# New Rental is Uninhabitable - What Recourse Do We Have?



## NiceToqueEh (May 4, 2014)

We've just moved into a small villa in JVC and are having some pretty major issues with the shoddy wiring. We were annoyed when we found out we had to sell our perfectly good electric cooker and get a gas one, as the load is too much for the weak electrical system. We were even more annoyed when we realized that there are hardly any sockets in the place. Those things we can work with, but my husband just called me to tell me that he turned on the stereo to listen to some music (a very basic stereo system) and everything in the house shut down. When he flips the breaker switch he can hear some sort of loud explosion. This we cannot live with. If we can't run the basics like AC, appliances, lights and a stereo, then we may have to consider finding more suitable accommodation. Do we have any recourse? Can we get our (prorata) rent back and find somewhere else to live?


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## QOFE (Apr 28, 2013)

NiceToqueEh said:


> We've just moved into a small villa in JVC and are having some pretty major issues with the shoddy wiring. We were annoyed when we found out we had to sell our perfectly good electric cooker and get a gas one, as the load is too much for the weak electrical system. We were even more annoyed when we realized that there are hardly any sockets in the place. Those things we can work with, but my husband just called me to tell me that he turned on the stereo to listen to some music (a very basic stereo system) and everything in the house shut down. When he flips the breaker switch he can hear some sort of loud explosion. This we cannot live with. If we can't run the basics like AC, appliances, lights and a stereo, then we may have to consider finding more suitable accommodation. Do we have any recourse? Can we get our (prorata) rent back and find somewhere else to live?


The Jumeirah Village Circle FB page is very active so request to be added to it. Hopefully one of the residents can offer you some advise.


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## NiceToqueEh (May 4, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. I'm already a member of that group, but my question is not neighborhood specific. I'm just wondering if it's possible to leave a rental unit early and be reimbursed if the accommodation is unsuitable.


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## looper (Apr 30, 2013)

NiceToqueEh said:


> Thanks for the reply. I'm already a member of that group, but my question is not neighborhood specific. I'm just wondering if it's possible to leave a rental unit early and be reimbursed if the accommodation is unsuitable.


I think that will be a strongly arguable point - not properly working wiring sure is annoying as hell but probably not an argumentation RERA will follow without hesitation. Have you checked with the landlord? Is he maybe willing to fix this?

Regarding the missing sockets I can tell you that is is not hard at all to add sockets to the walls here...

Maybe get in touch with your landlord and get an electrician to have a look at the wiring issue. Maybe its just the weak fuse box? If that's the case your problem can be solved easily and with low cost....


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## NiceToqueEh (May 4, 2014)

Yeah, the LL is going to send an electrician. We will try to sort out the issue before we make any major decisions - I just wanted to know what options we have IF the issue can't be rectified. 

New question: a bunch of things (lightbulbs, coffee machine, possibly stereo) got fried in the power surge. The small stuff we're not too concerned about, but if it turns out our stereo is toast who pays for that? I guess we just have to wait and see whose fault it is?


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## LesFroggitts (Dec 30, 2013)

NiceToqueEh said:


> Yeah, the LL is going to send an electrician. We will try to sort out the issue before we make any major decisions - I just wanted to know what options we have IF the issue can't be rectified.
> 
> New question: a bunch of things (lightbulbs, coffee machine, possibly stereo) got fried in the power surge. The small stuff we're not too concerned about, but if it turns out our stereo is toast who pays for that? I guess we just have to wait and see whose fault it is?


Would your contents insurance not cover those damages?


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## looper (Apr 30, 2013)

and if you don't have insurance...sorry to say: tough luck!

In general buy extendable sockets which have a built in protection. They are a bit more pricey then the simple white ones but hey they save you a lot of trouble!


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## Ogri750 (Feb 14, 2008)

I have lived in 4 properties in Dubai, and none of them has a cooker circuit, so that is not a surprise. Was there not a sticker in the cooker space "no electric cookers" when you viewed it.

I have yet to find a house in the UAE with either a sufficient number of of sockets or sockets in realistic places. I don't know on what basis the consultant does the design, but it doesn't work. Adding sockets is not particularly difficult, but 2 things to bear in mind. 1. you would be responsible for any costs involved (including decorations etc.) 2. DEWA limits the amount of sockets on a circuit. If BS7671 was used (the wiring regulations), there is no real issue, but DEWA count each outlet (2 for a twin socket) as 13A, which doesn't let you have many on a 32A circuit.

Plugging the stereo in and then having a bang could be either a problem with the stereo or that socket maybe has incorrect wiring connections behind it. Sadly, electricians here are not the best. I don't know if they are available here, but you might consider buying a socket tester and checking the sockets yourself. Something like this (which is what I used when working as an electrician










As for liability on damage to goods, you will have to prove it was faulty/shoddy work that is to blame and then the landlord might have some recourse against the builder.


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## NiceToqueEh (May 4, 2014)

Thanks for the replies everyone. We got everything back up and running yesterday, and thankfully our stereo isn't fried. Because we just moved in a few days ago we hadn't sorted out contents insurance yet - lesson learned for next time! 

@Ogri750, the previous tenant's cooker was blocking the socket, so no we didn't see anything about gas cookers only. And frankly, the concept is completely foreign to me so it didn't occur to me to check. This is our second place in Dubai, and the last one was very well-equipped electricity-wise, and back home everyone has an electric cooker. Another lesson learned.

We have an electrician coming to check the system and see what caused the surge, and we will ask for a quotation for adding a couple of sockets. We're happy to pay for it if it will make our lives easier. 

I guess we just have to get used to the fact that this is Dubai, and developers (and almost everyone else) would rather cut corners and produce cheap and potentially dangerous homes than spend a few extra dirhams for quality. Sigh.


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