"Can I terminate a lease agreement when dividing a residential space? - Russians in the UAE"

"Question: We rented a one-room apartment on July10th. In other apartments, we saw many partitions, so we decided to build the same in our apartment. Before we started, the building supervisor asked us for money, which we gave him, but he continued to ask for more. So I asked my husband not to give him any more money. A week later, the observer came with someone from a real estateagency and said that installing partitions in apartments is not allowed. The owner of the apartment ordered them to replace the lock on our apartment, and for three days now we can't get inside. We are waiting for their decision and were told that our lease agreement may be terminated. We knew that what we did was not legally permissible, but why did the owner allow others to continue this practice? If they terminate our contract, what will happen to the cash payments we gave the observer and the post-dated checks we wrote? Is there any way to recover this? CC, Dubai."

Response:

Your situation is not quite clear to me, but I will try to answer as best as I can. When you say you took a one-bedroom apartment, I assume that the rental agreement was for the entire apartment, not just part of it.

Having said that, if you have rented an entire apartment and decided to divide it, you need to know that any changes to the rented property must be approved by the owner in writing.

Obviously, I cannot explain why the observer allowed work at other places but not at yours. However, if you knew it was not allowed and still continued, then you obviously understood the risks.

As for the return of your money, it entirely depends on the landlord, as you have violated the terms of the contract. It is likely that the landlord will also demand some compensation, and your deposit may be at risk. However, the rent you have paid should be returned, but again, this is at the discretion of the landlord..

I suggest organizing a meeting with the owner to explain and apologize for the inconvenience caused, hoping that you can find a solution for your current situation.

Question: I have been living in a rented accommodation in Dubai for two years now. This accommodation is owned by a company that used to maintain the building well and respond quickly to maintenance requests until recently. However, the quality of cleaning and the overall maintenance of the common areas in the building has declined in the last two months. Do these services come included in my rent? Can I demand better quality of accommodation maintenance from the owner? Please advise. MM, Dubai.

Response:

If I understand correctly, your owner is a company that manages the common areas and services in the building where you live. Typically, the property owner pays for the cost of service services and therefore has the right to dictate how these services are provided to tenants..

In your situation, they are the same entity, so as far as I can see, you absolutely have the right to inform the owner that the quality of services has declined over the past few months. If the company cares about the maintenance of the building, they will definitely strive to improve the services; otherwise, the building may fall into disrepair and negatively affect its value.