Q: Hello, My husband and I awarded one of Dubai's contractors to do renovation in our apartment. We paid him 50% in advance according to the contract signed between us. We paid another 20% after some time in response to his request to have an additional amount to buy the materials. The renovation was supposed to be completed in one month, yet, 2 months and a half already passed and the contractor has not even bought the material he promised (tiles, sanitary-ware... etc.). He promises but not delivering, postponing payments in all possible ways. Suppliers of the materials confirmed that payments had not been made by the contractor. We have a clause of damage liquidating (contractor needs to pay 1000 AED/day), but he doesn't seem to take it seriously. What is the best way to deal with this problem? If we take him to court, how much do we need to pay for the file opening? What damages he will experience - license termination? How quick can we have the money back? BR, J.

س: سيدي/سيدتي، لقد استأجرت مقاولاً لتجديد فيلتي في ميدوز، دبي في أبريل 2022. فريق المقاول ليس سليمًا من الناحية الفنية، ويجب العمل على كل شيء مرتين إلى ثلاث مرات على الأقل لتصحيحه. هناك عيوب هيكلية في عمل فريقه؛ على سبيل المثال، العمود الخرساني الذي صنعوه لدعم الهيكل كان معيبًا. فريقه بالكامل في الموقع أميون (بمعنى أنهم لا يستطيعون القراءة والكتابة باللغة الإنجليزية) بما في ذلك مدير المشروع. لقد كنت أنا وزوجي ندير المشاريع لإبقاء الأمور مستمرة خلال الأشهر الأربعة الماضية. بناءً على عقدنا، حصل على المزيد من العمل داخل مجتمع ميدوز، ولا يعير عملنا الانتباه الآن. لقد ساءت الأمور من سيء إلى أسوأ. تأخرت العملية برمتها لأكثر من 4 أشهر. لقد سئمنا منه. بالمناسبة، العقد الذي وقعه الطرفان مكتوب بشكل فضفاض. يرجى إفادتنا بالطرق القانونية المتاحة لنا في هذه الحالة. شكرًا جزيلاً.

Q: Hi, I got an approved contractor in my villa for bathroom and kitchen work but he really failed to bring what he promised. The finishing is really really bad. Parts of the ceiling are falling down every few days. The kitchen is in a very bad shape, they used silicon to attach tiles instead of glue. Some doors fell off after a few times using, and some doors can’t even be opened because another door is blocking their way. The toilets are a total mess, some tiles are broken, the door frame got destroyed with the work so they took some glue and painted above, the bathroom tub is not fixed and can be moved. They closed one part of the walls with a tile without removing the window, they installed a fake wall in front but forgot to close the window, so the window is open from the outside but can’t be closed because of the new wall. These, are just a few, really few things. In the contract we agreed that he would finish the work by the 19th of December, any delay causes an AED 1000 fine a day.

Q: Hey, I'm building my house in Dubai, and it was going well. I gave the contractor 420k as a first payment, and we both agreed that the rest would be in installments. Just two months ago, the contractor went off the grid, and I can't find him. All I have is a security cheque that bounced back when I went to the bank, as the signature doesn't match what's in the file. However, I learnt that he does have money, but not the amount that's in the cheque. What should I do now to get my money back? I need advice.

Q: 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?

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

The provisions of this Federal Law, known as the "New Consumer Protection Law", govern Consumer Protection regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Consumer Protection Law repeals the previous UAE Consumer Protection Law (Federal Law No. (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection).

The provisions of this Cabinet Resolution No (12) of 2007 Concerning the Executive Regulations of Federal Law No (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection.