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Thursday, November 17, 2005

Rents Again

So here's me advising people to go to the Rent Committee if they're having landlord trouble. But I've just found out that they charge 15% of the rent as a fee! This is clearly outrageous. Obviously the fee needs to be substantial to deter frivolous complaints, but setting it at 15% means
1) They're only interested in dealing with cases where the proposed rise exceeds that amount
2) The Committee is seen as a revenue-generator for the Municipality rather than a much-needed protection for tenants

Economists agree that runaway inflation is a very bad thing. It makes the country less competitive globally. It causes hardship for individuals and companies because their earnings are not being adjusted to keep pace with inflation. Ultimately it will make the Emirates much less attractive to investors and visitors.