Renting and Moving during Covid-19 Restrictions
The Information below is a Guide to Tenants but equally assists Landlords
In these unprecedented times, it is essential to know your rights as a Tenant in Dubai whether or not your income has been affected, or if you want to move.
Can You Be Evicted from Your Home?
No, you cannot be evicted by your landlord during these unprecedented circumstances. If you have been struggling to pay your rent during the months of March and April, you cannot be forced to leave your home.
The governments of Dubai and Abu Dhabi have suspended all eviction judgements on residential or commercial properties that have been issued during March and April. The suspension is temporary and comes among various responses to the crisis from the government to help fight the pandemic (Gulf News, 25/3/2020).
What Happens If You Don’t Pay Rent?
Since your landlord will not be able to evict you from the premises, you can share your current situation with them to reach a decision on how to proceed.
Does Your Contract Mention Exceptions in Case of a Crisis?
Some contracts include a clause about emergency circumstances. You should get back to your own rental contract and search for a clause about “force majeure,” which reflects exceptional outcomes in times of crisis.
Do You Have to Pay Rent Penalties?
It’s important to have an open conversation with your landlord for clarity. A number of landlords in the UAE have waived any rental penalties applicable during this time, which might be the case for you too (Gulf News, 10/4/2020).
Can You Ask for Rent-Free Extensions?
Yes, if you feel like you will not be able to fulfill your payment obligations and would like rent-free extensions, you can certainly ask your landlord. Government officials and landlords in Dubai understand the hardships residents are facing as a result of this crisis and are willing to help.
A great number of landlords in Dubai, including those offering commercial space for offices, have in fact waived rent for their tenants for a period amounting to 3 months. The act of kindness in light of the situation was kicked off by major developers in the region, Meraas and Al-Futtaim Group. Landlords are quickly following in their footsteps all over Dubai (Gulf News, 26/3/2020).
As time passed, major developers started to follow suit. Al Wasl offered deferrals on leases to support their customers on both residential and commercial properties. They announced that tenants have up to 3 months (Gulf News, 1/4/2020). Furthermore, Al Husn Properties waived completely rent payments on all their residential as well as commercial establishments across Dubai and Sharjah. A total of 500 families benefited from this generous act during these hard times (The National, 14/4/2020).
Dubai Silicon Oasis are offering their residential and commercial tenants rent waivers to help them through the crisis. Starting April 2020 and for three consecutive months they are exempt from payment (Gulf News, 19/4/2020).
Can You Ask to Pay Your Rent on a Monthly Cheque Basis?
Yes, if a monthly cheque payment is more suitable for you than the regular quarterly cheques to navigate your financial situation, then you should ask for it. Some landlords in Dubai have already agreed to this type of payment to ease the situation for their tenants (Gulf News, 10/4/2020).
Can You Renegotiate Your Rental Contract?
In case your landlord is not willing to reduce or postpone your rent payments when you have experienced unforseen termination from your job or a lowered income, you can resort to legal help.
As per the UAE law under Article 249, when there are unprecedented circumstances on a global and public level leading to the contract being oppressive to one of the parties, a judge has the right to minimize such obligation to a more reasonable level.
As a tenant looking to get relief from rent due to loss of income under Article 249, you have to head to court and have it legally ordered upon your landlord by a judge (Gulf News, 5/4/2020).
Can You Terminate Your Tenancy Contract Before It Expires?
Under normal circumstances, there are some things you can do to terminate your contract and move before it expires. Today, in the midst of a global crisis, some tenants will want to move to a lower-rent property as a result of the hit they had to endure in their income. You can always negotiate the terms with your landlord in such a situation.
Can You Move House During Lockdown?
Yes, you can move house during lockdown. With the city enforcing a 24-hour lockdown, it would seem difficult to consider moving apartments in Dubai. However, that is not the case.
If you decide moving is the best option for you right now or if you already had plans to move, here is your checklist for moving house in Dubai to take into consideration.
Do You Require a Permit to Move House?
Yes, in order to move your belongings from one property to another during Dubai’s 24-hour sterilisation programme, you do require a moving permit.
Do You Have to Use a Moving Company?
No, it’s up to you if you require the services of apartment movers in Dubai to help you out.
Rose Marsh, Lead Product Manager – Consumer at Property Finder, shares her experience: “I did it myself as I’m moving from furnished to unfurnished. Home Centre, Danube Home and IKEA, and other furniture companies, are all still delivering, so I was able to get my furniture. However, there were delays, so I’d recommend ordering your furniture at least 2 weeks in advance.”
On the other hand, if you opt for using a house moving company in Dubai, the company is responsible for legally obtaining all the necessary paperwork for their movers and vehicles. In that case, you only need movement permits for yourselves (Gulf News, 8/4/2020).
With the current conditions in mind serious attention is being paid to employee sanitisation with gloves and masks constantly being worn for the duration of the job.
How Can You Apply for a Movement Permit?
You can acquire an emergency movement permit to reach your new property. For every member of your family, you need to apply for the movement permit in order to go from one place to another during curfew.
You can apply on the official website for Dubai Police (Gulf News, 5/4/2020). On the website, under personal, choose emergency and write the reason for the move. The permit allows free movement between the two properties and is granted for the move duration. You can now get a move permit in Dubai for a duration of 3 days (Gulf News, 16/4/2020).
Rose applied for the permit to be able to move during lockdown: “To move, I applied for an emergency movement permit, which was approved. I would recommend doing this well in advance to ensure you get approval.”
What Information Do You Need to Submit for a Movement Permit?
The website is quite straightforward to use with minimal information to be eligible for a permit. All you need is the following:
Emirates ID
Passport of Driving License
Registration plate of your car
Time slot for when you will be travelling.
Do You Still Require a Standard Move-In/Move-Out Permit?
Yes, you do require a standard move-in and move-out permits as per usual. The simple process is that you need to obtain a move-out permit from your landlord if you live in a community or building and a move-in permit from your new residential premises.
You can check how to get your move in/move out permit in Dubai on Property Finder. It is advisable to apply for it 5 days in advance.
What Precautions Do You Need to Consider Before Moving?
After making sure all the paperwork is in order, on moving day there are a few health precautions to consider to avoid fines:
There cannot be more than 3 people at a time in one vehicle, so if your family is more than that the trip should be made more than once. You can also use a taxi service since they are still operational, but the 3-person rule applies to taxis as well.
Medical masks and gloves are a must.
Which Moving Companies Are Operating During Lockdown?
No need to worry about finding house movers and packers in Dubai during lockdown. As movement in Dubai is restricted by the authorities, moving houses has been one of many necessities affected. However, moving companies that were contacted are now doing between 10-20 moves a day.
Here’s a list of companies that will be glad to help you out during these tough times:
Onthemove.ae (04 884 7705)
Process
Request a quotation online
Book your services
Contactless survey option now available
Services
Moving within the UAE
Storage
Moving internationally
Pet relocation
2. Super Movers (056 854 3388)
Process
Request online quote
Book required services
Services
Movers and packers
Local movers
International movers
Storage services
Villa movers
Wall paint services
3. MoversZone (600 563276)
Process
Submit request
Receive quote
Book online
Online tracking in real-time available
Services
Local move
Long-distance move
International move
Commercial move
Truck rental
Self-storage
4. Movonics (055 827 6209)
Process
Get a free quote online
Book your services
You can contact the company on whatsapp
Services
Local and domestic move
Commercial and office move
Handyman and paint services
International move
5. Tawheed House Movers (056 102 0651)
Process
Get a free moving quote online
Book your home shifting services
Services
Movers and packers
Viber and whatsapp contact available.
Can You Move Your Internet, Ejari, and DEWA Online?
Yes, you don’t have to worry about moving any of the essential home services to your new place because everything can be done online in no time. DEWA and telecommunications providers still follow the same procedure.
Rose had a very satisfying experience with Du and DEWA, and also moving her Ejari to her new property: “Moving my Du internet was super simple – I just emailed customer.care@du.ae and they arranged my move for me. Moving my DEWA was incredibly simple – I did it all online. DEWA is also discounting set-up fees by 50% which was a really happy cost-saving for me! I had a bit of stress because I couldn’t move on the day I had planned, but I rang DEWA and they extended the electricity and water connection in my current property until the end of the month to ensure I wasn’t cut off. They were really friendly and helpful!”
“My Ejari was done online by my landlord – it took about 2 hours and that included me setting up DEWA at my new property! My Empower chiller disconnection I’m doing online,” she said.
Saqr Ereiqat, a Palestinian-German expat in Dubai described his recent move as being fairly simple. Commenting on Ejari which has been a hurdle for many new tenants he said “The Dubai REST application made it a very easy process to complete – I registered my Ejari on the app and immediately got a message from DEWA to set it up a new connection. The entire process took less than 2 hours to complete and to top it all DEWA was offering a 50% discount on setup fees.” His one bit of advice for current movers was to do everything in advance to not face any delays.
“The “lockdown effect” is also driving enquiries” Richard added when asked to comment on the current market conditions. “Home is now not only where we live, but where we work and where we teach our kids; and we have seen an increase in tenant enquiries from residents in apartments who are considering a move for more space, and outside space in particular. We have closed a number of villa leases from tenants who have taken the opportunity to move now to a property they feel more comfortable spending time at home.”
Adjusting to situations in times of crisis is hard; however, people come together as a result. You can always ask for help if you’re not sure about your specific situation in terms of rent or moving from one place to another. The information provided here is a great start.
This Blog is made available for educational purposes only, in addition to providing you with general information and a general understanding of its content, including referenced laws and regulations, and not to provide specific legal advice. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent advice from a licensed professional.
