Now Sharjah landlords and tenants can attest contracts digitally

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Sharjah Digital Office (SDO), the entity tasked with leading the digital transformation process in the emirate, has announced the launch of an innovative and technology-based service to augment the tenant experience at GITEX 2022, running from October 10-14 in Dubai, UAE.

SDO launched the Move-In Service on October 12 (Wednesday) under its Digital Sharjah (DS) platform to enable users to seamlessly move in without having to physically visit various offices to complete required formalities.

Introduced for the first time in Sharjah, the Move-In Service enables the landlord and tenant to sign and attest their rental contract digitally and to open the associated Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) account on a unified digital user interface.

The new service, available now on the Digital Sharjah website and coming up soon on Digital Sharjah mobile application, covers all types of rental contracts and offers automatic document validation to facilitate and hasten the process of moving in. User authentication is achieved by integration with the UAE Pass while landlords can also save their property details on the platform for re-leasing.

The service also leverages its integration with the Real Estate Department for the validation of property ownership. The new digital service also enables various stakeholders including Sharjah City Municipality and SEWA to review and take required and timely action to facilitate the user journey.

Service workflow The simple, easy-to-use process starts with selecting the desired property for renting which can be done by the landlord, or a real estate agent providing a valid power of attorney.Aimed at completing all formalities on the leasing contract agreement electronically, the collaborative nature of the platform allows the lessor to complete the basic details of the agreement and submit it through the platform for tenant review and digital signature.

The digitally signed contract is then sent and orchestrated by the platform with both SEWA and Sharjah City Municipality systems to verify and authorise the transaction. Following this authorisation, the tenant pays the SEWA deposit amount and related Sharjah City Municipality fees in one transaction via integrating with the emirate unified payment gateway, Tahseel.

The tenant receives the digitally sealed contract as soon as the payment is done and an intimation is then sent to SEWA systems to connect the services. Reshaping tenant expectations With the launch of the new Move-In Service at GITEX 2022, SDO’s Digital Sharjah platform has strengthened its vision of streamlining government services in line with Sharjah’s digital transformation strategy to provide better digital experiences for both users and stakeholders.

The Move-In Service enables tenants and landlords to reshape tenant expectations and strengthen operations in the sector while also building trust and empowering both sides with real-time updates to make informed decisions. By keeping all related procedures under the same macro service, the platform provides a superior experience, reduces service costs, and potentially increases tenant retention.

The Sharjah Digital Office (SDO) was established in June 2021 under a resolution issued by the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) to lead the digital transformation process in the emirate and steer it towards achieving its objectives that include improving the community’s quality of life through the provision of smart and efficient government services.

It also aims to raise awareness on the significance of digital transformation among public entities and seeks to boost the capabilities of government services by keeping up with the latest technological developments. SDO also provides the digital support and legislative framework needed to implement the emirate’s digital transformation strategy.