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.

Regarding if you should DIY manage or hire a PMC:Many new investors read a couple of posts and then think self-managing their rental property, and avoiding PMC charges, is an easy way to boost their ROI.The reality, is that many of these investors really haven’t taken the time to properly understand what it takes to properly manage a rental property and the corresponding tenants.Here’s a list of some of the requirements to properly manage a rental property:Knowledge of all local municipality, state and federal landlord requirementsIntimate knowledge of all Fair Housing statutesUnderstand all federal privacy laws, as they’ll be handling social security numbers and IDsProper business insurance in the event their computer is hacked and or they improperly dispose of tenant data.Where to advertise their rental, other than ZillowWriting ads compliant with Fair Housing statutesCreating a process to accept calls/texts and schedule prospects to show their rentalA rental application and application fees that meet all local and state requirementsKnowing how to screen applicants to avoid professional tenants and the growing amount of fraudulent dataA lease compliant with all local, state & federal lawsUnderstanding local and state requirements regarding security deposit collection and holdingRent acceptance options for tenants and accounting system to track, including late fees, etc.Plans to handle nonpayment of rent issuesKnowledge of their local eviction laws or access to an attorney familiar with evictionsHow to accept, track and respond to tenant maintenance issuesBuilding a list of handymen and contractors for maintenance and turns between tenantsExpertise at evaluating tenant damages to charge against security deposit when tenants move outResearching local utility requirements to avoid suspension of services that could lead to frozen pipes or flooded basements, etc.

(We don't want government officials coming after us and it being on our burden to prove why we're exempt.) 

Usually, only through the intervention of government in the form of low-income property improvement grants and rental subsidies can marginal properties in marginal areas be made profitable.

HUD, Fair housing, State Government, Local city councils, it's overwhelming. 

I certainly would.Furthermore, in this particular situation, is the seller aware of the AFR, which is an acceptable federal rate? 

I’m being subject to what I believe to be discriminatory practices by a local government by whom has increased my tax basis by 50% and my usage of that tax basis by 20% with no evidence as to why which contradicts my inspections and appraisals and would result in a mortgage worth of taxes on a property that has been in my family for 18 years.  

Also, do you use government programs?

You may also be acquiring leases that you don't want to be stuck in.Generally if you acquire LLC units, you will be able to at least get a federal basis step up in the underlying assets.Also generally when you acquire LLC units, most states still trigger real estate transfer taxes. 

It's never guaranteed that the local government will approve anything done on the property.