Dear All, We have a question related to private rental law in Dubai. We have been living in the same house (rented) for the last four years. During those years, we have had to battle our landlord for maintenance at large. Our contract states that ALL maintenance is on his account (no deductible). We have a lot of small maintenance issues, such as kitchen cabinets that are coming loose, a sewage smell in the house, and a toilet upstairs that still doesn't work after four years (despite attempted maintenance). How can we deal with him and get him to honor the contract and resolve all of our issues so we can use the house properly? What legal steps can we take? We have informed him plenty of times over the four years about the problems, but he seems to "ghost" us and does not reply very often. We have issued him a warning to get things fixed by the end of this month (via WhatsApp), but he doesn't seem to mind. Hope you can help with advice and maybe RERA down the line.

Hello, I have found out that a friend divulged sensitive and private medical information to others without my consent. Is this against the law?

Hello, If the tenant is evicted due to renovation, once the renovation is done, can the landlord rent the property to a new tenant, or does the landlord have to wait for 2 years?

Hello, I have a complaint registered against me. The crime description is "breach of trust by embezzlement." Can I travel outside the UAE? I don't have any travel ban against me.

Hello, Dubai Courts have sent a circular to freeze my assets in a cheque execution case dating back to 2023. An installment plan was in place, but I missed payments. The outstanding amount is AED 26,000. How can I avoid seizure of my salary bank account? Thank you!

Dear Sir/Madam, My tenant is not ready to move out on the last day of the 12-month notarized eviction notice. I need the place for myself to move in as my lease ends next week. What should I do?

My cousin who lives in Dubai took around AED 280000 from me on December 2023 for business and he told me that within one month he would return the money back with profits. Now it's been almost a year he has not returned my money back. I have no written contract. The only proof I have is WhatsApp chats, videos, and voice messages of him that he received money from me and that he would return it back within one month. In August 2023 I told him that if you don't return my money, then I would hire a lawyer and do a case. Then his father returned almost 20% of the amount back in August 2023 and told me the remaining amount I would receive from them by the end of November or December 2023. But now they are not giving me the money and telling me to go to the police or hire a lawyer, file a case do whatever I want to do. Kindly please advise me if hiring a lawyer in Dubai will be helpful or not. Will I be able to recover my money in Dubai in a legal way in such a case?

I need help in getting a police clearance from Dubai. I left the UAE in 2018 and left my bank debts unsettled. Can someone please help me understand how I can negotiate my situation in the most reasonable way? Thank you

مرحباً سيدي/سيدتي، أحتاج إلى الحصول على شهادة حسن سيرة ذاتية. غادرت دبي عام ٢٠١٨، وأُبلغت بضرورة إنهاء قضية شرطة في مركز شرطة نايف للحصول على رصيد بنكي (أقل من ١٠,٠٠٠ درهم إماراتي) قبل التقدم بطلب الحصول على شهادة حسن سيرة ذاتية. بما أنني خارج الإمارات، كيف يمكنني الحصول على تمثيل قانوني وإنجاز قضيتي للحصول على شهادة حسن سيرة ذاتية؟ شكراً!

Dear Sir/Madam, I need to check if there is any absconding/travel/labor ban on me. I was in Dubai in 2015 and left the job in 2 months due to a family emergency.

Salam, My company has filed a complaint against me in MOHRE related to training fees. This is the clause mentioned in my contract: "The Second Party shall be obliged to pay back the value of the training (which is estimated at an amount of 10000 AED) when they terminate the employment contract based on their own free will (within One Year) from the date of commencement of their contract, without prejudice to the First Party's legal or contractual obligations. (the amount agreed on for the value of the training period must be commensurate with the employment period of the employee)" My question is: 1. I served 11 months in the company. Can they demand the full 10,000 or it should be less due to 11 months (as per the last line of the clause)? 2. I didn't even get training from the company. I learned normally by working on projects with seniors. No training session was conducted for me. Should I still have to pay? My case is in MOHRE. Thanks

Hi, Amnesty 2024 has just started, and I really want to apply for it, but I have a company bounced cheque and personal credit card debt. Is there any solution to avail of the amnesty and legalize my status? If yes, what is the step-by-step procedure? Thank you to those who can enlighten me on this question, and God bless us all!

Hello, I have a civil case for a bounced check and a travel ban. My passport has expired and can only be renewed in my home country. Due to the travel ban, it is not possible to exit and renew the passport. With an expired passport, I can't work. What are the options in this situation? Can my wife take this case and start paying in installments so that I can go to renew his passport and come back? Thank you!

I have an unpaid credit card of approximately AED 45000 in the UAE. I will be traveling to Qatar due to work. Will I be arrested in Qatar?

I have had a drug case against me recently and it has been closed. I have paid my fine and I am cleared from the travel ban. I am still working with the same employer but I am thinking about changing jobs. Will I be able to get a new employment visa and be hired in a new firm despite the record?

I recently purchased a rented apartment in Abu Dhabi and agreed to honor the existing lease. After the transfer, I discovered that the lease is not a Tawtheeq contract, meaning it is not officially registered. Since I am not receiving rent (as it was a non-refundable arrangement with the seller), I prefer not to issue a new Tawtheeq. I also want to avoid a formal notice to vacate to prevent disputes, as I plan to move in. However, I have already informed the tenant that I will not be renewing the lease. I need legal advice on the implications of proceeding without a Tawtheeq contract. What are my risks, especially if the tenant refuses to move out? What legal actions, if any, can the tenant take in this situation?

My brother has been working for a company for 11 years. In the last 3 weeks, he had an incident/accident and scratched a plane since he only had 1 person to assist him as the company was not hiring enough people. Senior staff like him are working more to train inexperienced new hires which adds to their workload working almost 12 hours/day including travel to DWC. The pilot said it was aesthetic and could be painted over but a police investigation ensued. Last week 3 managers and HR talked him down as the investigation concluded. He was terminated immediately with only this month's pay and his 11-year gratuity will not be given by the company. It was not gross negligence or malicious intent, he just didn’t have enough people to help him. He owned up to the mistake and reported the incident within 24 hours. Can he fight for the gratuity?

A person currently under a deportation order wishes to appoint a trusted person with Power of Attorney (POA) to manage their financial and legal matters, including access to their bank account and other obligations. What is the process for obtaining and registering a POA in this situation? Can it be done while they are still in custody, and what steps should they follow to ensure? Please help.

Dear Sir/Madam, The Dubai Court has frozen my bank account because I was late on an alimony payment. The money was automatically deducted from my salary this month. Will the court automatically unfreeze the account once this is done, or will I need to petition the court to issue an order to unfreeze it?

What is the process of renewing the visa while a criminal case is still ongoing? I got first instance court judgment in my favor and was declared innocent, however, the prosecution filed the appeal. My residence visa is due for renewal next week. Can I process my renewal or it is blocked till the time this case is over?

Dear Lawyers, I signed a Form F with a buyer for the sale of my house as we were planning to leave the country. The contract was signed about a month ago, but the handover is not until August. Due to personal circumstances changing, we are no longer leaving Dubai and would like to cancel Form F. The Form F contract stipulates that we have to pay the buyer 10% of the purchase value. The real estate agent is now claiming that we also have to pay the buyer's real estate commission and the conveyancing fee. Our understanding is that the 10% penalty is the only penalty. Which is correct, and what are the next steps to dispute this? Also, is there any way to dispute the 10% itself under the law due to personal circumstances changing?

I got an offer letter from Al-Haldin Gulf Construction & Petroleum LLC. Can you please advise about the company?

Hello, I have a tenant who is always late with their payment. Their renewal was supposed to be last December 2023. Currently, they have not signed any new contract, provided any new cheques, and have stayed for three months from December until now without paying rent. Additionally, I just discovered that they have sublet the apartment with partitions, which is clearly stated as not allowed in the old contract. Please let me know what should I do legally!

Dear Concern, How long will it take to receive the cancellation paper from my previous employer? My last working day at my current company will be on April 7, 2024.

Hi, We sent a renewal notice to our Dubai-based tenant 84 days before his contract renewal, with a 10% increase in rent. The tenant neither agreed nor disagreed with the proposed rent and replied on the day of renewal that he wouldn't be paying the proposed rent. Due to the argument, the landlord decided to reduce the rent, but the tenant has not yet renewed his contract. It has been 12 days since his contract expired. Kindly suggest what could be done in this matter.

Hello, My lawyer has charged me more than the actual amount for registering my labour case. What should I do?

Hello, If the tenant is evicted due to renovation, once the renovation is done, can the landlord rent the property to a new tenant, or does the landlord have to wait for 2 years?

Hi Sir, My husband had a judgment where he was found not guilty, as the misdemeanor court stated that it doubts the charges against the accused and found no conclusive evidence except the statements in the report files. The court considered this invalid because there was no translator. After this, if the Public Prosecution appeals, will the verdict remain unchanged and be upheld if there is nothing more than this  Can you shed some light from your experience on this issue and say if the result will remain the same?

Hello, I paid a contractor (via bank transfers) to deliver a project (1BHK renovation – full), and they did not. What action can I take against them in Dubai?

السلام عليكم، أود الاستفسار بشأن قضية إبعاد زوج خالتي من دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. زوج خالتي كان مقيماً في الإمارات وكان قد وُلد وترعرع هناك. في عام 2013 تم إبعاده من الإمارات، وكان ذلك نتيجة لسياسات حكومية كانت تستهدف مجموعة من المقيمين في تلك الفترة، وهو لم يكن قد ارتكب أي مخالفة في ذلك الوقت وكان يُعتبر ضحية للسياسات المتبعة. أرغب في معرفة الإجراءات التي يجب أن أتبعها حالياً من أجل رفع هذا الإبعاد وتمكينه من العودة إلى الإمارات. أرجو أن توضح لي كيف يمكنني مساعدته في هذا الموضوع. شكراً جزيلاً.