Qatar Real Estate News
RDRC permitted to settle rent disputes in Qatar
Rent disputes can henceforth be taken up with the Rental Dispute Resolving Committee (RDRC), irrespective of whether the contract was registered or not, a senior official in Qatar announced yesterday.
The announcement follows amendments in the rental regulations Law No.20 of 2009, which sees changes to few provisions of the previous Law No.4 of 2008 issued by H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani on 25th October, as it further protects the rights of tenants in Qatar.
The new rule emphasizes on two major factors: the first being that the disputes could be taken to RDRC irrespective of whether the contract is registered or not, and secondly the landlord should issue atleast six months notice of eviction from now on, the official said.
The Law No.4 is intended to regulate the market by mandating registration of rental contracts and establishing the RDRC with its own jurisdiction to take up grievances during a time of near-record inflation in the country.
The official at the RDRC Headquarters in Muntazah, said that with the declining trends in rents, there has also been a drop in number of disputes. At present only 15 new cases are being filed at RDRC each day. This is in contrast to registration of 1500 cases per month at RDRC a year ago. The nature of case varies depending on landlords seeking to increase the rent despite a two-year freeze in 2008, to non-payment claims and eviction notices.
Posted on 7/11/2009