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[wilberforce]

Tenants can carry out emergency repairs

Source ::: THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Tenants have the right to carry out emergency repairs in a rented place without permission from the owner. In fact, a tenant can go ahead with such repairs even if the landlord objects to it.

This finer point of the rent law was highlighted at a forum held at the Faculty of Law at Qatar University recently.

If a tenant feels that it is important to carry out repairs to the rented premises because of safety reasons, he can go ahead even if the owner has objections, a senior municipal official told the forum.

Earlier, lawyer Yusuf Al Zaman, speaking on the rent law, said a rent-related dispute could either be taken to the rent dispute resolution committee or the courts. �Any of these forums can be approached to get a rent-related dispute resolved provided there is a contract in written form,� said Al Zaman. A contract must be registered with the government as per the rules.

The forum was organised by the Faculty of Law at Qatar University in cooperation with the Association of American Judges and Lawyers and present on the occasion was the dean of the faculty, Dr Hassan Al Sayed, among others.

An official from the commercial fraud control department, Saud Al Assiri, speaking about the consumer protection law, told the forum that consumers had the right to sue if they had a genuine complaint about a product or service. The court can be moved if a consumer feels that his rights have been violated, he said.

Colonel Hamad Al Mohannadi, Director of Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Interior, also addressed the forum. He said executive regulations were being framed to enforce the new sponsorship law. Highlighting the salient features of the new law, he said it was the responsibility of a freshly arrived worker and his sponsor to report the worker�s arrival to the authorities concerned within seven working days to complete the residence visa stamping procedures.

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=local_news&month=may2009&file=local_news2009050972025.xml

[wilberforce]

Rent dispute cases reach 1,500 a month
By Sarmad Qazi

Staff Reporter

The number of court cases at Qatar�s Committee for Solving Rental Disputes has reached 1,500 hearings a month since its opening in October last year.
Sanctioned by the new rent law in February 2008, the committee was set up after a decree was issued by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani on October 8.
�The number of grievances � either by the landlords or tenants � continues to spike since we opened after Ramadan last year,� an official at the Committee, located in Muntazah (now Rawda Al Khail) told Gulf Times.

�The last hearing date before two-month-long summer vacation has been set at June 30 from what I understand. The holidays could be changed though since Ramadan falls in August this year,� he explained.
The cases averaged at 150-a-month back in November 2008, according to a previous Gulf Times report.
�Most of the cases are villa-related followed by filing of disputes by agents or tenants on eviction notices,� the official said.
Majority of the cases filed by property-owners relate to non-payment of rent by the tenants and rental payments that were bounced.

The Law No 4 of 2008 approved that a panel headed by a judge and two other members be set up at the committee; their rulings, binding on both parties, can be challenged only in an appeal court.
The Emiri decree then additionally ordered five such panels within the committee that works under the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning.

�All the five panels have been assigned one day of the week each,� the official said.
Meanwhile, the other aspect of the law also called for setting up �Offices for the Registration of Rental Contracts� that started functioning at all the municipalities of Qatar some three months after it was approved.
All tenancy contracts now have to be registered with these offices � mostly located at the respective municipal headquarters � by the landlords.
Qatar has a total of seven municipalities; Doha, Dayaan, Al Khor, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Shamal and Umm Salal.
�In addition to cases, tenants whose landlords have refused to take rent for whatever reasons also come here to deposit the payments,� the official observed.

The sprawling office has a team of translators for non-Arabic speakers, the official said in reply to a question related to the language-barrier as all the forms to initiate any legal process are in Arabic.
When asked whether the number of court cases is likely to continue to climb, the official said: �There is no end to this.�
�There are now extremely greedy elements involved in the rental market in the country.�

How to avoid hassles
When asked what a prospective tenant should do in order to avoid hassles, an official of the Committee for Solving Rental Disputes said:
�Consult a lawyer!�
�You should also ask the agent, if any, to show you the contract between him and the landlord,� he added.
�I would also request to see the building ownership certificate (Sanad Malakia�t) so I know who the real owner of the property is,� he said.
The system of subletting properties to agents has � of late � resulted in an increasing number of disputes between the parties, leaving tenants at the sore end of the stern battle by receiving eviction notices.

In some cases, agents had even further subleased the property to more companies. The local laws, however, allow properties to be sublet as many times as the owners wish after mutual agreements.
When asked where the tenant should seek recourse after a court case between landlord and agent(s) results in total eviction from the premises, the official said: �At this same office.�
�We (the committee) will take care of all three parties,� he said.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=290833&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56

[wilberforce]

Huge increase in house subletting
Web posted at: 6/4/2009 2:28:12
Source ::: The Peninsula/ By Jaber AlMusallam

DOHA: There has been a huge increase in the number of newspaper classified this year for subletting accommodation this summer, especially from expatriate government employees.

Real estate sources attribute the development to the fact that the summer break for the government sector is going to be longer than usual due to the Holy Month of Ramadan beginning just when the vacations end.

�Government employees will have a longer summer break this year,� a real estate market operative told this newspaper.

Temporary accommodations are usually available every summer for period ranging from one to two months but this year, the duration is up to three months.

While many realtors claim the rent prices in Doha have dipped, analysts say that the demand for temporary housing shows that the rents are still high.

As for government allocated accommodation being sublet, many argue that there is no justification for such activity because the housing provided for them costs is either free or costs them literally nothing in terms of rent. The only motive behind this kind of subletting is to make a quick buck. 
THE PENINSULA

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=June2009&file=Local_News2009060422812.xml

[wilberforce]

Rents for residential units unlikely to plunge: Report


http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=June2009&file=Local_News200906086947.xml

[wilberforce]

Maybe it's time to ask QP/Griffith to move us to better accomodation.
Some of the apartments are the pits. No parking and no natural light!!!

Rents slip 25 to 30pc; further decrease likely
Web posted at: 6/29/2009 7:14:27
Source ::: THE PENINSULA
DOHA: House rents in Qatar have fallen by 25 to 30 percent over the past eight months and a further downslide is expected during this summer, say real estate industry sources.

With the onset of summer, the property market has been witnessing a lull as potential customers as well as landlords are delaying business deals. Customers are anticipating a further fall in the prices while the landlords are looking for an increase in demand after the summer is over.

But none would dispute that rents have significantly fallen. Industry experts attribute this to a combination of factors, including an increse in the supply of housing units with completion of several building projects across the country.

�We are now literally struggling to rent out many of our properties. For instance, an apartment which was rented out at QR10,000 per month last year is now being offered at QR7,000 but still there are no takers,� lamented an official from a leading real estate agency. He said many landlords have been forced to reduce rents as tenants are shifting houses in an attempt to lap up cheaper and better options. For the landlord, the only way to hold the customers is to reduce the rentals. The market has thus become highly competitive to the benefit of the customers.

According to Faleh Matar, General Manager of Al Dar Real Estate Company, prices in the market are stabilising.

�A medium size villa which used to be rented out at QR15,000 to QR25,000 some months ago is now available at QR10,000 to QR15,000 per month. An acceptable scenario is taking shape where a two-bed room apartment is available at QR4,500 and a three-bed room facility would be priced QR5,500 per month,� said Matar, in comments to Al Sharq daily.

He said the falling prices of construction materials is another factor contributing to a fall in house rents. The affordable housing units of the Barwa Real Estate company also had a significant impact on the market, he added.

�The prices are expected to stabilise in the next six months with many more projects which are now under construction getting ready by that time,� added Matar.

He also noted that the �floating tenants� would eventually force the landlords to reduce the prices for fear of losing customers.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

wilberforce...lonely much?

You seem to the only contributor to this thread!

NCTBA

[wilberforce]

[wilberforce]

NEWS in BRIEF: Qatar�s population shrinks by 40,000
Web posted at: 7/3/2009 7:9:24
Source ::: Agencies
Qatar saw its population fall by more than 40,000 people in June from May, after witnessing growth for the first five months of the year, official data showed yesterday. As of June 30, the country�s population stood at 1.61 million people, compared with 1.65 million in May, data released by the Qatar Statistics Authority showed.

In the beginning of June, the authority said Qatar�s population grew 6.5 percent to 1.65 million in the first five months of the year from 1.55 million in December 2008.

REUTERS

[wilberforce]

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=July2009&file=Local_News2009071164956.xml

[wilberforce]

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&month=July2009&file=Local_News20090712342.xml

[wilberforce]

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=business_news&month=july2009&file=business_news200907027111.xml


These places are awesome. But do they ever cost!!!!!

[wilberforce]

an awesome structure.

Even better looking than the Aspire Tower.

http://www.qatar-tribune.com/data/20090717/content.asp?section=nation1_1

[wilberforce]

Agents playing havoc with real estate market

Unscrupulous agents are creating difficulties for both tenants and landlords in the Qatari real estate market according to businesses, who are doing their best to warn prospective tenants to be careful about who they deal with.

Reports in recent months have indicated that agents have been acting as middle men, taking money from tenants and offering guarantees that they have neither the intention nor ability to keep. They work by taking a property from a landlord, and whilst paying him QR8,000 for instance, they charge the tenant QR10,000 and pocket the difference. The agents have also been known to ask for deposits and other charges, duping unsuspecting tenants into handing over cheques which end up being meaningless.

In some other cases, the agents may quote a lower price to the tenant and collect the rent in advance and in cash for up to two years. The agents then default in payment to the landlord who goes to the court and get an eviction order, leaving the tenants in a quandary.
Landlords have now woken up to the problem, and as a result they are advertising properties which clearly state that agents are neither involved or wanted in any potential transactions.

Advertisements can now be seen declaring: �No agents to apply,� �no agents wanted,� and other similar statements, which are a clear indication of the negative connotations landlords are now associating with agents.
Gulf Times spoke to a landlord who recently advertised a number of properties he owns with one of these messages, and he explained that he had chosen not to deal with agents following the experiences of some of his colleagues and associates who had endured difficulties with them in the past.

�Sometimes people are dishonest and the only thing they are worried about is achieving their commission,� he said, adding �they exaggerate about the house and facilities on offer, and the owners may not even meet their client before they move in.�

�This will certainly lead to problems,� he added.
Another landlord claimed that around a quarter of the agents in Qatar are unqualified and �taking customers for a ride.�
He pointed out that with the current global economic crisis and the introduction of a number of accredited and reputable agencies in Qatar, the �freelance� agents are starting to disappear.
However, he argued that he would like to see the introduction and enforcement of tougher rules regarding the actions of these agents so as to make it impossible for them to trade.

�I think more needs to be done to protect both the landlord and the tenant,� he claimed, adding �and tenants need to make sure they do not use these agents as they are simply feeding the problem.�
His sentiments were echoed by a representative of a reputable agency based in Qatar, who said that she would like to see more done to curb troublesome agents.

She stressed the importance of awareness and said that people looking for places to live should be careful about who they deal with, recommending that they use licensed businesses rather than stand-alone agents.

Describing a number of cases which she has come to know about, she said that people are often charged one-off fees for the agent to switch on the water or perform other similar actions. These fees are subsequently not paid to the landlord and instead end up in the pockets of the agents.
She explained that her company, which adheres to international standards of practice, ensures they have the deeds for property as well as the identification documents of the landlord, who they also create personal relationships with.

�When we have a client we will find the property, ensure all the contracts are prepared and signed by both the tenants and landlord, and then we facilitate the tenant moving in.�
�Generally we take 12 post-dated cheques, and then we make sure the property is ready to be moved into � if there are any problems we will help solve them,� she claimed.
She explained that this is how the profession works in most countries, where the agency is paid a commission by the landlord rather than the tenant, and so it is in the agents� interests to do as well as possible for their employers.

�There is no regulatory body here � that is the problem,� she said, adding �people are working from the boot of their car.�
�Not only is this bad for the customer, but it is annoying for businesses like us as we spend money, time and effort on things like advertising.�
She pointed out that the rental courts often find in favour of tenants who have been mistreated. However the process of getting to trial is often lengthy and can leave people in a difficult situation whilst they await their hearings.

�Agents should have licences and should be regulated,� she argued, �and the agents should not be charging customers, but should be getting paid from the landlords themselves.�

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=303909&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

[wilberforce]

QSA says fall in house rents has brought inflation down
Web posted at: 8/20/2009 1:26:40
Source ::: THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) yesterday confirmed that house rents have been falling in the country, contributing to a decline in the overall rate of inflation.

The house rent, water and power as well as household maintenance component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which QSA uses to measure the cost of living, was down as much as 4.4 percent as compared to January this year.

But a drastic fall was witnessed in the prices of textiles and footwear. They dropped eight percent in June over January.

The CPI for June this year fell slightly less than one percent (0.8 percent) as compared to May, QSA said in a press statement issued yesterday.

The CPI for the first half of the current year is 2.6 percent lower than in January. �And the most significant decrease was seen in rental prices which had been witnessing high rates of growth in previous years,� QSA said.

Food also became cheaper last month as compared to May. But if one takes the entire first six-month period this year, food was three percent cheaper, but beverages and tobacco became more expensive.

But transport became costlier basically due to seasonal fluctuations in air fares because of rising demand for air travel during the summer months.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&month=August2009&file=Local_News2009082012640.xml

[wilberforce]

Barwa flats �pricey� for Al Wakra
Web posted at: 8/19/2009 2:30:46
Source ::: The Peninsula / By MOBIN PANDIT & MOHAMED SAEED

DOHA: Many of those who were eagerly waiting for Barwa Real Estate Company to unveil the allotment process for flats and shops in its upcoming housing-*beep*-commercial complex in Al Wakra have been left disappointed as they say they find the rents higher than expected.

Several of them The Peninsula spoke to yesterday said they were not applying for Barwa houses and would instead be looking for accommodation elsewhere as, with the rental market easing, they expected affordable housing to be available in Doha.

Businessmen were equally critical of the rents for commercial space. At QR127 per square metre, they argued the rate was equivalent to that for �some of the best business addresses in town.�

But Barwa has claimed that since it announced the allotment process it has been literally inundated with enquiries. �We were getting between 350 and 500 calls every day after the advertisements were put out in newspapers,� a senior Barwa official said.

�The apartments are really massive. The one-bedroom apartment is like a three-bedroom unit. Then, it is a compound with several amenities like a nursery, centralised cooking gas, air-conditioner and shopping complexes,� said the official. �You will have all kinds of shops close to where you stay. Over 900 shops are on offer in the complex,� he added.

An Iranian expatriate, Shekoofeh, on the contrary, said she and her husband had been waiting to apply for Barwa housing in Al Wakra but after looking at the rents they had changed their minds.

�The rents are high for that location,� she said. �For a QR3,500 rent, we can look for an apartment in the city,� added Shekoofeh.

Prominent businessman Ahmed Al Khalaf said the rents were really high considering that the original objective of the Barwa project was to accommodate residents and traders being displaced from Musheirib. �These people had residential and commercial premises at lower rents in Musheirib. They should have been offered alterative space at even lower rents,� said Al Khalaf.

And considering that rents are generally coming down, by the time Barwa hands over the shops and premises to people early next year, the rental market would have eased further, he said.

Another businessman, Abdul Hadi Al Shahwani, said he expected the rents to slide at least 20 percent more by the year-end but added that Barwa�s rents were justified due to the project�s location and amenities.

�Barwa is a state-backed company and its aim is to support the housing needs of low-income people,� said Al Khalaf. Of the shops, he said the rate of QR127 per square metre in a �remote� place like Al Wakra was not justified since in Doha�s upscale business locality the rate was QR200.

The Barwa project has studio apartments on offer for a monthly rent of QR2,500 while one-bedroom flats are being offered for QR3,000 and two-bedroom units for QR3,500.

THE PENINSULA

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=August2009&file=Local_News2009081923046.xml