direct? In the meantime, presumably any large scale maintenance will not be completed and technically, if their offices are closed as the article linked suggests, we have no landlord??? Has anyone actually been into the MFRE offices recently? Is it true that they are locked and no staff present? This is my EXACT situation except for that I paid in one check upfront, so no way to get any money back. I think my landlord has been given 4 checks and should be cashing the third one this month. Holding my breath that he was not scammed and got the one check upfront but I have no idea yet. But I have the same problems with no building security paid and nothing I can do about it because MFRE are MIA and I don't want to risk contacting the LL and having him start trying to evict me incase he WAS scammed. Oh and I paid for registration RERA to MFRE which also did not happen. With ALL of the laws / scams / burnt fingers in the real estate sector right now I am so scared/reluctant to move and find a new place after this.... considering living in a tent in the desert..... =(

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Hairy Maclary

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 September 2012 - 11:28

Very good point Derien. Just read yesterday's Gulf News article linked below...."Dubai Police said those affected by the Dh80 million con would have to wait for their postdated cheques to bounce before filing a criminal case." This is not good. Am I correct when saying the only way to cancel a cheque in Dubai is file a criminal case about it? If so, this becomes a no-win situation for tenants who are trying to avert a crisis - they cannot cancel their post dated rent cheques without launching a criminal case but cannot launch a criminal case until MFRE have absconded with their rent cheque money?

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derien

1575

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 September 2012 - 10:09

I hope everything will be ok. I would go to RERA and check about your registration, also would double check with them about this real estate to be on safe side. Just last week, they were talking about this on the radio and advising people to deal with RERA registered agents only to avoid potential scams. They are RERA registered so was their sister company MFR that I got scammed from. They have all the correct paper work it's not until they do a runner with the money that you realize what's happened. RERA says it's unfortunate in future deal with landlord directly! I was lucky as my landlord originally had only given the house to them for 10k more than what we were paying so negotiating with the landlord was easier. You need to see the rent comity not RERA as RERA gave me wrong information about what the landlord was entitled to. They told me the whole way through that landlord couldn't put rent up but rent comity said if we wanted to stay for 2 years then we had to pay the 10k more or same rent but non renewable contract. It's all good and well to say deal with the LL but when 50% of the LL's are not in Dubai, what do you do?

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Hairy Maclary

150

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 September 2012 - 09:58

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swarovski7816

321

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 21:12

I am also fighting as a landlord in my case its a company called Group360 Events Managment. It's a tough fight getting your money back! Would love to hear from any other potential victims out there

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starsouthern

1618

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 20:04

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dramaqn38328

1234

Posts

EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 16:08

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DubaiCat

2937

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 13:23

AussiePup had an awful time with those guys, I'll tell her about this thread.

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singingcanary

304

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 10:39

Ah, thanks Di. Most of the articles I'd found were about the other company Shamyana Entertainment. This one clears things up. My rent is under market value so I'm very concerned but will just sit tight until something comes to light....

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chezmoi

4000

Posts

EW MASTER

Latest post on 24 September 2012 - 10:28

It's a massive scam, been all over the media http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/thousands-scammed-in-new-dh80-million-dubai-property-rental-scam There's a FB page and if you Google Marks Falcon Scam you will get so many links to places where others are launching action. hth ETA I think most of the tenants have lodged complaints at Jebel Ali Police Station too. <em>edited by Di@DXB on 24/09/2012</em>

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