UAE Real Estate Laws and Regulations

The UAE experienced a tremendous building boom up till 2008 when the financial crisis hit. During that period, foreigners wanting to invest in the UAE were plenty. Today, post financial crisis as the market here is recovering, that appetite to buy new property and lease better property is once again on the rise.

UAE and GCC nationals can own property in the UAE. As a foreigner in the UAE, owning and / or leasing property needs to comply with laws and regulations that change from time to time. That said, in Dubai and the UAE, property law is young and is still taking shape.

In the UAE, each Emirate has developed its own laws. For example, to the best of my knowledge, in Fujairah, foreigners cannot buy property. However in Dubai, foreign ownership of freehold real property is permitted. There are “free-zones” within each Emirate designated for specific use. Each zone is a tax-free jurisdiction and has its own rules and regulations. A company established in a free zone can be 100 per cent owned by foreign nationals and may own freehold interests in real property within that zone.

Choosing the right real-estate agent is crucial to getting the right information, price and ultimate deal. A bit of your own research on what is out there, and what you are willing to spend over how long would also be beneficial.

You don’t have to be in Dubai to buy the property; it is possible for you to give Power of Attorney to a person to handle all the aspects of the purchase on their behalf but it is advisable that they check all the documentation and ensure that everything is clear before signing the deal.

Legalities regarding freehold ownership by non-UAE nationals and non-GCC nationals are ambiguous, as are the practices and procedures for issuing residence visas to expatriate buyers and their families. Some local banks offer mortgage finance to expatriates wanting to buy property in the UAE. It seems that finance can be arranged through overseas banks if you have assets overseas.

It’s in the UAE’s interest to allow buyers to own property and therefore there I have read about two new real estate laws that will improve protection for buyers, investors and landlords – and they are as follows: A buyer can request the courts to cancel a contract if the developer ‘significantly changes’ the agreed specifications, or refuses to deliver the unit without a good reason. Buyers can also seek legal action if developers do not bind payments to approved construction based milestones or the unit is proved unstable due to major structural defects.

The regulations also stop developers from selling off plan units before taking possession, which includes actual control of the land. Leasing accommodation is most common in the UAE. Contracts normally last a year during which the landlords are not permitted to increase the rent, until its time for renewal.

Landlords of leased apartments are normally required to handle the annual maintenance of their property and they are not permitted to evict a tenant without just cause within the tenancy contract time period. All-in-all, the UAE is a great place to live and buy property. However, careful research into laws and regulations in a timely manner is a must.

Marketing, Promoting and Advertising Your Home Based Business

One thing that goes without saying in today’s business world, is that regardless of the nature of your home based business, a website is an absolute MUST. Whether you have a product or service to sell, whether local or global, your business will go nowhere fast if you don’t have an online presence. If you need internet marketing help, you’ve landed on the right article. I’ll give you some home based business marketing ideas that will help you promote your business successfully.The first step is choosing a domain name and getting it registered. You can build your own website (if you have the time) and host it yourself or you can have everything done by another company (if you have the money). Either way, you have many options and tools at your disposal that can align with your business plan and budget. Also note that you can still start your own home based business even if you don’t have a product or service to sell. There are thousands of individuals and companies that have products you can sell for them while earning a commission, called affiliate marketing.Of the many business marketing strategies known to man, internet marketing is, hands down, the best strategy to use for promoting a home based business as it is the cheapest method and has the potential for reaching millions of people all over the globe. Driving traffic to your site through online resources is like killing two birds with one stone. You can tackle print advertising by writing articles and publishing them to directories and ezines and by submitting ads to the many available (and most of them free) classified ad sites. Online media advertising encompasses writing press releases and distributing them to press release sites. One of the biggest and most popular online advertising trends today is via social media advertising through sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn where you build relationships with your customers. Forums and communities are also great ways to build relationships which helps promote your home based business in the long run. Simply Google your market or industry with the word ‘forum’ or ‘community’ behind it and search for one or two that seem to be the best fit for you.All of these methods of online advertising contribute to search engine optimization (SEO), which is to say improving your online visibility and escalating in the search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Your goal is to claim the #1 spot in the organic search results (the results on the left, not the right side which are paid ads). This is where your traffic will come from. If you are 800 in the list of search results, no one is ever going to see your site because very few people have the time or patience to scroll through 800 search results. Research shows that people typically won’t even scroll past 4 or 5 search results, let alone 800.Can you grasp the importance of internet marketing for any business? If you are new to the internet marketing phenomenon and don’t know exactly where to start, there are many great programs or systems online that walk you through every aspect of marketing your online business. A lot of these systems were created by online entrepreneurs who have spent thousands of their own dollars trying to figure it all out over the years and finally DID. Their sacrifices have made it easier for newbies to become successful at their own online home based business. If you are new to running your own home based business, I recommend you find a great system (do your research, read reviews, ask questions in forums) and start marketing your home business from there. Don’t waste the time and money that so many of us have in going it alone, without a proven system, as it will just set you back further and hinder your progress.If you are truly interested in starting your own home based business, I invite you to visit homebusinessmarketingprosonline.com and see how a comprehensive, step-by-step system can help you succeed before wasting hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars and hours of time on the multitude of systems offered online, most with promises of making you rich in no time.

Property Managers Keep Landlords and Tenants Happy

Property managers serve as a cushion between renters and the property owners. They are responsible for managing both commercial and residential rental property and their main duty is to find and evaluate renters, repair rental property, collect rents, and handle evictions. Other duties of property managers include advertising properties, setting rent rates and the collection of rent, payment of taxes, and liaising between insurance agencies and contractors.

If you own rental property you will want to get the best return from your investment, and thus it would be a wise move to use the services of a property manager, however, you will need to do your homework. Finding the best property manager that suits you and your rental property needs to be approached carefully, and before you make a decision you will have to weigh-up several factors.

To ensure that you get someone who will adequately serve your needs, here are some qualities to look for:

Effective maintenance to protect your property

As a landlord you always need take a close look at how a preferred property management company maintenance plan operates and ensure that they are proven and effective with a trustworthy, reliable and cost-effective maintenance crew.

To ensure that both tenants and landlords are happy, effective and speedy maintenance or repairs are imperative in order to keep the tenants satisfied and to protect the owner’s property.

Good Communication

This is a skill that everyone in business needs and property managers need to excel at as they are dealing with many different people on a daily basis. They have to be able to identify any issues and be able to quickly provide updates to landlords concerning tenants and other related details.

Knowledge of market rates and financial accountability

Your preferred property manager should be up to date with current market trends and rental rates so that when they are making valuations and setting rentals they can bring the best possible return on investment to the rental property owner.

They need to be able to provide reliable and accurate account information on payments and leases.

When hiring a property manager you will enter into a legal contract and pay a fee for their services. This is usually absorbed by the rental fee and each company will have their own policy, but generally it is a percentage of the gross monthly rent.

All records of rent and other financial transactions must be meticulous and readily available to property owners on request. Most property management companies have automated software that is updated daily ensuring that their records are always current.

When looking for someone to manage your property it is a good idea to have a look at some of the reviews and testimonials from other tenants and landlords.

Look at their legal expertise as often there will be issues arising between the tenant and landlord that cannot be resolved among themselves. Your manager should be able to resolve minor issues, but more difficult cases will have to be taken to a disputes hearing and you will want to be able to get legal advice from your property manager.

In summary, before you decide on the best people to take care of your investment you will want to compare the services of each company. If they have a large portfolio of tenants and landlords that is a good sign that they are experienced.

Some of the very basic requirements to ensure your investment is in good hands would be:

Do they offer 24-hour customer services for urgent repairs?
Do they have adequate knowledge of the current rental market
Are they operating a fully automated computer system for reporting and recording information?
Are regular property inspections carried out and the owners notified of any problems?
When you find the best property management company with appropriate resources, you can be confident that your asset is in safe hands knowing they will adhere to the regulations and guidelines set down for rental properties.