Sharjah Municipality Issues Landlords With Ownership Cards

The Sharjah Municipality has started issuing identity cards for landlords and real estate agents in order to speed up the process of renewing tenancy contracts. The identity cards were unveiled last Sunday and landlords are required to register for the document as soon as possible, as this enhances the coordination between them and Sharjah Municipality. The municipality will not accept any requests regarding tenancy contracts if the landlord does not have these identity cards," said Fahad Al Shuhail, Director of Consumer Protection Department, Sharjah Municipality. The aim of introducing the identity cards was to save time for tenants and landlords when renewing tenancy contracts, as a number of documents are needed to be attested and approved by the municipality, which include the contract and a map of the area. "The tenants will only have to provide the documents once to the municipality for attestation, and the information will then be stored electronically," said Al Shuhail.

Before the tenancy contract expires, the landlord will be notified by SMS to renew it," he added. He explained that tenants can then make their rent payments at the municipality without any of the documents, as all the information would already have been registered when the landlord registers for his identity card. The document will register all the buildings that are issued under the landlord's name, their flat numbers, and the rate of rent. Once the landlords register for their identity cards, they will be able to receive an SMS notifying them on when the tenancy contract has to be renewed, or when they have a hearing at the Rent Dispute Committee," said Al Shuhail. Landlords can apply for the ownership cards at the Consumer Protection Department at Sharjah Municipality, located in Industrial Area 5.