Many tenants as well as real estate agents want the existing rent law to be extended for another period. About 50 percent of the respondents in an online survey conducted by Al Sharq daily have expressed this view. Thirty-six percent didn’t want an extension of the law while 14 percent didn’t express any opinion. Interestingly, several real estate agents supported extension of the law, saying it had provided some stability to the market and reduced the number of disputes between tenants and landlords. The rent arbitration committee set up by the law has been instrumental in this, they said. They expressed the fear that ending the law could lead to a sudden surge in rent-related disputes. Hassan Al Nama, a real estate agent, said Qatar needed to extend the law for another three years until the market became stable. The cap on rent increase set by the law was acceptable, he added. Ashgar Hassan Al Fadli, another agent, said those who did not want extension of the law were the landlords. They wanted to bring back the situation that existed before the introduction of the law, he said. “In the past, they were able to dictate the terms and manipulate the prices. The law has curtailed such practices and controlled the market. An extension of the law would further stabilise the market,” he said. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=September2009&file=Local_News2009091322458.xml

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