Doha, Qatar: A new guideline to clarify rights and duties of landlords and tenants will be issued soon, said a top official.

“In this guide, we explain the legal rights and duties entailed by rental contracts, in addition to the financial rights and duties of the beneficiaries,” said Rosa Al Shammari, Head of the Office of the Rental Dispute Resolution Committees Headquarters at the Ministry of Municipality.

Speaking to Qatar TV recently, she said that the guide will simplify further the procedures and cover all clients of the office.

Al Shammari said that lease contracts of residential buildings and commercial facilities are on the same pattern as per the provisions of the Decision No. 1 of 2020.

To a question about the mechanism for receiving complaints related to rental disputes, she said: “We set up a new unit in coordination with Unified Call Centre and Customers Services Centre at the Ministry of Municipality to receive the complaints and inquiries from people.”

She said that the complaints are being dealt with complete confidentiality until the problem is solved.

Speaking about the digital transformation, Al Shammari said the system of Office of the Rental Dispute Resolution Committees was switched from paper to electronic which eased the process significantly.

“The applicants can submit their rental dispute cases online. The session for solving the dispute is held after one week from the date of opening the file,” she added.

Al Shammari said that as per the legal time framework, the first session should be within 14 days from the date of submitting the application and the final decision should come within 21 days from the date of the first session.

She said that citizens and expatriates can approach to Office of the Rental Dispute Resolution Committees not only for rental dispute settlements but for any inquiries.

The office consists of five committees that decide on all rental applications submitted to it. It focuses on expeditious adjudication of pending applications, with the majority of cases being resolved within two weeks.

It is making collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Municipality and the Supreme Judicial Council to enhance electronic connectivity with the rental dispute resolution committees, thereby streamlining electronic processes.

The office is transferring the amounts of money to the beneficiaries through bank transfers, simplifying the receipt of owed amounts without the need for in-person visits to the office.

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