November 20, 2008, DUBAI - Families and singles sharing apartments will not come under the ‘no sharing policy’ set by Dubai Municipality. The announcement was made by a senior municipality official. This has come as a relief to hundreds of low-income people who were evicted from shared villas. However, Omar Abdul Rahman, head of the Buildings Inspection Section in Dubai Municipality, stressed that partitioning of flats was illegal. “We are saying that not more than one family may live in a villa. This doesn’t apply to apartments, as long as residents go through the proper processes. For example partitioning of rooms is illegal and violates building regulations,” reported Khaleej Times.

The announcement will increase demand for apartments said Vincent Easton, head of sales at Sherwoods, a real estate company. “I think it will push up the price of renting a three-bedroom apartment,” he said. “It could even lead many to think of buying properties. Because those looking for shared occupancy will move from villas to apartments, it will push up prices of apartments.”