I have been staying in this building in Salmiya for 6 years. One year after moving into this new building, the rent was increased by KD 15 to KD 255. Now all of a sudden, the harris gave us a generic letter signed by the building owner that states that since our 5 year contract is expiring, therefore the new rent would be KD 300 and in case that is not agreeable then we should vacate the flat.
There is no rationale for the rent increase as ideally it should be aligned to the market norms for similar buildings. We told the harris and the owner that such a sharp increase is unjustified but we were advised to take it or leave it.

Name withheld
Answer: The landlord has the right , according to the rental law, to increase the rent as much as 100 per cent five years after the first contract but all is not lost and there still is something you can do about it.
While the law is on the side of the landlord, if you feel that the increase is abnormal, not according to the market conditions or unjustified, you can take the case to the Rental Court located in Hawalli, opposite the Qadsiya Stadium. The court will ask an inspector look into your claim and also the market conditions, specially the rent around your area.
If the court feels the increase is justified it will back the landlord but if it thinks the increase is abnormal, it can order the landlord to keep the same or even suggest a rent which would be satisfactory for both the parties.
So if you still feel the increase is unjustified, file a case in court but please remember to deposit your rent with the court by the 20th of each month.

Rent problem

We have been staying in a flat in Khaitan from 2011 and are paying a monthly rent of KD 150 + KD 5 to the harris.
Our contract states that it will be renewed automatically every year. Now this month, the harris has told us that the rent will increase by KD 20, so that it will be KD 175.
My query is can the rent be increased within a period of 2 years? What is the next step? Can the landlord ask us to vacate in case we don’t pay the new rent i.e. KD 175?

Name withheld
Answer: Yes, the landlord can ask you to vacate the premises but the law would not be on his side as he can only increase the rent after 5 years and not before that, unless there is a mutual agreement with the tenants because of the market conditions or the Rents Court allows him to do so if the case goes to court.
Now, if he orders you to vacate the apartment, you can file a case in court but please see that until there is a verdict you deposit the rent in court by the 20th of each month.
The court will act as an adjudicator and detail an expert to check the market conditions and base its verdict on his report. If it feels that the rent increase is unjustified it will order the current one to be retained but on the other hand if it sees that the rent increase is in line with market conditions, it could back the increase.
In some cases, it just goes by the contract and orders the landlord not to increase the rent before the completion of five years.