# Couple of quick rental questions



## nat_c (Mar 7, 2010)

I have been here for 2 weeks now and have 1 week left of company paid accommodation. I have finally found a place I want to rent and have agreed a price with the landlord.

My company is being very slow with the residency visa and the agent has said that as long as I get a letter from my employer saying it is in process this is OK.

My questions are;

1. When I go to the DEWA site it says I must have a copy of my residency visa - will the letter from my employer be acceptable for them also?

2. Whilst I don't have my residency visa yet I do have a UAE bank account as I will be working for a bak so they processed it for me but I don't as yet have a cheque book. The agency want cheques for the deposit the agency fees and the post dated cheques. Is there any way around this? I have ordered a cheque boko and waiting for it to be delivered but don't want to lose out on the apartment because of something so small as we have literally spent the last 2 weeks looking for the perfect one every night after work and all day on weekends!!!

3. This may sound like a stupid question but does the security deposit actually get banked?? I had always thought it would be somenoe at work said it only gets banked if the landlord feels you have done something wrong in the property?

Thanks in advance for the help!


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

nat_c said:


> I have been here for 2 weeks now and have 1 week left of company paid accommodation. I have finally found a place I want to rent and have agreed a price with the landlord.
> 
> My company is being very slow with the residency visa and the agent has said that as long as I get a letter from my employer saying it is in process this is OK.
> 
> ...


Welcome Nat ....

The whole thing, everything, evolves around your Residence Visa ... until you have that nothing can move forwards ... No bank account therefore no cheques, no DEWA etc etc. You must have a local bank account and they will not accept anything else to my knowledge ... until then at least as far as I am aware, everything will be on hold.

Re the security deposit ... reverse the situation, wouldn't you bank it even if just to get the interest off it? ... The security deposit is not a post dated cheque nor is the agents fee ... so they will be banked and therefore need to be honored on the date of the cheque.


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

Fatenhappy said:


> Welcome Nat ....
> 
> The whole thing, everything, evolves around your Residence Visa ... until you have that nothing can move forwards ... No bank account therefore no cheques, no DEWA etc etc. You must have a local bank account and they will not accept anything else to my knowledge ... until then at least as far as I am aware, everything will be on hold.
> 
> Re the security deposit ... reverse the situation, wouldn't you bank it even if just to get the interest off it? ... The security deposit is not a post dated cheque nor is the agents fee ... so they will be banked and therefore need to be honored on the date of the cheque.


Re; security cheque.
This is a deal you can make with the owner.
Mine is not banked and being held by the owner as security.


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

stewart said:


> Re; security cheque.
> This is a deal you can make with the owner.
> Mine is not banked and being held by the owner as security.


Absolutely agree Stew ... The main point I was making there was purely that funds will need to be honored from that date forward if the cheque is either banked or held.

Unfortunately I did not have any option as my agent did not give us any latitude in this regard ! ....


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

Fatenhappy said:


> Absolutely agree Stew ... The main point I was making there was purely that funds will need to be honored from that date forward if the cheque is either banked or held.
> 
> Unfortunately I did not have any option as my agent did not give us any latitude in this regard ! ....


Yes mate I realise that.
Just throwing my two bobs worth in.
Funds definately must be available you are spot on


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## nat_c (Mar 7, 2010)

I've been on to the bank this morning and my cheque book was ready to be delivered on Thursday but the courier returned it as the bank hadn't put my mobile number on. 

I said to them OK I'll give you my mobile number update the system and send the cheque book, oh we can't do that you have to go to your branch or use internet banking. I can't access internet banking as I have no ATM card as this had the same problem getting delivered grrrr

So I am going to go to the Mall today and get them to update my details and send the cheque book which should get here by Wednesday and the cheque side of thing should be sorted.

However, the agent wants the security deposit today just to show we are serious, and then doesn't need the rental cheques until later in the week when we get the keys which should be no problem. Do you think he would accept a sterling cheque in the mean time until I get the cheque book later in the week and then change it for an AED cheque?

The agent told me that DEWA will accept a letter from employer stating it is in progress so really hope he is telling the truth although not too sure about this one!!!

I read so much about things being frustrating over here and now completely experiencing it, breathe and count to 10.....


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

DEWA will accept a letter from your sponsor (i.e.your employer) stating that your visa is in process. Likewise it is accepted by the real estate agent to prepare the Tenancy Agreement. Insist on the tenancy agreement before handing over a deposit.

Whether the security deposit is held or cashed is up to the landlord.


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

A sterling cheque is no use to anyone. You will have to pay cash deposit but make sure you get a receipt. Personally i would insisit on seeing the agent's rera brokers card if giving him cash


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

As others have pointed out, you can get DEWA connected without a residence permit. My agent actually made me laugh last year because she submitted a copy of a visitor's visa for one of her clients and DEWA still connected all services, albeit in this case, the client was also the owner of the apartment.

Most landlords will cash the cheque. Cheques are only valid for 6 months, hence they have to cash it if they are to hold any sort of security against damages that you may cause during the tenancy period.

You can obtain a Manager's cheque as opposed to a personal cheque if you need to hand over cheques asap. However, the bank will charge you for the priviledge. 

Glad to hear you found a place that you like. I am also apartment hunting at the moment and hating every minute of it. Can't wait until the whole apartment hunting is done and dusted and I'm settled in a new apartment.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

Last year, I got an apartment using a visit visa and a letter from my company saying that my residency visa was under process
Got my DEWA connection activated (online) based on my visit visa copy and the same letter
Paid my landlord the first instalment in cash as well as the security deposit in cash (I have rented two apartments and the landlord has cashed the security deposit cheque - I guess depends on the landlord, but mostly they do encash the deposit cheque)
For the other 3 cheques, I did not have a Dubai chequebook. So I gave the landlord Indian cheques, with the amount converted, and also a letter stating that I will provide the AED cheques by such and such date else they can cancel the contract and keep the deposit (turns out I couldn't give the landlord the Dirham cheques in time but still he did not kick me out). Again, depends on the individual landlord. 
But it makes life much simpler if you have a UAE chequebook (which hopefully you will have soon). But the logic in using the Indian chequebook was that a cheque is a cheque, and a bounced cheque does make it a criminal offence whether or not it is a local cheque in Dirhams


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