According to a new municipal mandate, registration and renewal of family tenancy contracts require more than a copy of the applying tenant’s passport: passport and visa copies of both spouses and their children should accompany a duly attested marriage certificate.

Fahad Al Suhail, Director of Consumer Protection, Sharjah Municipality, confirmed that the new procedure was to ensure that the housing units in residential areas were leased only to families. He added that guaranteeing the safety and stability of residents was a top priority of the civic body. “The marriage certificate,” he told Khaleej Times, “is required only when the wife is not under her husband’s sponsorship.”

Earlier, the only document required was a passport photocopy of the person in whose name the tenancy was being registered. Suhail said the municipality had been making great efforts to ensure that bachelors and labourers do not live in residential areas with other families.

Earlier this month, it had also set up a committee to prevent bachelors from living in residential and commercial areas dedicated to families. “You can say you are staying with your family here, but we should have proof for that,” said an official in the Tenancy Contract Attestation Section of the municipality. “How do we know if you are renting it out to bachelors? That is why we have started asking for marriage certificate and passport and visa copies of wife and children. If the accommodation is under the wife’s name, we ask for husband’s documents.” He said the new rule had come into effect about a fortnight back. However, the municipality is yet to announce it in the media. Also, these documents are yet to be listed in the “procedures and documents required for tenancy contract ratification” printed in the tenancy contract book. Some residents said this caused them inconvenience when they recently approached the civic body for tenancy contract attestation without carrying the newly required documents. “I have been living in Sharjah for eight years,” said an Indian national. “I wasn’t aware of this new rule. When I went for renewing my contract on Wednesday, I was told the new rule was written in the Arabic notice I found over there. Had I been aware of it earlier, I would not have had to go back home again for collecting copies of those documents.”

Another resident living in Al Nahda said his landlord had informed him about the new rule and he could renew the contract without any hassle as he had already carried the newly required documents. Unaffordable rents have forced many middle and low income families living in Sharjah to share accommodation. Sharjah government has already taken measures to avoid overcrowding in residential apartments.