Tenant seeking advice

[Novak Inklu]

I am a tenant, not a landlord. I am asking for the approach a landlord would want me to take in my situation. I hope this post is not against any forum rules.

I split my time between my home city and where I work overseas. I have an apartment overseas that I rent.   The apartment would most likely be classified as a condominium in the US; individual owners and renters of single family homes/units in a multi-story, multi-unit building, with security, facilities, and common areas.

To the point: My landlord has informed me he is raising the rent by 8.5% upon contract renewal in October, but read on.

Dubai has government regulations concerning rental increases. I rent an apartment in an area that forbids apartments from asking above a certain amount for rent this year. This amount is below what I pay now; however, this rule does not apply to "hotel apartments," which is my apartment classification. My apartment is identical to non-hotel-apartments in the same building, but was classified as a hotel apartment upon purchase by the owner. Due to this, my rent could legally be raised, or at least is in a gray-enough area that I wouldn't want to raise the legality as an issue.

I am considering leaving my apartment and landlord at the end of my lease, and moving to an identical non-hotel apartment in the same building. My rent would be approximately 30% cheaper in the new place, before the increase. As a landlord, how would you want me to approach you about this?

The building is not even close to 100% occupied, so apartments are easily found and rented. I like my landlord just fine and there are zero issues on either side concerning payments, repairs, upkeep/cleaning, or anything else. I stayed in my last apartment for 8 years before moving to the current apartment, and had zero issues with that landlord. I feel I am a good tenant; I always pay on time with "post dated checks" already in his possession. This is typical for Dubai. I care for the property almost like it were my own.

In all honesty, this rental increase in a depressed area makes me wary that future increases will be more unreasonable and more extreme, and I should "get while the gettin's good."

[Theresa Harris]

You don't owe the landlord anything beyond the current lease.  Read the lease to find out how much notice you need to give that you are moving out at the end of the lease and give them written notice (ie send a letter or email and ask them to confirm they have received it).  Use the time to find a less expensive place to move to.