Landlord Cannot Ask to Vacate Before Five Years

Mohammed Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Committee for Settlement of Rental Disputes in Abu Dhabi, told Khaleej Times that Abu Dhabi 
Executive Council issued a resolution on November 8 amending Article No. 20 of Law No. 20 on the landord-tenant relationship in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

According to the amendment, property owners are not allowed to ask tenants to vacate the residential units unless five, and not three years, have passed from the date of the original contract, or unless the committee orders otherwise.

The law grants the tenant a grace period of six months to vacate the property.

Al Nuaimi disclosed that the panel had received requests from owners seeking eviction of tenants after three years from the issuance of the law, which included contracts signed before that that.

However, the amendment deferred the application of these requests to November 8, 2011 when landlords may ask tenants to leave on the ground that the first contract was signed on November 9, 2006.

For instance, under a contract signed on January 1, 2009, the landlord has right to ask a tenant to vacate the property after January 1, 2014.

“Landlords who think that they will be able to evict tenants after five years in order to lease units at higher rents are dreaming because the law will not allow them to increase rent beyond the permissible limit of 5 per cent from the last contract obtained by the previous tenant.

“As the rent will not increase, landlords should stop demanding tenants to leave their units,” he clarified.

Tenants can sue the landlords and then the committee will apply the old rent value.

adel@khaleejtimes.com