Abu Dhabi: A municipal campaign to curb illegal accommodation in the capital has resulted in 797 warnings and cases referred to court over the last three months.

The campaign, which began in June and is being undertaken by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, has mainly targeted congested living arrangements for male workers and bachelors.

According to a statement sent by the municipality on Monday, 230 warnings have also been issued to companies that house their employees in congested quarters located outside worker accommodation facilities.

Nearly 90 per cent of congested residential areas have been inspected by officials as part of the initiative dubbed ‘No to Squatter Settlements’. Violations are referred to public prosecutors for legal action.

The number of unlawful and unsafe living practices that have been detected during the first phase of this campaign is twice the number detected in a similar initiative last year, the statement added.

The campaign is now in its second phase, and inspectors are following up on the implementation of regulations, and the adherence of violators to judicial rulings issued against their offences. At the same time, periodic inspections are being launched to monitor commercial buildings and residential villas, and officials are working to ensure that quarters which have been evacuated are not reoccupied in an unlawful manner.

Occupancy law

Living practices in the emirate of Abu Dhabi are regulated in accordance with the stipulations of Law No 1 of 2011, concerning the occupancy of residential units. In a building that has been designated for company-provided bachelor accommodation, the number of occupants in a room cannot exceed three. Halls and corridors in these units cannot be used for sleeping, and it is also illegal to divide or erect partitions in any leased property without prior consent from the municipality.

In residential apartments and villas, each unit can only be occupied by one family.

In addition, properties for which whole or partial demolition permits have been issued cannot be occupied or rented.

Landlords, tenants or worker accommodation providers who are found to be violating the law receive fines ranging from Dh10,000 to Dh100,000. Second-time offenders are given fines between Dh100,000 and Dh200,000. At the same time, the court may also order that unlawful elements in living quarters be removed at the expense of the violator.

Despite these regulations, however, many families continue to share apartments in the capital, citing high rents as a reason.

Workers have also pointed out that bachelor accommodations allocated for them are far from the city, and do not include provisions for cooking.

“We get prepared meals every day, but I wish I could cook for myself and my roommates. I also feel as if much of our freedom is curtailed,” said one worker from the subcontinent.