The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City called on all property owners and individuals to show proofs of registering their property details in Tawtheeq Tenancy Contracts Registration System when applying for the services of the Department of Economic Development (DED), Department of Transport (DoT), and Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC). This requirement will be mandatory for all new contracts made as of 1 March 2012, and the exception will be for contracts concluded before that date.

According to the Municipality, exceptional cases will be exempted, until further notice, from the implementation of the Tawtheeq Project Activation Procedures for tenancy and investment contracts related to industrial areas such as the (Musaffah Industrial Area, workers accommodation cities of the Higher Corporation for Specialized Economic Zones), free zones of Abu Dhabi city ports and airports, and properties of their Highnesses the Sheikhs, which are run by their Private Departments in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The project activation procedures will also take into account properties owned by local government bodies & institutions, federal ministries, government educational institutions, and all properties at Al Ain city & the Western Region, in full coordination with the relevant municipalities, per respective city and district, together with statements issued by the Rent Dispute Settlement Committee which testifies the institution of tenancy legal proceedings or the deposit or rental allowance in the treasury.

The Municipality's call on property owners and individuals to demonstrate their commitment towards registering their properties in Tawtheeq System stems from its keen attention to safeguard the rights of tenants & landlords and provide a data base supporting Property Management Companies, and Property Owners & Tenants in a way protecting the rights of both parties. It is also concerned with the provision of accurate statistics and detailed data about the real estate market in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi along with necessary tools and cutting-edge technologies for Property Management Companies as well a Property Owners to help them regulate and manage their own properties, which will also contribute to developing and organizing the real estate market.

It's noteworthy that "Tawtheeq" system was launched by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City early last year in implementation of the Executive Council Decision No. (4/2011) as regards the rules and procedures pertinent to the registration of tenancy contracts in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The System aims at creating a coherent and effective data system integrated with all government agencies, regulating & supervising the tenancy contracts documentation process in Abu Dhabi city, preserving the rights of landlords and tenants, enacting the laws regulating real estate registration, and establishing a uniform mechanism for tenancy contracts registration by property management companies.

Tawtheeq System also aims at creating a standardized database for all (residential, commercial and industrial) units, compiling various kinds of accurate statistics, standardizing all tenancy contracts templates & conditions, listing building offenses, reducing disputes arising between landlords and tenants, curtailing fraud and deception (Fictitious Contracts), and effectively eliminating subcontracts.

The new system is marked by accurate data & statistics. It offers tenants handy search & find of suitable properties, ensures credible rates & specifications, and provides them with all information, data and specifications of residential units. As for property owners, the System reduces the audit cost, streamlines data access in an orderly manner, avails them the best marketing prospects of their properties, and introduces them to the best property management companies.

The launch of the new System was triggered by the urbanization boom witnessed by the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the lack of a specialist entity concerned with the registration of tenancy contracts, the need for the issuance of associated statistics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the growing number of disputes arising between landlords and tenants due to the lack of official contracts documents.