Doha

A Doha Criminal Court has reviewed a case of a house owner who cut the water and electricity supplies to force the tenant to vacate the place, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported.

The house owner wanted to break his obligations with the tenant who had signed a 13-year rent contract. The two parties agreed earlier that the tenant would build more rooms inside the house and stay for 13 years without paying rent as compensation for the construction cost he incurred.

However, after the passage of some time, the owner tried to force the tenant out. Due to the high cost of building extra five rooms in the house, the tenant insisted on enforcing the contract.

Yet, the owner kept trying by sending different persons to the tenant claiming that they have rented the place from the owner and he had to leave the place. Such threats and action did not sway the tenant from his determination on maintaining the contract.

Ultimately, the tenant changed the water and electricity connections to his name as a precautionary measure but the owner took some workers with him and cut the lines to the house. Subsequently, the tenant submitted a complaint at the police station, which referred the issue to the Public Prosecution.

The owner wrongly claimed that the signature on the contract was forged.The man was then referred to the Criminal Court by the prosecution accused of violating the law regarding the disconnection of water and electricity supplies, which is exclusively the area of Qatar General Water and Electricity Corporation.

Article number 2 of law number 29 for 2008 regarding the supplies of water and electricity penalises such act of the owner with a maximum prison term of three months and a maximum fine of QR10,000 or either. The tenant also demanded a civil compensation of QR1mn for the damages he sustained due to the actions of the house owner.