The Dubai Land Department (DLD) has announced the launch of its Unified Lease Form. The new contracts will become a mandatory procedure from March 2017. They outline and define the roles and responsibilities of all parties who are involved in the contract, especially the landlord and tenants.
The DLD said that the unified contract will regulate rental and property management and all related requirements, including licensing and guarantees. The new form has been designed to regulate relationships between all parties involved in real estate transactions and guarantees the rights of all parties.
With regards to property maintenance the DLD confirmed that the laws governing such a relationship states that under the terms of the lease the landlord is responsible for premise maintenance repair work. And the repair of any damage or defect that may affect the wellbeing of the tenant within the property, unless otherwise agreed upon between both parties.
The law requires the landlord's responsibility for all maintenance work in all cases, while at the same time allowing for the possibility of transferring the responsibility to the tenant through a mutual agreement between both the landlord and tenant. Which means that there cannot, therefore, be a clause forcing the responsibility on one party alone.
The contract also refers to a law that regulates the relationship between landlords and tenants of Dubai real estate. Specific clauses that spell out the cases which enable the landlord to request eviction of the tenant from the premise.
Such incidences can include; subleasing the property, or using the property for carrying out prohibited or illegal activities.
DLD stated that the new contract, obligatory from March, aims to create a transparent and professional real estate market with measurable standards.
Mohammed Ahmed Yahya, Deputy CEO Rental Affairs Sector, DLD said: "The adoption of the unified lease form comes within the framework of our continuous efforts to embed principles of transparency and benefit all parties in the real estate market. Dubai has managed to acquire a prestigious position because of the stability the city provides in terms of investments, work and daily life. This latest step by DLD contributes further to consolidating Dubai's positive image across the globe."
Hamdan Al Madhani, Director of Rental Relations Regulatory Department, commented: "The applied unified lease form primarily depends on the legal system, and having unified contracts between the parties guarantees the rights of all stakeholders involved. He added: "The Rental Affairs Sector carries responsibility through its department mechanisms to apply the new unified lease contract, in addition to registering leases and tracking the real estate index. This body also develops rules, policies and strategies that facilitate the movement of the sector, in addition to monitoring the real estate market”.
The DLD are encouraging landlords to download and print contracts from the Ejari official website (www.ejari.ae), and provides assurance that all items included within such contracts are based upon a legal framework that regulates relationships and transactions.