Q: I moved out of an apartment in Abu Dhabi on 5th of June 2017. The property management company issued me with a clearance certificate for the air conditioning with the intent of deducting the final amount owed from the security deposit. It is almost two months later and they still have not refunded the balance of the security deposit. I have made repeated requests to get the money back but they are just wasting my time. How can I proceed to get this money back? In my home country, we can go to a small claims court in which the defendant would be ordered to pay, plus pay the court fees. I tried to find similar on the ADJD website but could not and as the amount is for 1300Dhs, I don't want to have to spend this filing a court case, if I am liable for the fees also.

Q: Hi, Rocky Real Estate is deducting painting and cleaning charges by mentioning the clause number 6 of the agreement signed between me and them. Clause number 6 says if the tenant vacates the flat before 3 years than the tenant has to pay painting and cleaning charges. Howsoever landlord has not given the 2nd-year contract to Rocky and they itself has not managed the building for 3 years, so is clause number 6 void or not? They still hold the property till 19th Sep 2017 and I have not handed till now to them. Please suggest appropriate action. I cant let them play with my hard earned money.

Q: We moved into a villa in August 2017 and we paid one cash cheque payment to the owner who is local, as he gave us a copy of his Emirates ID and contract. In December, our water was cut and was told by ADDC that the water has not been paid since August, which we all donated and paid for as we are about 7 tenants in the villa (Studio). On the 10th of this month, a legal notice came from the court showing First Gulf Properties that the landlord should appear in the court. He didn't show up to which. Yesterday, another same one was sent to him to appear today of which I doubt he did go because all his numbers are off. I need to know what's my right in this. NB: This property is in Abu Dhabi and I have a copy of the landlord's Emirates ID. I even took a picture of him and my husband with the agent, and a copy of the cheque I gave to him the day we signed the contract. Please advise me. Thank you very much as I wait for your swift advice.

Q: I had lost my job in the month of Oct 2018 and went out of the UAE after the cancellation of my visa, but I didn't cancel my SEWA connection because I paid complete one year rent to house owner and my brother was there with me. Now, the housing contract will be over at the end of Feb 2019. So, kindly advise how can I close the SEWA connection without my presence. Or what is the procedure of POA?

Q: Dear Sirs, I am facing a serious issue with regards to the chiller unit of my flat. I stay in Ajman in a 2-bedroom flat in a tower owned by a real estate company and the flat owner is an expatriate. My cooling bill from the real estate company is coming abnormally high even when we didn't use it during the winter the chiller charges keep on coming. So when I contacted the real estate company they send a technician and checked and told me the issue is with the units installed inside the flat not outside and it's not their responsibility. Then I contacted the flat owner who sent technicians and found some faulty components and replaced them. Now I have incurred a total cooling bill of more than AED 8000 from the real estate company, which was just due to the faulty components of the AC parts installed inside the flat. Am I liable to pay this amount? Both the real estate company and the flat owner refused to take responsibility. Kindly guide me on what options I have. V. C. T.

Q: I live in Dubai Marina, and the landlord claimed that according to new Dubai Land regulations, the chiller now has to be paid by the person occupying the apartment. Even though my contract says that the landlord should pay the chiller, they want to implement this mid-contract. I understand that the terms upon renewal will be renegotiated, but on what grounds can they implement the change mid-contract? Does a new DLD regulation precede a tenancy contract? Moreover, I am receiving a disconnection notice from the chiller company due to non-payment. What can I do if this happens? Please advise.

Q: The owner is asking for chiller charges for the last 2 years, for an apartment that we have vacated 2 months ago. The bills are in the owner's name, who has been settling them and is now requesting reimbursement contract mentioned a company for the chiller by the name '[----], which does not exist. We did ask the building and agent for a chiller and were told that those are covered within the building. In the 2nd year, the term chiller was removed by the owner from the contract. The invoices shared to claim the chiller charges are from a building management company that is issuing building management charges to the owner based on the area of the apartment and it has nothing to do with the consumption. At end of the lease, the owner asked for settled copies of all other utility bills which were shared and there was no mention of chiller charges even then. Accordingly, the owner paid back the security deposit. The owner has sent a legal notice to reimburse these paid invoices, along with the charges he incurred on the legal notice and lawyer.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am in the process of renewing my tenancy contract and the agent is claiming AED 1000 administration fee for the renewal. This was not stipulated in the contractual agreement that was signed for the current rental term. Am I responsible to pay this admin fee? From my understanding, the landlord is responsible for paying the admin fee for renewal. Is this correct? Please note that this is for the combined tenancy agreement only and not for the EJARI. I have the responsibility to renew the EJARI.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Can a district cooling company refuse to refund the security deposit until an owner sells their flat, even though it has been rented out and they have accepted a second security deposit from the new tenant?

This Decree establishes a specialised judicial system to hear rent disputes and develops the procedure for determination of such disputes through an expeditious and simple process for the purpose of realising social and economic stability for all persons involved with the real property rental and other related sectors.

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.