Help ! I have put myself in pickle !

dr_aich Active member

Member since 03 August 2013

dr_aichActive member21 December 2013 07:44:40

Hello Friends
I have really put myself in a pickle. I will try and explain first .
I am employed by MOH, Oman working at the Royal Hospital Muscat.
I need to rent an accommodation as the accommodation provided by the employer is not big enough. They will provide me 400 RO/per month for renting out. It will be started from the month I go out of their provided accommodation before 10th of the month.
Now I chose an accommodation outside at 375/month and paid the money from pocket including a 150 RO to the agent as 1 year maintenance fee. He told me the moment I give him the next 11 predated cheques he will hand over the key. It was fine with me at that time as I had no idea what was coming next.
Now the pickle starts.
1)I got my resident card, opened a bank account in Bank of Muscat, asked for a chequebook and BOOM .... no chequebook other than a current account and needs a Salary Certificate.
2) Salary certificate when I asked my hospital they very politely mentioned it takes time and sometimes even 1and half months to get.
3) Moreover I realised I am not even getting my salary this month.

I described my hopeless situation to the agent, who is also Asian to help me out. He said he wants to help but cannot at the moment but gave me a few options which I will depict below;

1) I fore go the flat; he will try to find a new tenant , if he manages maybe I will get at the max 100 RO back and if he doesn't then no money. (So I lose 525 RO from my pocket.)
2) I keep my hopes high , pay the next months rent as cash again 375 RO and hope within the month get the chequebook and then he can hand over the key, I can move out and hopefully I get the allowance. ( Here if I do not get the salary next month. I will have no money to even feed myself. Moreover I pay 2 months rent from pocket despite allowance as I will not be able to leave out the accommodation in time).
3) Get a friend who will kindly agree to write a cheque of 375 * 10 = 3750 RO as a guarantee cheque , which will not be cashed as will be written as not for cashing. I get the key and agreement instantly and when I give them my cheques they return the guarantee cheque to me. ( Well I am not even hoping someone will come up with that cheque and help me , as I am a complete stranger, but as they say you never know if you do not ask. So I am asking is there anyone out there who can help me with this? )

So my friends this is what I ask;

1) Is there any one kind enough to write 375*10 cheques out of sheer belief that I will sort things out by end of January?
2) Is there any bank who will give me a cheque book without my salary transfer certificate?
3) Is there any thing else you all can suggest, the whole picture is infront of you.

I will give my email address here ( please admins do not erase this -- very important)

Thank you all !

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Rammy87 Serial expat

Member since 08 June 2012

Rammy87Serial expat21 December 2013 15:54:13

380

Hi, I can understand the predicament..... Strangely I havent had a cheque book and never asked for one, in any of the banks in Oman..... Alright to find a solution.... I couldn't understand a few things.... did the bank say that they could provide a chequebook, if you provided them with a salary certificate??

If yes, please check if there is a salary scale for which a chequebook will be provided.

Also, did you try asking the hospital whether they could give you an advance or something.... I dont know if it will work, but you could give it a shot..... Companies sometimes provide cheques (for the whole year) to some employees for housing purposes.... but that requires a good rapport with the firm.....

By the way, what makes you think that you wont get the monthly salaries??

dr_aich Active member

Member since 03 August 2013

dr_aichActive member21 December 2013 16:45:19

Hi Rammy
This month the salary will not be paid as still waiting for the Quarar/kharar from the ministry.
My salary scale is fine , only need a salary certificate again which is related to the same document. And yes salary certificate is a must for current account as strangely here savings account does not give chequebook.
My employer is Ministry of health. they will give me allowances but not in advance. Standard rule. Once I leave the hospital accommodation that is.

So my pickle is quiet a deep one.
But thanks for answering Rammy. I appreciate.

schaz VIP Member

Member since 08 October 2012

schazVIP Member22 December 2013 11:18:48

1455

Dear Doctor,
Sorry to say, but you did a blunder by dealing with a real state broker without even consulting anyone. We say in Oman, you have to be extra careful while stepping forward for any action. Specially with the real state sector. You could have discussed this thing with him while finalizing the tenancy agreement. I haven't got much knowledge on that but I've seen people, renting the apartments/villas on monthly cash basis with a mutual agreements with the owners.

You're absolutely correct as there will be noone who will be kind enough to give you blank cheques, however this support can be only given by a similar employee in your hospital. Wish that you come out of this problem.

Rammy87 Serial expat

Member since 08 June 2012

Rammy87Serial expat22 December 2013 16:04:53

380

dr_aich wrote:
Hi Rammy
This month the salary will not be paid as still waiting for the Quarar/kharar from the ministry.
My salary scale is fine , only need a salary certificate again which is related to the same document. And yes salary certificate is a must for current account as strangely here savings account does not give chequebook.
My employer is Ministry of health. they will give me allowances but not in advance. Standard rule. Once I leave the hospital accommodation that is.

So my pickle is quiet a deep one.
But thanks for answering Rammy. I appreciate.

That gives me an idea.... but I'm not sure how well it works.... Why dont you try sub-letting the apartment for a few months.... maybe you could stay in a room and give it out for other bachelors..... maybe you could recover some of the money, if not most of it. You could do this for a couple of months before you find your feet.....

dr_aich Active member

Member since 03 August 2013

dr_aichActive member24 December 2013 19:03:49

I don't get the flat until I give them the cheques Rammy !!

Alkarani Member

Member since 03 July 2017

AlkaraniMember30 July 2017 09:31:54

Hey, I would suggest you to speak to Real estate people and explain the situation, they would definitely help you out.
Same thing happened with me, I didn't have cheque book but needed to shift. I explained my situation to the Real estate people, they understood and gave me the key. For me also, it took around a month to get company letter and recieve cheque book.
After receiving the cheque book, I completed the formalities and got it done.

Bhavna Team

Member since 01 June 2015

BhavnaTeam31 July 2017 09:35:21

43048

Hi Alkarani,

Thank you for your feedback, even if this is an old thread. Feel free to participate on more recent threads so that members could benefit from your inputs.

All the best,
Bhavna

abdurrazaq Active member

Member since 08 January 2013

abdurrazaqActive member31 July 2017 10:32:10

Bro I have read your message and would suggest you follow.

1. The real estate agent/co. when collects rent for a particular month and their commission then they are bound to hand over keys to the tenant, otherwise, they could treat the collected money as advance rent for the future period/month. (say rent for Semtember 2017, if you have paid them in July end).
2. You could request your, employer to issue them cheques on your behalf and deduct rent from your salary.
3. You could get a guarantee letter from your employer in favour of the landlord, guaranteeing the issuance of PDCs in an an agreed time by you.
4. If you cant do any of the above things then you forgo your commission but ask the agent to return your rent. If he refuses, then go to the Public Authority for Consumer Protection, they will ensure that you are getting your rent back.