How to rent my property in dubai | Buying and Selling

1.   I want to buy a property - what is the first thing that I should do?

2.   Do I need to be a resident before I can buy a property?

3.   Are there any additional costs to buying a property over your listed prices?

4.   I want to know more about governmental laws about for buying and selling. Where should I go and who should I contact?

5.   Do I need an offshore company to purchase my place in Dubai?

6.   Do I need to insure my property in Dubai?

7.   Are there any kinds of taxes in Dubai related to real estate?

8.   Can I purchase a property as a foreigner in my name?

9.   What are the documents required for buying a property?

10.   What is the agency fee, SPF charges for its services to help with the buying or renting process?

11.   How long will the purchase process take?

12.   Do I need to register my newly purchased property with the government? If so are there any taxed involved

13.   Would there be an extra fee for registering the property with the government?

14.   Can I transfer mortgage from one financier to another?

15.   What are some key issues for me to consider when reviewing a contract to purchase property?

16.   Can SPF help me with acquiring mortgage for buying my property?

17.   Can SPF help me with a commercial investment property

18.   What if no properties are displayed in my search results? Does that mean SPF has no selection of properties in that area

19.   I listed my home with SPF when will I see it online?

20.   Are commission Amounts negotiable?

21.   Whats the best way to learn more about a community I want to live in?

22.   What the best way to find out about the average price for an area I want to live in

23.   Can I lease an apartment in UAE as a foreigner without a residency permit?

24.   As a foreigner, would I obtain a residency visa if I lease an apartment or a villa?

25.   As a foreigner, would I be granted a resident visa if I purchased a property in Dubai?

26.   What is the minimum duration a property can be leased for?

27.   What is the longest period a property can be leased for?

2 8.   What are the documents required to lease out a property in my name?

29.   Do properties for rent usually come furnished or with electric appliances?

30.   What are the payment terms for leasing out a property?

31.   What happens in the event of breaking a lease agreement?

32.   Would the rent be fixed for a couple of years or can it be increased?

33.   Is the tenant allowed to alter the structure of the property?

34.   If there is an emergency with the property I have rented, who do I contact?

35.   Can leased properties be purchased?

36.   Can SPF manage my property in terms of rentals?

37.   Can SPF help me with currency exchange services, if I am getting funds from outside the UAE?

38.   What things do I need to consider for preparing my house for sale or for lease?

39.   How should I set the selling price of my house

4 0.   How should I set the lease price of my house

41.   When will I actually meet the prospective buyers or tenants

42.   What benefits do I get if I exclusively list my property with you

43.   Will I as the owner be charged anything for any newspaper advertising you would do for my property

44.   I think I can get a higher price for my home than the offer I accepted. Can I back out of the deal?

45.   Can someone refuse to rent to me if I have children or if I am a bachelor?

46.   Can some refuse to rent to me If I have pets

47.   Can my landlord refuse to renew my lease even though I've been a good tenant?

48.   Can my landlord give me a notice of termination without a reason?

49. How to rent a properties in Dubai?

1.    I want to buy a property - what is the first thing that I should do?
A.    Contact SPF Realty to advise you on the steps necessary to take before starting on your house hunting

2.   Do I need to be a resident before I can buy a property?
A.   No, it is not necessary to have a resident visa in order to purchase property in the U.A.E. There are certain requirements by immigration in U.A.E in order to apply for a resident visa when purchasing which can be answered by SPF Realty or a legal consultant.

3.   Are there any additional costs to buying a property over your listed prices?
A.   Yes there are additional costs such as land department transfer costs, No objection certificate costs from the developer, commissions to your property consultant, title deed costs and a few more miscellaneous charges which may differ form one developer to another which can be best answered by your consultant at SPF Realty.

4.   I want to know more about governmental laws about for buying and selling. Where should I go and who should I contact?
A.   Other than contacting SPF Realty you may contact a lawyer whereby we can suggest a few as well as the Land department specifically RERA( Real Estate Regulatory Authority)

5.   Do I need an offshore company to purchase my place in Dubai?
A.   No you do not need an offshore company to buy property here and there are changes when coming to purchasing properties with an offshore company which you should seek advice and info regarding this form of purchasing

6.   Do I need to insure my property in Dubai?
A.   There is nothing mandatory about insurance but it is always recommended that you do so as if you are purchasing with a mortgage than the bank will ask for insurance policy.

7.   Are there any kinds of taxes in Dubai related to real estate?
A.   There are not any direct taxes of buying a property in Dubai other than a housing/occupancy fee which gets charged from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and Maintenance fees from the Developer

8.   Can I purchase a property as a foreigner in my name?
A.   Yes you can purchase a property in your name.

9.   What are the documents required for buying a property?
A.   Passport copy as ID, Proof of funds

10.   What is the agency fee, SPF charges for its services to help with the buying or renting process?
A.   Charges for Buying a property are 2% of selling price while renting it is 5% of rental amount.

11.   How long will the purchase process take?
A.   Purchase process will vary depending on whether it is a cash purchase or a mortgage purchase as timing can vary from one week to over four to five weeks minimum.

12.   Do I need to register my newly purchased property with the government? If so are there any taxed involved
A.   Yes you need to register all property with the government land department whereby you will wither pay a transfer fee for a resale property and receive a new title deed or if you already own and wish to register you will pay a fee to register the property to receive a title deed.

13.   Would there be an extra fee for registering the property with the government?
A.   If the property is not registered with the government than you will pay a registration charge to receive a title deed of ownership

14.   Can I transfer mortgage from one financier to another?
A.   Transferring a mortgage form one to another will depend on the institutions rules and qualifications.

15.   What are some key issues for me to consider when reviewing a contract to purchase property?
A.   Always ask for an opinion on any contract you are looking to review or sign by your consultant or a lawyer if you wish

16.   Can SPF help me with acquiring mortgage for buying my property?
A.   Yes SPF Realty with is vast referral network can assist you to obtain a mortgage based on the institutions qualification process

17.   Can SPF help me with a commercial investment property
A.   Yes SPF can help you with commercial investments as we are a full brokerage and our position as a broker allows us to assist our clients in Buying, Selling and Leasing of all properties

18.   What if no properties are displayed in my search results? Does that mean SPF has no selection of properties in that area
A.   No that does not mean that, as we continue to get properties daily form all areas in the market for sale and lease and if we do not have it we can source it form our different avenues( partners, colleagues, clients having multiple properties who may not wish to market at this time, etc)

19.   I listed my home with SPF when will I see it online?
A.   If all the papers are signed an damages of property have been taken than property will be fed into our database and it will be online within 1 to 2 hours of loading into our system.

20.   Are commission Amounts negotiable?
A.   Everything is negotiable but SPF Realty has a commission policy of 2% for sales and 5% for a lease

21.   Whats the best way to learn more about a community I want to live in?
A.   Besides asking your consultant for information you can check online

22.   What the best way to find out about the average price for an area I want to live in
A.   Land department continues to put together statistics as do banks and evaluation companies, but your consultant who is working on your behalf can assist by giving you a market value assessment of the values in different areas

23.   Can I lease an apartment in UAE as a foreigner without a residency permit?
A.   You cannot lease an apartment in the U.A.E legally without a resident permit, but as a visiting person you may rent a short term apartment

24.   As a foreigner, would I obtain a residency visa if I lease an apartment or a villa?
A.   No

25.   As a foreigner, would I be granted a resident visa if I purchased a property in Dubai?
A.   Purchasing an apartment is not a guarantee that you will get a resident permit. The resident permit is a process that you have to undertake with the immigration authorities after showing them proof of property ownership and there are certain requirements that you and the property must meet in order to apply for the residency permit.

26.   What is the minimum duration a property can be leased for?
A.   There is no minimum, but there are rules set by the owners association of communities that may forbid short term leasing which you must check with those regulations first.

27.   What is the longest period a property can be leased for?
A.   There is no length of time but under the main rules of a tenancy in the U.A.E there must be a start and end date and a renewal is possible with mutual agreement which is why a contract is generally put in place for one year with renewal option.

28.   What are the documents required to lease out a property in my name?
A.   Require passport copy and visa copy, Employment letter if asked for, etc

29.   Do properties for rent usually come furnished or with electric appliances?
A.   No it is up to the landlord how he is renting out premises.

30.   What are the payment terms for leasing out a property?
A.   Payment terms will vary from one landlord to another form one cheque to multiple cheque payments for the year, plus security deposit

31.   What happens in the event of breaking a lease agreement?
A.   Breaking a lease again is dependent on what’s in the lease when it was signed to allow for this option. It is up to landlord if they will refund the rent or allow the tenant to break the lease without any penalty in doing so. Notice must b given generally 60 to 90 days in order to break lease.

32.   Would the rent be fixed for a couple of years or can it be increased?
A.   Rents are adjusted according to the rental index which is calculated based on rents in the area you live in and you can get details from the Dubai Land department on calculation of the rental adjustments

33.   Is the tenant allowed to alter the structure of the property?
A.   Tenants are not allowed to alter any structure without any approval form the Landlord and if still wanting to so any alterations, Landlord consent must be taken and agreed upon.

34.   If there is an emergency with the property I have rented, who do I contact?
A.   You must contact the landlord or a the property management company whom you leased the property from is they are authorized to act on behalf of the landlord

35.   Can leased properties be purchased?
A.   Leased properties can be purchased.

36.   Can SPF manage my property in terms of rentals?
A.   SPF is not a management company but we do the lease adminsitrationfor properties for our clients.

37.   Can SPF help me with currency exchange services, if I am getting funds from outside the UAE?
A.   Yes we can assist you for these services as there are many exchange houses in U.A.E that we are acquainted with that assist us for our clients.

38.   What things do I need to consider for preparing my house for sale or for lease?
A.   You should make sure you have all documents first and foremost, then look at the property if it is ready to be shown to prospective clients( does it need a pint job, any repairs required, landscaping etc..)

39.   How should I set the selling price of my house
A.   Setting the selling price is always up to you as the Seller, but as your consultant we can advise you on what the current market situation is and on the comparables to assist you to make an educated decision on what should be a correct saleable range for your property.

40.   How should I set the lease price of my house
A.   Again by using our consultants to assist you on the market situation and values currently in the area.

41.   When will I actually meet the prospective buyers or tenants
A.   It will happen once the Buyer signs a offer to purchase generally committing to the property then meeting you to decide on going forward with the prospective purchaser or not.

42.   What benefits do I get if I exclusively list my property with you
A.   We as a brokerage will always work in the best interests of our customers who sign exclusivity with us becoming clients whereby our fiduciary duties are to you first and foremost allowing us to market your property effectively and efficiently.

43.   Will I as the owner be charged anything for any newspaper advertising you would do for my property
A.   Any excess marketing that we would do such as Virtual tours will be an add on service that we charge for other than our first rate marketing plan which is inclusive in our main services which you will receive anyway.

44.   I think I can get a higher price for my home than the offer I accepted. Can I back out of the deal?
A.   Once you and the purchaser sign a deal it is a legal and binding contract with a penalty for backing out of it opening the door to legal consequences, however it is your right to back out of a contract and follow the contract details you have signed to absolve yourself of any possible legal issues

45.   Can someone refuse to rent to me if I have children or if I am a bachelor?
A.   In U.A.E it is known to occur that the landlord may place restrictions on who he wants renting his/her premises

46.   Can some refuse to rent to me If I have pets
A.   Yes

47.   Can my landlord refuse to renew my lease even though I've been a good tenant?
A.    Yes a landlord can refuse to renew a tenancy agreement, but there are rules on notices required to be given if landlord wishes to not renew a tenancy and it can be dealt with at the landlord and tenancy office.

48.   Can my landlord give me a notice of termination without a reason?
A.   A landlord can do anything but that does not make it right. There is a code of conduct and rules that must be followed according to the landlord and tenant act and if it is not justified then Landlord cannot ask for a termination with a reason.

49. How to rent properties in Dubai?
A. With Dubai's rising skyline, there are multiple options, developments and communities available on lease for residential and commercial purposes. The choice is based on a range of factors from location and prices to facilities and infrastructure. It is imperative to know about the rules, rights and responsibilities of tenants, landlords and rental agreements in the Emirate. Most importantly, consulting a registered broker is a must.In addition to payment of rent, tenants must pay housing fees to Dubai Municipality which is calculated at 5% of the yearly rental charges. Freehold property owners pay 5% of the value of the accommodation as per the RERA rental index for their location. For convenience and ease of payment, the housing fees are added to the monthly DEWA bills. In case, your landlord/broker has not registered the lease agreement, this can be done online through RERA's online portal called Ejari. In case your annual rent has come down, you will need to register an updated tenancy contract with Dubai Municipality. You can either visit their offices, or do it online (register as new user to create login and password). For any disputes between landlord or tenant, you will need to refer to Dubai Municipality's Rent Committee.