Q: Hi, I live and work in Dubai. I recently got married and want to bring my wife to Dubai on a spouse visa. For that, one of the essential conditions is to have a lease agreement with 1 year lease period. The nature of my job is such that I may have to relocate to another country anytime. Also, I have an open application for immigration to another country and I may get a PR within a few months or so. In either of the case, there is a possibility that I might have to terminate my tenancy contract before it officially ends. Please advise if it's possible & legally acceptable to have an early exit clause, something like "the tenant (or both the parties) may terminate the contract any time after three months of signing the contract by giving one month notice to the other party. No penalty shall be applicable in such case." Of course, this subjects to finding a landlord who would agree to such condition. But I find one, can the standard contracts be modified to add such clause? Thanks SJ

Q: Hi, I am a tenant and my tenancy agreement ends in July 2019. However, due to some reasons, I have to vacate the place and make an early exit from the contract. My contract doesn't say anything regarding pre-exit However, the annexure says 2 months notice. Am I obliged to pay for 2 months as the landlord is being very rude and not replying to my emails/messages or calls?

Q: Hi, I am a tenant and my agreement ends on 30/8/2019, but due to unavoidable circumstances, I need to terminate the contract early on 30/4/2019. The exit clause states: 1. The penalty for breaking the contract is 2 months' rent 2. The tenant should inform the owner 2 months before vacating the unit otherwise the tenant has to pay 2 months' rent as a penalty. Already given the owner the notice on 10/2/2019, but he is still claiming the 2 months' rent penalty. Please clarify how many penalties are in play here. Thanks Didi

س: السلام عليكم كنت محتاج أستفسر عن شيء. أنا كنت مأجر شقة، وقبل انتهاء العقد بأسبوع أخبرت المالك بأنني سأترك الشقة مع انتهاء العقد. أخبرني أنه يريد مني إيجار شهرين لأنني لم أقم بإخطاره قبلها بشهرين. هل هذا قانوني؟ وهل يوجد نص في قانون الإيجارات ينص على هذا؟ أرجو الإفادة

س: سؤال بخصوص تجديد عقد الإيجار لسنة أخرى. نويت التجديد لسنة أخرى، ولكن كنت أتفاوض على مبلغ الإيجار. وافق المالك على التجديد بعد الاتفاق على المبلغ المطلوب. فى نفس اليوم الذى أرسلت له الشيكات اضطرتنى ظروف العمل أن انتقل لعجمان وأنا أسكن فى دبي، فطلبت أن يكون العقد لمدة 6 أشهر فرفض المالك وقال أن التجديد لمدة سنة ولا يمكن الرجوع. قلت له أريد مناقشة بند الغرامة، وكما هو مذكور في العقد القديم أنها 3 أشهر كاملة فناقشته وقال أيضًا لا يمكن تعديله. إلى الآن لم أوقع على العقد الجديد والمالك يرفض تعديل هذا البند في العقد الجديد، علمًا بأن المالك طلب منى إرسال الشيكات كاملة للسنة وأرسلتها له بالفعل. فهل هناك مخرج من هذة المشكلة؟

Q: Dear Mr Malalla, I would like to get your opinion on an incident that I am going through at the moment with my previous landlord. After staying in the same apartment for 4 yrs as a tenant, on 8/2/21, only a week before the renewal term (15/2/21) and after having a written agreement on a mutually agreed condition as well as sending us the contract, our landlord declared to us that he changed his mind and would apply the old contractual terms. After having back and forth emails with our landlord's agency, on 23/2/21 we received the final email about his decision from the agency. As I did not want to stay in his place, we moved out on 6/3/21. On 14/3/21, we received a quotation from the agency in regards to maintenance, which we mutually accepted on 15/03/21. 2 days ago, when I was waiting for my security deposit, I received a final calculation from the agency charging me the period between 15/2 to 5/3 as overstay. We reminded him many times of the rules and regulations but he does not care.

س: السلام عليكم، بصفتي مؤجرًا ألا يكفي أن أخطر المستأجر عن طريق الإيميل بعدم الرغبة في تجديد عقد الإيجار حسب المدة القانونية وهي 90 يومًا قبل انتهاء العقد في إمارة أبوظبي؟

س: السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته، أردت أن أستفسر عن أحقية المالك في المطالبة بإيجار شهرين بسبب عدم إخطاري له كتابيًا لإخلاء الشقة. علمًا بأنني ذهبت للمكتب الخاص بالبناية وأعلمتهم شفهيًا بأنني لن أجدد العقد ولكن لا يوجد ما يُثبت وقد انتهى عقدي بتاريخ ٢٧ فبراير وانتقلت إلى شقة أخرى. عند ذهابي لتسليم المفتاح، رفض وقال إن عليّ دفع شهرين لعدم إبلاغهم بالإخلاء.

The provisions of this Law apply to real property leased out in the Emirate of Dubai, including vacant and agricultural lands, but excluding hotel establishments and real property provided by natural or legal persons as accommodation to their employees at no charge.

Provisions of this Law supersede articles (2), (3), (4), (9), (13), (14), (15), (25), (26), (29), and (36) of Law No. (26) of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai.