Rent is most probably the biggest monthly expense a person has to bear. Particularly, people who have moved into a new country live in rented places. With inflation increasing around the globe, people are always looking for ways to save money, now more than ever.
Speaking of ways to save money, renting with roommates is perhaps one of the best practices to do so. As the rent is most likely to absorb most of your earnings, you can choose to share it with other people. All the involved parties can benefit from this.
Here is an overview of how renting with roommates can benefit you and the legal obligations that come with it.
WHAT IS RENTING WITH ROOMMATES?
Renting with roommates or subletting the place means you share your place with people as tenants. The number of people renting a place could vary depending on the size of the place and the willingness of the landlord.
If it’s a small apartment or house, you can rent it with just one roommate. If the place is big enough to accommodate several people, you can rent it with them too.
ADVANTAGES OF RENTING WITH ROOMMATES
Renting with roommates has many advantages which are listed below:
SHARED RENT
The biggest cost-cutting factor of renting with roommates is shared rent. Rent, which is the biggest expense, is shared among the roommates. Rent is shared among all the roommates making it a win-win situation for all.
SHARED UTILITY BILLS
If the utilities are not covered in your rent, then having roommates can save some money on utility bills as well. Since all the roommates will use electricity, water, internet, and other services, they will share the bills as well.
EQUIPMENT BORROWING
While this isn’t something that a roommate is bound to do, you still have the option of borrowing any piece of equipment like an iron or chargers etc. If the roommate is willing to share then you can use their equipment in times of need.
COMPANIONSHIP
Loneliness can sometimes get the better of a person. This is another place where roommates can make a difference. You can have people around you to initiate conversations and share your moments with.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
Renting with roommates can also be helpful in the event of an emergency. If anyone requires medical assistance and is unable to do so on their own, one of the roommates can call for assistance. The same goes for other emergencies.
CARPOOLING
If any of the roommates have a similar route, then you can carpool with them to work. Petrol prices have increased around the globe so it can be a good way to save some money. But this also depends on if the roommate is willing to share the ride.
If this option does not work out well enough for you, you can always use public transport to save money on petrol. The public transport in Dubai can provide you with a fast and feasible commute around the city.
DISADVANTAGES OF RENTING WITH ROOMMATES
Besides all the advantages, there are some disadvantages of renting with roommates.
PRIVACY INVASION
While the roommates may have separate rooms, it can still affect your privacy living under the same roof. This can particularly be an issue if a single room is shared between roommates.
DISTRACTIONS
Renting with roommates in Dubai can also be inconvenient for you because of certain distractions. Frequent trips to a common area of the house or apartment, playing music out loud, and speaking on the phone loudly, all these things can cause distractions.
However, you can always talk to your roommates to address this issue.
LIMITED EVENTS
Since your roommates will take over the available spaces in your house, it wouldn’t be as convenient to host events or invite guests. Because of the limited space, you would only be able to accommodate a certain number of people.
Apart from these, there are some types of housemates to avoid for a better shared-living experience.
LEGAL OBLIGATIONS OF RENTING WITH ROOMMATES IN DUBAI
Article 24 of Law no 26 of 2007 in the Tenancy Regulating Legislations state that the tenant cannot allow any other party to live in the place or sublease the place without the consent of the landlord.
The article states,
“Unless otherwise agreed by the parties to the Lease Contract, the Tenant may not assign the use of or sub-lease the Real Property to third parties unless
written consent of the Landlord is obtained.”
LEGAL ACTIONS FOR SUBLETTING PROPERTY WITHOUT THE LANDLORD’S APPROVAL
If a tenant subleases a property without the approval of the landlord, they can be asked to evict the property along with all the sub-tenants, regardless of the expiry of their tenancy contract.
Article 25 of law no 33 of 2008 states,
“The Landlord may seek eviction of the Tenant from the Real Property before the expiry of the Lease Contract term in any of the following cases”
Case “b” of the same article states,
“Where the Tenant sub-lets the Real Property or any part thereof without obtaining the Landlord’s written approval. In this case, the eviction will apply to the Sub-tenant, who will have the right to claim compensation from the Tenant”
EJARI REGISTRATION SYSTEM
Ejari is a regulatory system for monitoring rental contracts between landlords and tenants. While the landlords and tenants can easily register to the system, Ejari has a different set of rules for sub-tenants.
Registration with Ejari is an important step in the process for renting with roommates in Dubai. If a tenant decides to sublet the place without the landlord’s approval, then they will have no support from the Ejari system. Hence no registration in the system.
COHABITATION IN DUBAI
Cohabitation means people of the opposite genders (not blood-related), living in the same house. Until late 2020, cohabitation was illegal in Dubai but now people of the opposite genders can legally share a roof.
This applies to all the places of accommodation including hotels, houses, and apartments for rent in Dubai.
This was your guide to renting with roommates in Dubai. Renting with roommates has its perks and to avoid any legal actions, it is best to follow the dos and don’ts of renting with roommates. You must be aware of the tenant’s and landlord’s rights to steer away from future conflicts.
You should decide if subletting is the right option for you considering all factors. If your place is too big and you don’t want to sublet it but want to save some money, you can opt for a different rental place. Check out the property for rent in Dubai and have your pick.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top property blog for more information.
