Q: Hello, I am currently employed as a subcontractor to work on a project in Dubai. As a general practice, I have provided a security cheque against the advance payment, and the client is now threatening to deposit the cheque even after completing more than 50% of the works due to various delays on site. Is this legal? What steps can I take to protect myself?

Q: Hello, I purchased an off-plan apartment in Aug 2017 from a developer in Dubai. The payment plan is 50% prior to handover, 50% on handover. The property has been registered with Oqood, 30% have been paid to date as per installment schedule. The anticipated handover date was supposed to be October 2019. The developer extended the handover date till October 2020 as per the 12-month buffer they have under contract. They have claimed that the delay is due to their subcontractor going bust, so they have had to kick them out and replace them with a new one. As of Jan 2020, work has not started again on the project. My questions are: 1- Given the progress rate to date (30%), it is unlikely that they will be able to complete it on time. Can I take them to court now for an expected breach of contract? 2- Can they claim that their initial subcontractor going bust is a Force Majeure? Noting that they have never officially communicated this information to their customers (this was only mentioned verbally during a call).

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.

An interview-format article covering the topic of contracts in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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 Decree by Law No. (35) of 2022 Promulgating the Law of Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions, known as the "New Law of Evidence", governs the laws of evidence in the United Arab Emirates. The New Law of Evidence repeals the previous UAE Law of Evidence (Federal Law No. (10) of 1992 On Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions).