Anyone found in violation of the terms and conditions of Law No. 8 of 2019 concerning the Regulation of Occupancy of Properties and Residential Units may be subject to a fine of up to AED1 million under the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport’s (DMT) new awareness campaign, “Your home, your responsibility”.
The move is part of the emirate’s efforts to combat crowding in residential areas, and the DMT will begin field inspections in residential areas during the first quarter of 2023. The inspections will be conducted by inspectors of the three municipalities of the emirate.
As per Law No. 8, a residential unit is termed crowded, when it has been occupied in a manner that is out of proportion to its area and facilities provided. Through the awareness campaign, which also aims to manage crowd control, DMT will ensure less the distortion of the city’s appearance, and maintain security and safety standards, as well as the general state of cleanliness within residences.
The awareness campaign was launched in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Civil Defense Authority. The campaign is aimed at protecting community members and raise their awareness on the effects of overcrowding, thus increasing the standard of living in the emirate.
The campaign urges all citizens, real estate owners, and businesses to abide by the law by limiting the number of people per residential unit and housing workers in residential areas designated for them, away from family homes.
DMT will impose fines and follow up on compliance with the implementation of the decision. However, DMT will offer discounted settlement, which allows violators to pay 75 percent of the total administrative fine. This is specified for the violation, if paid within 60 days from the settlement date. Additionally, DMT will permit infringers to make a grievance request via the TAMM platform as long as they do so within a week of the claimed violation.
