Dubai, United Arab Emirates April 28, 2020: the real estate expert Walid Al Zarooni, demanded the concerned real estate authorities in the UAE, to compel landlords and property owners to include cost of sterilization in service charges, maintenance and hygiene in support of national efforts to maintain the health and safety of the community under the circumstances resulting from the current outbreak of emerging Corona virus (Covid -19) around the world.
Al Zarooni, CEO of the W Capital Real Estate Company, said that the current stage requires the solidarity and cooperation with the country and all its institutions and organizations in tackling the Corona virus. This requires landlords and property owners to harness all their capacities to maintain the highest levels of public health and safety measures for their commitment to the country in these exceptional and difficult circumstances.
Al Zarooni explained that sterilization is considered a matter of comprehensive cleanliness of the property, and many owners include maintenance and service fees when calculating the rental value of their real estate. Therefore, all matters related to hygiene, including sterilization, should be considered under the “mandatory” item even after the Corona virus is eliminated. So, the real estate management company has to do this, and if it is not mandatory then at least it must be ethical in these current circumstances.
He pointed out the importance of sterilizing common areas in all residential buildings; reception areas, swimming pools, gyms, parking lots, contact points and elevators throughout the day. He stressed on the obligation of all real estate owners to provide effective periodic disinfection and sterilization programs in all building facilities using approved chemicals and following precautionary procedures in order to maintain safety of the residents.
Walid Al Zarooni noted that the owners’ increased focus on hygiene matters, including periodic sterilization in addition to maintenance at this time, will have a positive impact on both; the owner and the property in the medium and long terms.
Al Zarooni praised the official efforts recently undertaken by Dubai Land Department, especially with the launch of a new community initiative called “Together”, in cooperation with a number of real estate management companies with joint ownership in the emirate, which aims to provide multiple forms of support to tenants and landlords by providing free sterilization within residential units and complexes.
