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: I have vacated my flat in the first week of February. The old tenant made so many changes in the flat and the landlord knows about this one. They told me that they will not charge me. It was in 2016. Now, they refused to pay my security deposit back because they don't have any proof whether they deducted from the old tenant or not. What can I do? Please help.

Q: How can I force the landlord to give me back my security deposit? My lease ended two weeks ago and I still have AED 10,000 deposit that the landlord did not give back yet. He doesn’t respond to calls/texts. He sent quotations to me today asking me to cover for fixes that were there before I moved in. How can I deal with him in the fastest possible way?

Q: We have a tenant, it was clearly stated in the lease contract that she has to hand over the property in the same condition it has been handed over to her. Now, she's leaving the apartment in the Palm (2BR). Imagine 16 busted bulbs, the guard rail of the fridge is broken lots of nail holes and the property is dirty. She got it painted and cleaned and now she's claiming that she will report to RERA as she's not responsible for the painting and cleaning (so she wants a refund) and she's not going to replace those 16 bulbs and the guard rail in the fridge. When we handed over the property, we gave her 14 days to snag it and we rectified all the issues. Is she entitled to all these claims she's telling us? We are not giving back her deposit yet until she fixes the property. Do we have the legal right to demand these from her? I know the lights are consumables and she's supposed to replace it as all the lights were working when she got the keys. Thank you.

Q: Hello Madam, I hope you're doing fine. I am unable to get a security deposit of AED 2000 from the landlord. The current real estate agent claims that the landlord has some legal dispute with the former real estate company and I can't get my refund. Can you kindly guide me on the above?

Q: Hello, I would like to ask if I am legally obliged to pay for damage to a unit I rented that I did not commit. My family rented a unit in Abu Dhabi for 3 years. After a week of moving in, I found damage in the toilet that was already patched and fixed. I reported it to the landlord through email to notify them that it is an existing issue. It was not discovered during the move-in inspection due to its inconspicuous location. The landlord did not address the issue back then so I thought that this matter is settled. I was surprised that after moving out, I was made to pay for the damage and the huge amount would be deducted from my security deposit. I told the landlord that this was already a reported and existing issue but they did not relent. This was not noticed by their inspection team during move-out and was not even included in the report I signed. I pointed this out later to the team so that they could address this before a new tenant moves in. Thank you so much.

The relationship between tenants and landlords is regulated in Dubai by Law No. 33 of 2008 Concerning the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai. The arising rental disputes are referred to Rental Disputes Settlement Centre (“RDSC”) created by Decree No. 26 of 2013 to reconcile between the parties and reach an amicable settlement or seek a final judgment issued and enforced by the RDSC.

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. 

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.