Dubai landlords remove illegal partitions, prefer to rent flats to families over bachelors

Khaleej Times

a day ago

Landlords and property owners in Dubai, who are bringing back their properties to the market after authorities imposed a crackdown against illegal partitioning of rooms and flats, are preferring to let their properties to families, especially small ones, and corporate clients.
Many of these owners who were not aware of their properties being sublet and multiple people living there illegally are now checking Emirates ID, job profiles, and previous history of potential tenants.
Led by Dubai Municipality, authorities in the emirate launched a crackdown against partitioned rooms in several areas of the emirate in the fourth week of June due to risks posed by illegal and unapproved structural modifications and partitions. Most of these crackdowns were targeted in densely populated areas such as Al Rigga, Al Muraqabbat, Al Satwa and Al Raffa areas.
'Landlords who were not aware of the situation are more conscious now and renting their properties by checking tenants' documents like Emirates ID, job details and previous history. They're preferring to rent to small families or corporate leases. Instead of renting to multiple unrelated tenants in small rooms, they are targeting single-family or corporate staff housing to stay compliant,' said Humaira Vaqqas, consultant at Range International Properties.
'Previously, many of these properties were rented out to single bachelors. However, landlords are now increasingly preferring families as tenants, seeking greater stability and long-term, sustainable occupancy,' said Swapna Tekchandani, consultant, Property Zone Real Estate
'Tenants are now more cautious following the sudden implementation of this rule. Landlords, are legally obliged to comply and are largely in agreement as it benefits them, allowing them to deal with a single tenant for rent payments rather than managing multiple occupants within one unit, ' she said.
Legally, in Dubai, a tenant is not allowed to sublet a rented premise without the written consent of the landlord or property owners. According to Article 24 of the Dubai Tenancy Law, 'Unless otherwise agreed by the parties to a lease contract, the tenant may not sublease, or assign the use of the real property to third parties unless the relevant written consent of the landlord is obtained.'
Repairing, removing partitions
Humaira Vaqqas said many landlords are removing illegal partitions and restoring the original layout to comply with Dubai Municipality regulations.
As reported by Khaleej Times, some landlords are spending up to Dh45,000 to renovate and repair their properties due to illegal partitioning and structural damages.
According to Ayman Youssef, managing director at Coldwell Banker, landlords and property owners affected by the removal of illegal partitions are now focused on restoring their units to comply with regulations.
'Many are undertaking full renovations to convert partitioned spaces back into proper single-family units. These renovations often involve repairing structural damage, including ceilings and flooring, caused by the earlier modifications. Once the properties are fully renovated and brought up to standard, they will be reintroduced to the rental market,' he said.