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Villa Deadline Ends Today

DUBAI— Thousands of anxious families sharing villas in the emirate will have to face tough times as the month long deadline of the Dubai Municipality comes to an end on Friday.

The deadline, which was directed towards the landlords, calls for a fine of upto Dh50, 000 on those whose villas shared by more than one family.

A landlord is also liable for a penalty if the villa is found having illegal partitions. The civic body has also said that once the deadline ends, no notices will be served and immediate action will be taken.

Any villa violating the regulations will see an immediate disconnection of water and electricity.

Earlier, clarifying reports which talked about relatives been given the permission to share villas, Omar Mohammed Abdul Rahman, the Head of the Building Inspection Section said that relatives in the form of cousins, uncles and aunts cannot live in a single villa.

Only immediate relatives were allowed to share the same, he said. The Dubai Municipality begun a crackdown on shared villas nearly four months back. The campaign started from Rashidiya and eventually to the other areas soon.

The Dubai Municipality has maintained that the sharing of villas is basically unhealthy and poses many dangers. Last year, the civic body started a similar campaign targeting bachelors in villas.

Till late, the Dubai Municipality disconnected the water and electricity of more than 2,000 villas in different areas.

With the Dubai Municipality not in any mood to back out, the families are a worried and devastated lot.

“I have tried hard to search for a suitable accommodation. The rents of flats are so very high and I just cannot afford one. Next week, I will be moving to a villa in Sharjah.

“I hope Sharjah does not come up with something similar. Otherwise, we will have no place to go,” said Manina Prakash, who shares a villa in Al Quoz.

Like Prakash, many other families have voiced their concerns stating that the soaring rents have left them with no choice than to share villas.

The Building Section Head said the inspections will be more intense and Dubai Municipality teams will be all over the emirate including up-market areas like Jumeirah and Umm Sequim.

· joy@khaleejtimes.com