أسئلة وأجوبة
Who should pay district cooling charges: landlord or tenant?
My landlord has requested the A/C company to bill the district charges to me. I have lived in the apartment for the past 2 years. Last week I received a bill with backdated charges since October 2016.
My contract states I am responsible for water and electricity and does not mention A/C. I have paid for the usage of all the utility bills since moving in there.
Who is responsible for the district cooling charges, and if it is the landlord, how can I stop the A/C company from billing me?
The AC supply in certain areas will be sourced from a district cooling plant. There are 3 possibilities to this issue of district cooling plant charges/ AC charges viz:
1) some tenants are required to pay for their AC/cooling charges separately, besides the normal DEWA bills;
2) some places do include AC in the rent; and
3) others have their AC tied in with their electricity bill.
Whatever the case maybe it has to be clearly mentioned. New tenants must check with the landlord about this cost before signing a tenancy agreement.
If you are obliged to pay the same then the AC should be in your name (by doing the following - paying a refundable deposit of around 2,000 AED and submitting the following documents: passport and the original sales and purchase agreement or tenancy contract) and you should receive monthly AC bills based on your consumption.
The way it looks your landlord has conveniently dumped it on you without transferring the AC in your name. Please file a complaint in Dubai Rent Disputes Settlement Centre at the Dubai Land Department supporting your claim under the following grounds viz:
1) it should be clearly mentioned in the contract;
2) it cannot be backdated;
3) the AC is not in your name.
