Housing inspectors tighten grip on villa sharers

Dubai’s housing officers have caught more than 300 tenants illegally sharing villas during the first six months of the year in a major crackdown, daily newspaper The National reported on Tuesday.

The rise in breaking the “one villa, one family” regulation comes as rents increased during the same period.

According to The National, apartment rents have gone up by six percent while villa rents have escalated by nine percent between January and June 2012.

“If rents go up, surely they will come back again to share. If that happens, we will work harder,” Jabir Ahmed Al Ali, head of the inspection unit at Dubai Municipality buildings department said.

“Our message is: don’t share. You can rent a house anywhere. It is better and safer for the family. Why should you break the rules? We give a week’s notice. If they don’t mover, we disconnect electricity,” he added.

According to Al Ali, inspectors are increasing their efforts to trace multi-occupancy in the areas of Al Bada’a, Al Jafiliya and Al Rashidiya.

Some tenants argue that families should be given freedom to share according to their own financial abilities, the report added.

“If I’m comfortable sharing and ready to bear the consequences, I should be free to choose where I live,” Faisal Mirza, a Pakistani sales representative in Hamriya, told the newspaper.

“If I had the option, I’d live in a flat, but my salary is low and I can’t afford to pay the rent upfront,” he added.

Despite authorities’ attempts to tackle illegal sharing, agents believe the recurrent violation will continue.

“People know about the municipality regulations, but they will continue,” Saddat Abbasi, a housing agent, told The National.

“No one can afford to rent an entire villa. They say one family is allowed to stay in one villa but it’s not possible.”

The no-share rule was first implemented in 2008.

More than 800 households were evicted for illegally sharing villas in 2011, as sharers can be fined up to 50,000 AE ($13,612).