Expatriates to clear all fines before visa cancellation in UAE

Image Credit: Gulf News

Expatriates will not be allowed to leave the UAE unless they have paid all their fines in line with new Interior Ministry measures.

“Expatriates must not have any unpaid fines or any police cases against them in order to be able to cancel their visa to leave the country or to get a new visa here,” Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of Dubai Residency and Foreigners Affairs Department in Dubai (GDRFA) .He said this applied all over the country.
According to new rules implemented by the Ministry of Interior late last year the rules will be expanded to cover all financial commitments by expatriates.
“We have linked procedures to cancel visas for expatriates with the payment of all their road fines.”
The computer systems of the traffic police and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have already been linked to all Residency and Foreigners Affairs Departments in the UAE.
This step is to ensure that expatriates pay all their financial dues.
An American resident in Sharjah, who had his visa issued by Sharjah Free Zone and who wanted to have his visa cancelled to change jobs, said he was shocked to discover he owed Dh10,000 in Salik fines.
William M. said he was new to the country and did not know about Salik.
“When I bought and registered my car no one told me that I needed a Salik tag,” he said.
He said he was asked by the residency department in Sharjah to pay his RTA fines in Dubai before getting his visa cancelled by the Sharjah Free Zone.

“I had to pay Dh10,000 in traffic fines.”

He said newcomers to the country should be educated about the rules here to avoid breaking the law.

UAE to launch mobile phone services for visit visas, domestic help cards and passport renewal

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior will soon offer services via smart phones to renew passports, 30-day and 90-day visit visas, as well as domestic workers card and entry permits among other services, a senior official said Monday.
Major General Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al Raisi, Director General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, said the Ministry of Interior launched 169 electronic services through its website, and 30 smart services via mobile phones.
“The services offered in the first phase include vehicle registration renewal, payment of fines through mobile phones and the Ministry of Interior’s website without having to visit the relevant service centre,” Al Raisi said.
He added work was under way to add the passport renewal service for mobile phones in the coming days, in addition to the 30-day (short term visits) and 90-day visit visas (long term visits) service, the domestic workers card and entry permit and other security services.
The Ministry of Interior will be achieving full automation of the 339 services it offers through smart phones or through its website by the end of the year, in addition to the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Interactive Messaging Services,” Al Raisi said.

Salary proof must to rent an apartment in Dubai

Tenents will have to provide a statement of income from their employer to landlords before leasing a property in Dubai.
Dubai Land Department (DLD) has now included an income statement in the list of documents that a tenant requires for renting an apartment in the emirate.
The other documents required are:
•A copy of your passport
•A copy of your residency UAE visa
•A signed application for tenancy with all information provided
•A security deposit (usually around equivalent of 4 weeks rent) this is refundable when you exit the property providing it is returned to the owner in the same condition when you entered the property.
•The rent sometimes is negotiable but usually four cheques – the first being three months rent cheque, which is dated now, and the following postdated for 3 monthly intervals. The rent is paid in advance in Dubai.
The DLD advises tenants to use only a registered broker/agent, adding newcomers should study the location area maps, have a good look at the differing prices, factor traffic and commuting to work, consider the surrounding amenities, and take a drive around the areas before contacting an agent.

Agents are required to have an agreement with their client (tenant) as the latter pays five per cent fee to the former. The fee is paid at the time of signing a lease contract.
The department also makes it very clear that tenants have no right to alter, damage, change the interior or exterior of the property without express written permission form the owner.
“The days are gone when an irresponsible tenant leaves a property dirty, with their rubbish and unfit for occupation,” it states.
Maintain the property
The property will need to be left in the same condition, as is handed over to the tenant with the tenant and landlord signing an “Entry Condition Report.” This ensures protection to the tenant against the claim of a landlord for damage or condition of a property, which was present before the tenant’s occupation.
Upon leaving the property, an “Exit Condition Report” is completed by the tenant and landlord (or landlord’s agent) and the both reports must match.
“It is a good idea to take some photographs of any damage which your concerned about to ensure you are not blamed for damage, have the landlord or landlord’s agent sign these immediately to protect yourself,” the department counsels.
The DLD website further states a new standard form for rentals and property management will be issued in coming months and shall be available only for registered brokers.

‘Rental Increase Calculator’ on the Dubai Land Department-operated portal to help Tenants

Dubai: Tenants in Dubai can have an instant update on where they stand vis-à-vis the new rental decree by inputting their lease details into the ‘Rental Increase Calculator’ on the Dubai Land Department-operated portal. Doing so will let you know immediately whether you are liable to pay a higher rental during the lease renewal and how much landlords are eligible to demand as per the strict range set by the decree.

The average rentals for all the key residential neighbourhoods are provided, which will be updated to ensure they are in sync with the prevailing asking rates. It will also tell you that the landlord has no right to demand an increase in the current renewal if what you are paying now is within 10 per cent of the average rental for that area. What the decree does is lessen the imbalance in the tenant-landlord relationship, which in this market has historically weighed in favour of the latter.

“This decree will further boost the real estate sector by introducing great deal of transparency and clarity to the tenant-owner relationship which will pay off to all stakeholders involved,” said Tanzeel Gader, CEO of Flash Properties.

Also, just as important going forward, Dubai also does not want to be saddled with a reputation of being a costly place to do business from. The latest semi-annual report from CBRE places the emirate’s commercial realty as being the 23rd most expensive in the world.

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If the increases continue, and it will as the buzz gets heavier with all the Expo 2020 preparatory works, Dubai wants to make sure that it will be confined to set ranges that can also be monitored. This is why the decree is as much about Dubai residential space as it will be about its expanding commercial realty.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed issues new decree on Dubai rental increases

In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued Decree No. 43 of 2013 concerning the percentages of maximum property rent increase that are allowed upon the renewal of tenancy contracts.

The Decree states that there should not be any rent increase if the rent of the property unit is less than 10 per cent of the average rent of a similar property in the same residential area. If the rent value is between 11 and 20 per cent less than the average rent of a similar property, the maximum rent increase shall be equal to 5 per cent of the rent value.

Additionally, if the rental value of a unit is between 21 and 30 per cent less than the average rent of a similar unit, the maximum rent increase shall be equal to 10 per cent of the rental value.

If the rental value of a property is between 31 and 40 per cent less than the average rental of a similar property, the maximum rent increase shall be equal to 15 per cent of the rental value. A maximum rent increase of 20 per cent is applicable if the rental value of a property unit is less than 40 per cent or more of the average rent of a similar unit.

The Decree applies to landlords from the public and private sectors in the emirate of Dubai including private development areas and free zones.

Article III of the Decree states that the average similar rental value of the property is determined by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency's (Rera) rent index.

The Decree is effective from the date of issuance and shall be published in the Official Gazette.