In most legal systems, there are clearly protections for tenants if landlords sell their properties. Exactly because of the catch-22 you describe. There's no way in my home state in the US that someone could sell his property and leave no safety net in place for the tenants' repairs, garbage or security without expecting to have his *ss hauled into court. Conceivably, both the old and the new tenant would have some liability in this situation. Contracts can say anything, but generally, a lease is likely to have certain governmental protections so that it would not be considered "unconscionable." Thus, a contract with a provision that a lease is void if an owner chooses or sells the property with no notice or protection would not be able to enforced in most places, because it would be considered "unconscionable."
Of course, it obviously doesn't take a law professor (and my specialities have nothing to do with real estate or contract law in any case) to realize this. The point is that it is completely wrong to give tenants no notice of a change in their status or no services suddenly as the ex-owner of our compound has done.
I am sorry to hear others have had similar experiences. I was curious about this. Has anyone heard of general strategies for fighting the problem? Would calling the Qatari radio show "Watani Habib," for example, be useful? It seems as both of these owners need to have attention called to them.
Honestly, I'm lucky. A new home in a new compound has already been found for my family and me (the only problem is that it's so new, we're going to be pioneers in a place where the clubhouse, play area etc are not quite ready and the paint is still drying). But I feel very bad for the other tenants in my compound. These are very nice people, mostly Arab expats; they should not be in a situation where they have no idea who, if anyone, is providing for their emergencies, general repairs, sanitation and security.
Hence my post. Like some of the posts on bad drivers, I wanted to make something of a stink about this because, even if I get out to a new home later this week, I don't want my fellow tenants in this compound to be left in an unsafe cesspool.
In most legal systems, there are clearly protections for tenants if landlords sell their properties. Exactly because of the catch-22 you describe. There's no way in my home state in the US that someone could sell his property and leave no safety net in place for the tenants' repairs, garbage or security without expecting to have his *ss hauled into court. Conceivably, both the old and the new tenant would have some liability in this situation. Contracts can say anything, but generally, a lease is likely to have certain governmental protections so that it would not be considered "unconscionable." Thus, a contract with a provision that a lease is void if an owner chooses or sells the property with no notice or protection would not be able to enforced in most places, because it would be considered "unconscionable."
Of course, it obviously doesn't take a law professor (and my specialities have nothing to do with real estate or contract law in any case) to realize this. The point is that it is completely wrong to give tenants no notice of a change in their status or no services suddenly as the ex-owner of our compound has done.
I am sorry to hear others have had similar experiences. I was curious about this. Has anyone heard of general strategies for fighting the problem? Would calling the Qatari radio show "Watani Habib," for example, be useful? It seems as both of these owners need to have attention called to them.
Honestly, I'm lucky. A new home in a new compound has already been found for my family and me (the only problem is that it's so new, we're going to be pioneers in a place where the clubhouse, play area etc are not quite ready and the paint is still drying). But I feel very bad for the other tenants in my compound. These are very nice people, mostly Arab expats; they should not be in a situation where they have no idea who, if anyone, is providing for their emergencies, general repairs, sanitation and security.
Hence my post. Like some of the posts on bad drivers, I wanted to make something of a stink about this because, even if I get out to a new home later this week, I don't want my fellow tenants in this compound to be left in an unsafe cesspool.