# To pay rent in 1 cheque or not?



## Oz_n_Bee (Apr 11, 2012)

Ok I need advice

I know I can negotiate the rent if I pay the annual rent in one go. But wouldn't this mean landlord will lose interest when repairs are required? What options does a tenant hold if landlord unnecessarily delays or refuses to undertake urgent repairs?

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## noisyboy (Nov 13, 2011)

You can always complain to RERA . I think it stands for Real Estate Regulatory Authority.


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Oz_n_Bee said:


> Ok I need advice
> 
> I know I can negotiate the rent if I pay the annual rent in one go. But wouldn't this mean landlord will lose interest when repairs are required? What options does a tenant hold if landlord unnecessarily delays or refuses to undertake urgent repairs?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


Six of one half dozen of the other mate as far as your power over the landlord. If you pay in multiple checks you give the landlord post dated checks when you sign the lease. Cancelling checks means jail and deportation, which does not give you a whole lot of leverage.


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Yep, the only advantage you have to multiple cheques is managing your cash flow better.

If the landlord refuses to do any repairs, the best course of action you can take is to congratulate him for his wise vision and excellent business skills.


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## Mr Rossi (May 16, 2009)

Gavtek said:


> If the landlord refuses to do any repairs, the best course of action you can take is to congratulate him for his wise vision and excellent business skills.


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## sabeenmansoor (Feb 13, 2012)

I think u should not pay rent in one cheque... We did that and then the landlord started to beat the bushes when we wanted Maintainence and finally used to ignore our calls.....


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

From a maintenance point of view the number of cheques is utterly irrelevant.


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

I pay one cheque, no problem.


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## yoplu (Apr 24, 2012)

best not to pay in 1 cheque. Not only the landlords are unprofessional but the agents as well. 
One agent takes the money in 1 cheque, pays to the landlord in 4 cheques and then bounces the 3rd or 4th cheque. 
Landlord finds agent has disappeared, comes to the tenant. Tenant states he's paid in full. its all a big mess


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

yoplu said:


> best not to pay in 1 cheque. Not only the landlords are unprofessional but the agents as well.
> One agent takes the money in 1 cheque, pays to the landlord in 4 cheques and then bounces the 3rd or 4th cheque.
> Landlord finds agent has disappeared, comes to the tenant. Tenant states he's paid in full. its all a big mess


That is far from standard. I know of only one company that has tried that, and its with the landlords prior knowledge. If your the tenant you should only pay the rent to the landlord anyway.


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## yoplu (Apr 24, 2012)

Well the company that i heard of was MFR properties doing it. 
I agree. Only write the cheque out to the landlords name and very important you have a passport copy and title deed copy with his name on to make sure it is infact the landlord who you are paying


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

fcjb1970 said:


> Six of one half dozen of the other mate as far as your power over the landlord. If you pay in multiple checks you give the landlord post dated checks when you sign the lease. Cancelling checks means jail and deportation, which does not give you a whole lot of leverage.


As far as I know you cannot cancel cheques here, which means once you have handed the cheques over at the beginning of the lease, you have paid the rent in full. As Gavtek quite rightly says, the only difference the number of cheques makes is to your cash-flow. A landlord is either going to stand by their commitment to the tenant or not, regardless of the number of cheques. 

On the subject of filing a complaint with RERA, to do so, you need to register your lease, which costs less than AED 150, but you also have to lodge a deposit which is a percentage of the annual rent, not sure of the amount, but I think it's around 1%. If you win, you get that back, probably as a rent deduction, if you lose, you don't. As I mentioned to you before, the registration of the lease is the landlord's responsibility, it would only be necessary for you to do so if you needed to follow this process.


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## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

Oz_n_Bee said:


> Ok I need advice
> 
> I know I can negotiate the rent if I pay the annual rent in one go. But wouldn't this mean landlord will lose interest when repairs are required? What options does a tenant hold if landlord unnecessarily delays or refuses to undertake urgent repairs?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


Hi Oz, I wouldnt look it from the maintenance angle. If the landlord defaults on the mortgage, property is repossed and you have paid in 1 cheque your money gone. You have to look at how much cheaper the rent is by paying in 1 cheque and work out if the saving you are making is worth the risk. Personally I wouldnt pay for a years rent in 1 cheque. There's so many properties in Dubai you could probably negotiate with a different landlord for similar property and pay in 4 cheques and get nearly the same deal. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck.


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## Oz_n_Bee (Apr 11, 2012)

R_Smithy said:


> Hi Oz, I wouldnt look it from the maintenance angle. If the landlord defaults on the mortgage, property is repossed and you have paid in 1 cheque your money gone. You have to look at how much cheaper the rent is by paying in 1 cheque and work out if the saving you are making is worth the risk. Personally I wouldnt pay for a years rent in 1 cheque. There's so many properties in Dubai you could probably negotiate with a different landlord for similar property and pay in 4 cheques and get nearly the same deal. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck.


SH*T! That comment was worth more than just 2 cents!! Surely is there not some protection for the tenant if the bank repossess the property? In UK the law protects the tenant and effectively the bank can sell the property to a third party with the tenant holding a short-term lease.

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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Oz_n_Bee said:


> SH*T! That comment was worth more than just 2 cents!! Surely is there not some protection for the tenant if the bank repossess the property? In UK the law protects the tenant and effectively the bank can sell the property to a third party with the tenant holding a short-term lease.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


A lot of this will depend on what type of property and where you are considering renting. For example, if you are looking at the Jumeirah and Umm Sequeim areas, your landlord is going to be either Emirati or GCC. Marina, Springs, JLT - your landlord is likely to be an expat. These are the landlords Smithy is referring to. 

No disrespect and, at the same time, kudos to you for taking it so seriously, but you really are getting yourself very hung up on the renting thing. I understand your doubts and it's good that you know all the ins and outs so to speak, but you are coming to live in a foreign country and you just have to take a deep breath and get on with it. This is the system and it is what it is. Everyone who comes here and rents their own accommodation goes through this and, one way or another, survives. At least you are coming out now when landlords are having to negotiate. A few years ago, everyone was having to gazump everyone else just to get ANYWHERE to live. Now, there's a surplus of accommodation, giving you a wide range of locations and rents. 

Unfortunately, benchmarking here against the UK just isn't worth the energy. You have an exciting new life to look forward to. New experiences, new people. How many people in cold, grey old Blighty can say that?


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

R_Smithy said:


> Hi Oz, I wouldnt look it from the maintenance angle. If the landlord defaults on the mortgage, property is repossed and you have paid in 1 cheque your money gone. You have to look at how much cheaper the rent is by paying in 1 cheque and work out if the saving you are making is worth the risk. Personally I wouldnt pay for a years rent in 1 cheque. There's so many properties in Dubai you could probably negotiate with a different landlord for similar property and pay in 4 cheques and get nearly the same deal. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck.


This isnt the case. If the property is repossessed then the law allows the tenant to see out the term of their lease. Also it is such a drawn out process that the tenant would very likely have finished their term before the repossession took place


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

BedouGirl said:


> Unfortunately, benchmarking here against the UK just isn't worth the energy. You have an exciting new life to look forward to. New experiences, new people. How many people in cold, grey old Blighty can say that?


Best advice one can receive!


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## Hayato (Apr 24, 2012)

I would agree to try and avoid it, there is a lot of vacancy still in Dubai, so negotiating should not be an issue. it will also depend on the job you are taking, keep in mind that if the job does not work out, you money is lost.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Hayato said:


> I would agree to try and avoid it, there is a lot of vacancy still in Dubai, so negotiating should not be an issue. it will also depend on the job you are taking, *keep in mind that if the job does not work out, you money is lost*.


Not sure if that holds any more. The rental agreements I have entered into in the last 3 years have all had a break clause with 1 month/2 month penalty. So you get back all the money but with a penalty as negotiated. As I understand it, this is the norm for a lot of agreements nowadays.

Also, I personally am seeing a lot of rent inflation in the last one year in the more established areas. True that there are lots of unoccupied properties, but then most people do not want to live in the middle of the desert. so, as an example, the rents in Downtown are increasing, while there is lots of property in Business Bay.


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## R_Smithy (Jun 13, 2010)

It just doesnt make any sense to pay your rent in 1 cheque unless you are getting a good discount or you after a specialized property were the supply is low/demand is high. Another poster mentioned repossessions are a drawn out process, why risk it. When it goes pear shape in dubai no ones your friend.


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