UAE: 5-day crackdown on illegal partitions, unlicensed rooms for rent conducted in Abu Dhabi

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Abu Dhabi authorities recently carried out a five-day crackdown on illegal constructions in the residential neighbourhoods of Abu Dhabi Island.

Led by the Abu Dhabi City Municipality, the campaign targeted landlords and tenants who violated rules on construction residential spaces. Partitions, housing units, and external constructions must always be done with appropriate licences and permits, the authority stressed in a statement.

Overcrowding in residential areas is a serious violation punishable by fines of up to Dh1 million. As per Law No. 8 of 2019, a residential unit is deemed overcrowded when occupied in a manner that is out of proportion to its area and facilities provided.

During the latest field inspection, municipal inspectors checked residences and building signs to ensure compliance with rules.

Random constructions of housing units were targeted. These refer to a group of small rooms for rent that are not licensed by the municipality.

Such units and practices, the authorities stressed, affect the emirate in several ways — from contributing to unjustified population growth and distorting the emirate's surroundings to putting public health and safety at risk

To address the issue and keep communities safe, heightened field inspections are being carried out, the municipality said,

The goal of monitoring such violations is to address the phenomenon of random construction, which is defined as the construction of a group of small rooms that are not licensed by the municipality, and are exploited as housing that violates the law for the purpose of profit. It also violates security and safety procedures, prevailing customs, and public taste, and conflicts with the principles of public morals. To provide a clean, sustainable living environment free of distortions and uncivilized practices.