Some residents of Dubai’s Marina Crown Tower have taken to social media to share their complaints about being locked out of their apartments after the facilities management company introduced a new facial scanning access system.

Last week, an Instagram user, who later deleted his account, claimed that several residents were stuck outside the building for up to seven hours due to confusion between the owners, owners and the building management. However, other residents pointed out that sufficient notice was given to tenants and landlords before the system was implemented.

“About a year ago, the management decided to implement a new system where a car was registered in an apartment and the car could enter the parking lot without an access card,” said Roxana, who owns a few apartments and lives in one of them. “At the same time, they announced facial registration to access the premises, which was to be implemented in May. The implementation only happened in November to give people enough time to register their contact details.”

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German expat AB, who owns an apartment in the tower, said only those staying in the building illegally faced problems. “Anyone who owns or legally rents Ejari and has a rental agreement can register their facial identification. However, people who rent illegal partitions or shared rooms without a contract cannot register for the facial scanner,” he said.

Face ID at Marina Crown Tower

The 51-story Marina Crown Tower, built by Emaar Properties in 2006, houses luxury apartments and penthouses. The building’s shared common areas are managed by Stratum Owners Association Management, which did not respond to requests. Khaleej Times’ request for comment on the situation.

Overpopulation problem

Roxana, who has lived in the tower for more than seven years, said overcrowding is widespread in the building because some owners and residents have sublet their apartments to multiple people.

Management opinion

“They created illegal partitions and even built showers and bathrooms without proper waterproofing or drainage,” she said. “Some apartments can accommodate up to ten people. One tenant owns 40 apartments, each of which has been sublet to several people. The rooms are a real danger for the occupants because they do not have smoke detectors and, obviously, the sprinklers can’t be turned on without them We’re worried something untoward will happen.

Nasreen Abdallah

Nasreen Abdulla is a special correspondent who covers stories on food, technology and humanity. When she’s not facing deadlines, you’ll find her performing submissions on the jiu jitsu mats.