# Help with Renting issue!



## boroboy (Mar 19, 2013)

Hi All,

I am new to Dubai and I have rented an apartment: my contract started _yesterday_ and I paid my rent in 1 cheque. However I still do not have the DEWA form from the landlord and I wont pay the agent the commission until I receive it, however the agent will not give me the keys until I pay the commission.

But my furniture is getting delivered today and I am kicked out of my serviced apartment tomorrow. I dont really know what to do. Am I legally entitled to the keys to the property? Can I bill the landlord for a hotel stay until the DEWA is turned on because it doesnt look like it will be turned on by the time I move in.

The landlord is out of the country at the moment but I paid a 1 month deposit for this place 3 weeks ago so I blame the agent for not being more organised. 

Any advice is welcome!


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

The agent is 100% at fault here - he should have had all the relevant documentation from the Landlord for you to be able to proceed with everything. 

Threaten that you will go and report him to RERA if he does not sort this asap.


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## boroboy (Mar 19, 2013)

thanks, I will look into RERA more. Is the agent legally allowed to withhold the keys even though I have paid my rent in full to the landlord?


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## Eddie R (Sep 23, 2013)

It's surprising there is anyone actually in Dubai given the amount of landlords that are "out of the country"

Agree with Chocoholic, tell him he gets his commission last when everything is finished and that you are on your way now to RERA to file a case.


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

boroboy said:


> thanks, I will look into RERA more. Is the agent legally allowed to withhold the keys even though I have paid my rent in full to the landlord?


No - I wouldn't think so. If the LL has cashed your cheque and the contract has started you are entitled to the keys - end of. The agent hasn't done his job, you tell him he doesn't get his commission until it's all sorted!

Some of these guys are right cowboys - don't be afraid to go and make a complaint or get RERA to call him.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

make sure he also provides you with copies of the landlord's passport if he has not already done so as i think DEWA needs that as well.

i also do not remember getting a DEWA "form". we simply provided a copy of the tenancy agreement and copies of all passports. am i missing something?


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## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

You need copies of the LL's passport, the title deeds and the tenancy agreement. I had a DEWA form from my LL - because it was a new apartment, the LL has to open the initial DEWA account, then you transfer it inot yours as the tenant - I know exactly which form this is.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

The form is downloadable or you can pick one up from the local DEWA office. Normally, the agent helps you to arrange the DEWA connection. One thing to bear in mind. Make sure that the last DEWA bill has been cleared. This is really important, otherwise you may find you end up with the outstanding on your account. You will need the meter number. If you are moving into an apartment, the building security can show you where your meter is. If you are in a villa, the electricity and water meters are either in the external wall or within the grounds of the house.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

in an apartment the DEWA number is usually on a little plaque in the doorjamb.

chico is right regarding the necessary paperwork although we did not fill out any form, we just took our papers to the nearest office. there was an outstanding 60 dirhams from previous tenant so we weren't going to sweat it, we just paid it and got on with the hook up. the agent didn't actually do anything for us in terms of DEWA other than to provide the tenancy agreement, title deed copy and passport copy of landlord.

so if the OP has these, he should be able to go straight to DEWA yes?


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

OP doesn't need anyone if he/she has all the tenancy/property documents and the meter number. Plus copy of their ppt and visa and possibly Emirates ID and security deposit/connection fee. Another piece of 'advice' - make sure your signature matches the one on the tenancy AND your passport. We had no end of issues with a staff member whose signatures didn't match when we were transferring their DEWA account. Also, if the property is owned by more than one person, you need a copy of ALL the owners.


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## Abdul_B (Aug 18, 2011)

It's very easy to do! Make sure he assists you with Ejari too!


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## domink (Jun 4, 2008)

If all you want done is dewa activation, you don't need any details from the landlord
All you need is the lease agreement, copies of your passport and visa and the dewa premises number, which should be on the door

You can then fill in the activation form online and upload the docs, dewa will get activated within 24 hours

https://e-services.dewa.gov.ae/activation/activationrequest.aspx

All of the other landlord details are required for ejari not for dewa activation


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

domink said:


> If all you want done is dewa activation, you don't need any details from the landlord All you need is the lease agreement, copies of your passport and visa and the dewa premises number, which should be on the door You can then fill in the activation form online and upload the docs, dewa will get activated within 24 hours https://e-services.dewa.gov.ae/activation/activationrequest.aspx All of the other landlord details are required for ejari not for dewa activation


Not correct if your landlord is not Emirati and for leasehold properties. On occasion, we have even been requested to produce a copy of a UAE National's passport when opening a DEWA account.


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## domink (Jun 4, 2008)

BedouGirl said:


> Not correct if your landlord is not Emirati and for leasehold properties. On occasion, we have even been requested to produce a copy of a UAE National's passport when opening a DEWA account.


Perhaps you've had that experience, all I can point to is the link to the online form which his very clear about requirements, I've used it twice in the last year, non emirati landlord on both occasions and had dewa activated in a few hours. As I said no details from landlord required, there's no place to even enter them into the form


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

domink said:


> Perhaps you've had that experience, all I can point to is the link to the online form which his very clear about requirements, I've used it twice in the last year, non emirati landlord on both occasions and had dewa activated in a few hours. As I said no details from landlord required, there's no place to even enter them into the form


Good to know. This is part of what I do for a living (I'm not an agent by the way !) - as a company, we cannot apply on-line as we do not pay the deposits by CC. Hopefully, this is a good work-around for people.


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## johnnorris (Jul 22, 2013)

boroboy said:


> Hi All, I am new to Dubai and I have rented an apartment: my contract started _yesterday_ and I paid my rent in 1 cheque. However I still do not have the DEWA form from the landlord and I wont pay the agent the commission until I receive it, however the agent will not give me the keys until I pay the commission. But my furniture is getting delivered today and I am kicked out of my serviced apartment tomorrow. I dont really know what to do. Am I legally entitled to the keys to the property? Can I bill the landlord for a hotel stay until the DEWA is turned on because it doesnt look like it will be turned on by the time I move in. The landlord is out of the country at the moment but I paid a 1 month deposit for this place 3 weeks ago so I blame the agent for not being more organised. Any advice is welcome!



As long as you have the contract and the dewa account number you should be able to set up the account yourself by visiting any dewa officem. What does the property broker say.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

johnnorris said:


> As long as you have the contract and the dewa account number you should be able to set up the account yourself by visiting any dewa officem. What does the property broker say.


Hopefully his power is on by now as he posted on 3rd October. You seem to be replying to a lot of old posts. Are you trying to rack up numbers or something?


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## johnnorris (Jul 22, 2013)

BedouGirl said:


> Hopefully his power is on by now as he posted on 3rd October. You seem to be replying to a lot of old posts. Are you trying to rack up numbers or something?


Something


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