Dubai tower fire: Homeless tenants face hefty hotel bills

Dubai tower fire: Homeless tenants face hefty hotel bills Martin Croucher Nov 20, 2012 Save this article . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DUBAI // Hundreds made homeless by the Tamweel Tower fire have been told they will have to pay for accommodation and wait for partial reimbursement. Related ■ Cladding core holds the key to Dubai tower inferno In pictures: Dubai Tamweel Tower fire ■ Heartbreak as Dubai tower residents pick through the ashes ■ Dubai tower fire: Municipality has no authority over free zones Topic Dubai The developer Tamweel paid for residents, many of whom lost passports and bank cards in the blaze, to stay in hotels for two nights. But they were yesterday told they would have to pay for future accommodation. Tenants who lost almost all of their possessions in the fire at the 34-storey tower early on Sunday said today they had no way of paying hotel bills or rent. "I don't know where I am going to live with my children," said Ilham Laullami, a mother of two whose 24th-floor flat was destroyed. A spokesman from the Tamweel-appointed owners' association, said residents would eventually be reimbursed a portion of the accommodation through the building's insurer. But Ms Laullami said she had no credit cards to foot the Dh10,000 bill for a month's accommodation and was appealing to Tamweel. "They shouldn't treat everyone the same," she said. "Some people have had no damage but we have lost everything. They are a big company, they should look after people better." A source connected with the insurer Arab-Orient said evaluators had yet to be granted access to the building. Police and Civil Defence are in the process of preparing an investigation into the cause of the fire. A Vasuthevan, who lived on the 20th floor, said the arrangement was far from ideal. "They're saying that we can claim the money back but it's not clear when that would be," Mr Vasuthevan said. "It's not fair that they're asking us to pay up front. We're people who've lost everything in the fire but they're a massive company. They could easily cover this." Residents were informed by the owners' association on Monday evening that it would only be able to reimburse a portion of the cost of the accommodation. John Stead, whose family of six used to occupy a three-bedroom apartment on the 32nd floor, said the reimbursable fees of a three-bedroom apartment were Dh12,000, and any further cost would have to be borne by his family. "It's woefully inadequate," Mr Stead said. "There's no way we'll all be able to find a three-bedroom for that amount. The cheapest we have been able to find is Dh20,000 for the month." A spokesman for Tamweel said the owners' association was solely responsible for the residential part of the building. "Property insurance cover for Tamweel Tower is arranged by the building's owners' association," he said. "Tamweel is not the owner of the building. "In reality, the tower belongs to the owners of the units. Tamweel has ownership of the four commercial floors and retail space." The spokesman added the owners' association appointed a five-person board, including a representative from Tamweel, to oversee day-to-day running of the building. "The board had taken an all-risk insurance from Arab Orient Insurance Company and the premium payment was made from the building maintenance fee, which was paid by the owners," he said. "The total value of the insurance for alternative accommodation is Dh1,485,000 and this has been allocated to the unit owners in proportion of their unit area. Under the terms of the policy, this is on reimbursement basis. "Although provision of alternative accommodation is not legally within the purview of Tamweel, the company is supporting residents by liaising with the insurance company. "Furthermore, Tamweel has waived its rights to any claims under the alternate accommodation clause of the insurance policy in favour of other owners and residents, and has additionally offered to facilitate the processing of claims for apartment owners and tenants, although the company has no responsibility to do so." mcroucher@thenational.ae Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/dubai-tower-fire-homeless-tenants-face-hefty-hotel-bills#ixzz2CpUC66U4 Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook =================== Cladding core holds the key to Dubai tower inferno Eugene Harnan Nov 21, 2012 Save this article . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DUBAI// Changes to building regulations over the years have led to potentially flammable aluminium panels being used, although these are always subject to rigorous checks, experts say. Related ■ Dubai tower fire: Homeless tenants face hefty hotel bills ■ Dubai tower blaze inquiry to focus on building materials Topic Fire safety "The extent of a fire nowadays might be less because the rules are much more stringent than before. It does not prevent the fire from spreading out from the facade," said Barry Bell, the managing director of Wagner Fire Safety Management Consultants. Rules have been tightened and safety certifications are required for all materials, including aluminium cladding, before they can be used on any building, irrespective of it being located in a free zone. This year, Dubai Civil Defence introduced the Fire and Life Safety code, which was rolled out nationwide in the summer. Civil Defence officials in each emirate now carry out checks on residential buildings for fire hazards such as inadequate alarms systems or potentially flammable construction material that does not meet strict standards. "It's not to say we are perfect. There are recent changes in codes and standards. There is an immediate response to every event that happens with immediate improvement," Mr Bell said. It is believed 70 per cent of the buildings in the UAE have some form of facade cladding that has a combustible thermo-plastic core between two sheets of aluminium. "If a fire spreads into the cavity of a facade, there's potential for materials, for moisture or thermal insulation [to catch fire], it does have a tendency to become molten and drops downwards. If it starts at the top it's very easy to spread down the cavity," Mr Bell said. Tamweel Tower's cladding burned downwards in the early hours of Sunday morning, making hundreds of residents homeless. "In the past there was a lack of knowledge in the market that the product could burn like this. It burns extremely aggressively. The market didn't realise it was an issue," said Thomas Bell-Wright, chief technical officer for Thomas Bell-Wright international consultants. All building materials in and outside of free zones in Dubai must be approved by the municipality. S Prakash, procurement manager at Sunrays Metal Fabrication Company in Abu Dhabi, said there was a long list of approvals to go through before the company installs any cladding on buildings. The material has to be pre-approved by the municipality, then the paperwork goes to the main contractor who hands it to the consultant. All papers approved by subcontractors are then resubmitted to the municipality on behalf of the consultant to get the all-clear to start building. eharnan@thenational.ae Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/cladding-core-holds-the-key-to-dubai-tower-inferno#ixzz2CpZT6vZb Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook ====================