Q: Hello Advocate Nikhat, How are you, Madam? My house is in Abu Dhabi and I had rent bounced cheques due to my job loss. Q.1 As we know that for a rent cheque bounce, after the police case is closed and the civil case is opened, then in this civil case, the judge will decide on the amount for instalments. Won't he consider what we say about how much we can pay? Q.2 Ref to the above question, it means there is no jail directly if we agree with the judge on the amount to be paid in instalments. Now, I understand that once the instalments are finalized, then we have to pay them regularly. The question is, in the civil case, there is no direct Jail in the first or second hearing, as the judge negotiates the amount for payment, correct? Q.3 During eviction case, when rent/lease is expired. Since the lease is now connected with Tawtheeq, so if Tawtheeq expires as the rent agreement expires, Will ADDC cut my electricity during this time? Q.4 Please, also advise what is Legal Advice Middle East, is it a law firm?

Q: 3 years ago I issued 2 cheques to the landlord as a guarantee for flats taken. Then I lost my job and failed to pay some rents. He filed a criminal case using the blank guarantee cheque from me (Landlord put amount AED 270k). In addition, the landlord filed a case with the Rent Dispute Center. Since I am now overstaying for almost 3 years, I wanted to avail the amnesty by surrendering to police and facing 2 criminal cases. Once the case has been forwarded to court with a 1-year jail term, what will happen to me if I surrender to the police? Can I appeal to court the 1-year jail term through hiring a lawyer and paying fines? Will I be banned because of the case/complaint with the Rent Dispute Center? Is the civil case different from the above-mentioned cases filed against me? Will I pay extra for overstaying, even if the cause is because of the criminal cases filed against me? What are the steps or action to be taken to resolve the problem? Please help

Q: Dear Sir, I need an advice on my three rental cheques of AED 4800 each, which bounced in Sharjah and the landlord has filed a complaint in Sharjah Police Station. Alongside, the court has ordered to vacate the place. I have been jobless for the last 15 months and I have told the judge about my condition. What do I have to do now? As per the new rule on cheque bounce, can I hire a lawyer and pay a fine for my bounced cheque and be released from the police station so that I can apply for a new job? Please guide me.

An interview-format article covering the topic of residential retail properties pertaining to the liability for property maintenance and the repercussions of defaulting on rent payments in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.