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DM has no problems with singles

DUBAI — The eviction of bachelors from apartments and the recent trend among real estate companies and landlords of not allowing bachelors in buildings have no connection to Dubai Municipality's drive against overcrowding or makeshift modifications of housing units, an official told Khaleej Times.

According to the official the civic body's action against cases of overcrowding of 'bachelors' are mostly in response to complaints from neighbours, and are aimed at preventing unhygienic living conditions, violation of building regulations such as erection of makeshift partitions and illegal constructions.

“There is a procedure involved in handling such cases, which have to be dealt on a case-to-case basis. The civic body has no problem with bachelors living either in apartments or in villas as long as certain conditions are met. If there are 20 individuals living in a three bedroom house, if the (bachelor) tenants in an apartment block are noisy or cause other nuisance, or for some reason are found to be encroaching on the privacy of other tenants (families), then there is bound to be a complaint and the civic body would definitely respond and look into it,” the official said.

As a follow-up to complaints regarding such problems the civic body, after investigating the case, issues a notice to the tenants, who are usually given two to seven days to respond to it in person. Failure on the part of the tenants to respond to a notice within the specified time results in a second notice, which if it does not evoke a response, compels the civic body to issue a request to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority to disconnect electricity and water supply to the housing unit.

“Depending on the technicalities involved, the authority requires anything from a month to a year to disconnect electricity and water supply to the defaulting tenants residence,” the official said.

Specific figures on such cases being handled by the civic body are not available but the number runs into hundreds for the past three or four years, according to sources. The official revealed that the number of cases involving housing violations (aforementioned) have been on the increase of late.