KUWAIT CITY, April 11: The Court of Appeals has instructed a Kuwaiti real estate owner to pay KD 5,500 compensation to a Kuwaiti family for deliberately cutting electricity and water from the apartment they were renting in a building in Al-Riq’ee.
Attorney Abdul Aziz Al- Banwan, lawyer for the Kuwaiti family, demanded KD10,000 compensation for the damages they suffered due to the disconnection of electricity and water from the apartment. Case files indicate the family rented an apartment in a building owned by the defendant in Riq’ee for KD 250 a month but they were surprised when the latter cut power and water supply without legal justification. The owner also refused to abide by the judicial ruling to restore electricity and water supply.
The real estate owner allegedly disconnected power and water supply to force the family to vacate the apartment although their rent contract is still valid. The owner’s action left the family with no option but to vacate the apartment after enduring the hot weather while the children got sick. Previously, the Court of First Instance obliged the owner to pay KD 2,800 compensation to the family, but Al-Banwan filed an appeal demanding for more. The Appeals Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the defendant to pay KD 5,500 compensation.
I hope this is a lesson for all building owners and maybe now people won't be afraid to sue when they are taken advantage of.
I hope that they didn't win just because they are Kuwaiti. I hope more tenants get compensated. I'm kind of concerned that my landlord is going to do the same thing to me, since I now have a lawyer and their eviction notice is illegal. I could possibly rent a noisy generator and have it parked in my yard... rent AC units.... while subsequently filing a case....
ReplyDeleteWell, my mom and her husband are too nice. They've been living in the same apt located in a Kuwaiti house for 12 years now. The guy decided to build 2 and a half more floors on top of them saying it would take 4 months. Well, 6 months later they have no a/c, no phone line, no wireless they've paid in advance for and today the sewer water backed up leaving 4 inches of water in their apartment. Brand new furniture, surround sound and electronics are in the water. They called the owner yesterday because they had a small flood, he told them he had called someone. Liar, so today he was like oh well I tried to call.
ReplyDeleteMy mom had to bring some guys to clean up at their own expense. I would have raised hell when the cable and a/c went off.
OMG. I would be down at the police station filing cases.... same day.
ReplyDeleteIf I am going to be a renter (I think I am) I willc harge my tenents low rates but expect them to cover damages if they made them (not like, me not fixing leaks etc or power going out). However, I will cut off electricity and water if they don't pay rent for more than two months without a valid reason, and tell the electricity company to cut power if they don't pay that bill after three months, without a valid reason. In Oman I saw all my landloards who were almost all decent, get screwed by other renters in my buildings. But I guess I'll put that in the contract so people know;)
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