Apartment rents rising quickly - Gulf News

Landlords, tempted by the possibility of making more money more quickly, are increasing the rental prices of their property by percentages that were at one time unheard of.

Worse, there are some tenants who are being made to pay increases only six months apart, as the property changes hands from one speculator to another.

And yet such practices are entirely legal so government rent control committees have no ability to interfere. Thus tenants are left with either paying 30 per cent to 50 per cent increases (and sometimes more) or finding alternative affordable accommodation.

The editorial does not say whether these are Sharjah committees or Dubai committees or both. In Sharjah rent cannot change more frequently than every 3 years. By the sounds of it, there's a loophole if the property changes hands.

It's one of the laws of economics: if there's a crack in the pot, water will find its way out. Not that a uncracked pot is good when it comes to rent control.