Robbing Landlords
We got a letter a while ago telling us that rents were increasing by 16000 QAR to 17,000 a month. That's just too much to afford, so we started looking around for somewhere else and told the landlord we wouldn't be staying for another year.
Initially, he said that we'd have to stay until the end of the lease, but now he's found someone who's willing to pay 20,000 a month for our villa. He wants us out at the end of the month and if we don't move out he's going to take our deposit (16,000). Here's the best bit - he wants us to pay an extra two weeks at the end of our lease. That is, he wants us to pay for two extra weeks after we move out, and when someone else has moved in.
We feel sick. We had to move to get a cheaper deal, but the landlord has us over a barrel. Either we give him an extra 8000 and move out early, or he takes 16,000 if we stay until the end of the lease.
We're not going to name the compound because we don't want to suffer more penalties.
I agree with CYman...dont leave for all the reasons above! This act gets my vote!
Very Cruel Landlord !
Do you mind to inform me the name of Landlord ? (even maybe a lot of people have the same name).
I assume the Landlord has a few property..
So I will keep in mind the names and avoid these cruel Landlord if possible :).
Regina
Please post the full text.........it should help people put things into perspective.
There is one major problem here, wasta. It really depends if the landlord in question is connected or not.
But I tend to agree with what the majority have said. He's just a bully. Qatar better step up and start protecting tenants. Qatar is setting the stage for other countries in the Middle East. Has anyone notice the rents rise in Bahrain and and even Oman lately? Looks like there is no end to greed.
Someone up here said "They are souless". I couldn't agree more.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Gandhi
No, I live near the Center in Al Muntazah.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
people who worked hard at school, sacrificed social time with there friends to get an education and earn a bigger salary have earned that salary.
Do you live in a compound near Shoprite?
As Per the law, the contract gets renewed automatically till the person stays. You dont need to vacate as long as you pay the 10% extra. I will post the full text of the law later.
Or
You can stay out the time your deposit covers and then leave. I have never heard anyone forfieting there deposit like this. he is just bullying you. Dont accept that.
Its not just the fact
that rent has been put up, as arriattu stated in an earlier post, this is under the 10% stipulated, BUT they have either to give him an extra 8000 and move out early, or the landlord takes their 16,000 deposit if they stay until the end of the lease!!!!!!!!! Outrageous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Somebody else shit is Somebody is treasures. Somebody else pain is somebody else happiness.
For this issue, better you hire a lawyer and go to court. Justice need to be served.
The landlord here are mostly inhuman. They deserve to be snap on their face 100x.
Wed, 04/07/2007 - 8:11am — hamlet QLrs and the outer space
I don't want to sound evil or mean....but am I supposed to sympathize with someone who is paying a rent that is bigger than my whole salary? :)))))
No offenses guys, but sometimes I feel that the people in QL are living in the outer space......
Wow! I'm sorry but i'm incensed by this remark! The poor man is about to lose his home and you have no sympathy cos of this reason?!! I think you are living in outer space because some people actually earn alot of money cos they studied hard and therefore are paid accordingly and if the rent is more than your salary thats just life!Deal with it! By the way its more than my salary too!
They are right. One of my neigbors (an English guy) was in exactly the same position. His contract was at an end and the landlord tried to put the rent up by a huge amount or told him to get out in 2 weeks. My neighbor contacted a lawyer and took advice. He pays his original rental amount directly to the court and is staying in the apartment. The landlord (also my landlord) is very angry but there is nothing he can do about it. I will do the same thing if he tries the same thing with me.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
...he was gulf arab: Same situation either pay extra or loose your deposit. He cancelled the last dated cheque at the bank! Than he took all of the stuff out. The villa was fully furnished. He sold all the stuff and took the money and occupied the villa till the end of the contract. Landlord wnated to get him out of the villa by forcing him on short notice with the police. They found an empty villa. So the landlord wanted to sue him because of burglary. at the court, the landlord couldn't bring the evidence that the villa was fully furnished. Fortunatelty for my freind it was not stated in the contract clearly enough. So the landlord lost. He wanted to cash the cheque, but that was refused by the bank since my friend cancelled it. So, my friend kept his deposit, stayed in the villa and had some extra money from the furniture.
Justice is sometime a question of definition! Just to show you that screwing works the other way too!
But keep in mind, my friend is a gulf arab with wasta here!
I totally agree with you, I don't understand these people, how can they expect people to remain here with all the inflation, boredom, greedy land lords and endless restrictions on work and travel....offffffffffffffffffffffffffff
Ngourlay, try to have at least a preliminary chat with a lawyer, just to get a feel of what options you have. I agree with Eve, you probably would be surprised to find out what right tenants have. I think landlords here take full advantage of the fact the great majority of people won't do anything about this sort of things and play with us.
This rent situation sounds like a nightmare...more than London, Toronto, or New York. Yet, this is Doha...the middle of the desert with nothing to do except make money. Are we really making money? The company have to start increasing the rental allowance or their skilled workforce will look elsewhere (Oman, etc.)
I don't want to sound evil or mean....but am I supposed to sympathize with someone who is paying a rent that is bigger than my whole salary? :)))))
No offenses guys, but sometimes I feel that the people in QL are living in the outer space......
But some of these greedy people are really starting to annoy me. Its a shame you are not leaving the country you could trash the place.
I would be tempted to stay the extra month, if he is gonna charge you for it why not. Then trash the place anyway.
I can understand people wanting to put rents up I used to be a landlord and I had to do it, but I was fair about it, always gave people their deposits back and let me think... treated people like human beings. Rather than animals.
It wouldn't be so bad but the guy who owns the place is probably loaded anyway, its the Greed here that bugs me, not the people just the greed.
Its OK to be rich, I do OK here, but the greed, why ?. How many cars do you need to own, how many pairs of Gucci sunglasses do you and your wife need. How many handbags can she carry, how big a watch can you possibly wear.
My Fiancee summed it up though, she said "they are souless"
Good luck trying to sort it out. As a poster above says if the government doesn't step in to sort this sort of thing out then Qatar will get a reputation and be unable to attract anyone to the country.
Apparently if you go to the courts and claim you have a dispute with your Landlord and pay the courts what the Landlord is due like one months rent. The Landlord can't do anything when you have a contract. It takes a year to get someone out of a house who doesn't pay I am sure even longer when you are a paying resident. I think too many people are too afraid and so the Landlords are winning. Why don't a bunch of you in this problem group and go to a lawyer and get his opinion. I think you would be surprised what rights you have. Its a shame they have so many people on the run, its really time the govt. steps into this mess or they will lose their entire workforce.
As per the Emiri Decree the landlord can increase the rent by 10%. In your case the rent increase is from 16K to 17K which is less than the stipulated rise. There is no workaround for this.
He cannot evict you as long as you pay the extra 10% either to him or the court.
As for the deposit and extra two weeks you should use your judgement. i wouldnt pay a single Riyal which is unjustified. I would ask him to go to court for that. I doubt any landlord is willing to go to court for such small claims. He is just bullying you.
The rent scenario is a real nigtmare now. I dread when my contract comes up for renewal.
All the Best!
there some sorta council or government body where u can complain about such money hungry parasites?
Maybe they can help - they won't want you too distressed and if you are paying 15k per month you must be working for a reasonable company.
SeArChEr....
i think you should go as per contract.... infact you should be the one getting some Key money(for moving out...)
As i understand, you have a contract for qr.16,000.... i suggest stay till the end of the lease. Get some Moving in time with the next landlord (as know many that would agree to that...) and not stay a day longer than ur lease...
How is he holding your deposit? does he have a undated cheque or he has cashed the deposit?
Sometimes if you have some neutral party talk to the landlord it helps... as i mentioned in some other post... ppl like to bluff here, just to get lucky sometimes...
I am not asking you to go at war with him... yet dont just give up.
Basically there is nothing you can do to these blood-sucking landlord/agent. Best is to shift out soonest & move on with your life. There is no justice here, forget about lawyer.
I was so angry that I was ready for hiring a lawyer, but Sara talked me out of it. We need to save money, and the best option is pay the 8000.
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http://qatarjournal.com/~ngourlay/journal/
Given the recent experiences described here on QL of other tenants in an apartment block who were forcibly evicted by the police at short notice, I don't think that trying to stay in the villa for an extra month would be either feasible or wise.
I can imagine that a similar fate might befall ngourlay and his wife if they tried to sit tight.
Stay an extra month and don't pay him. Let him keep the deposit. He is in a hurry to give it to the next tenant so he will have to compromise. If you make him feel he is the strong party he will act like the one.
May the roof above us never fall in, and may the friends below never fall out!