Buildings cannot be turned into hotel

Buildings cannot be turned into hotel
By Samir Salama, Bureau Chief GULF NEWS Published: October 07, 2007, 00:05

Abu Dhabi: Landlords cannot evict tenants to change their business from residential buildings to hotel apartments, according to a senior official.

"Changing the business from residential building into hotel apartments is not a legal ground to evict tenants," said Mohammad Rashid Al Hameli, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Rental Disputes Resolution Committee.

Al Hameli said under the law, landlords cannot ask tenants to vacate unless in specific cases, including approved demolishing, for personal use, tenant's failure to pay the rent, subletting the property without the approval of the landlord or violating public norms.

He added in the case of demolishing the building, tenants must be given a grace period of not less than six months to vacate. "If the landlord failed to live in the property he vacated for personal use for three months or re-rented it to another party, the tenant can complain to the committee."

Many residents complained that unscrupulous landlords attempted to evict them after obtaining permits from the civic body to refurbish the buildings and then rent out flats to new tenants not bound by the rent cap.

Al Hameli said tenants should not obey any eviction order issued by landlords or any authority unless the order is approved by the Rental Disputes Resolution Committee.

On how to deal with eviction notices, Al Hameli advised tenants to receive any such notice "but sign clearly that the notice was received but the eviction order was rejected. Then at the end of the tenancy contract, the tenants can submit a complaint to the committee and deposit the rent or any installment of it as per the contract's terms in cash, so that the contract can be renewed."

Mohammad A.R., a long time resident teacher, asked the Rental Dispute Resolution Committee to issue clear guidelines for tenants to understand their rights especially circumstances in which they can be evicted from the building.


Compensation

Mohammad said that many buildings were given to hotel operators by the landlords on yearly lump sum rental basis in order to convert the building into hotel apartments.

He asked whether this is part of re-renting the property and whether the tenants can raise their complaints in this case.

He warned landlords that the committee is monitoring eviction rules granted under what is seemingly legal grounds and later proved to be fake. "If a tenant is evicted on any reason and later finds that the landlord has re-rented the property and violated the rent cap rule, he or she can file a complaint and the committee will return the tenant to the property and or order the landlord to compensate him or her."