Q: I have a tenant with an expired contract. I agreed to have a new contract for this year but I did not sign with him yet. He was 35 days late to pay the first 50% of the rent. Our agreement with him that he pays maintenance, but he deducted AED 40,000 from the rent because he said he changed the door latch and main circuit barker. I objected and demanded my money for the full rent (he paid 8,000 and he deducted 40,000). I want my full payment.

Q: I live in a 4 bedroom apartment in Deira/Dubai. 3 out of the 4 bedrooms have sewage leakage problem somewhere in the ceiling and the smell is horrible. The landlord refuses to fix the problem even though my tenancy contract clearly states that he must fix on his expense. To make the story short, After filing for a case against him at the RDC, It all went down to the police station where he refused to sign a paper that states his willingness to fix. Next, a Dubai Municipality official visited the apartment and submitted a report to the Land Department confirming that the apartment smells very bad. All meanwhile I refused to pay any rent to pressure this landlord to fix. So now 4 months have passed and the accumulated rent has built up to above AED 100,000. The landlord has filed a case to claim the rental amount. What to do? And how can he file a case against me at the RDC without the RDC asking him to fix the apartment first?! Can I refuse to pay this landlord? I think it is unfair to pay!

Q: Hi, I am staying in a one-bedroom flat and the main hall of the apartment is leaking for the last 2 months. I have asked for a rent reduction and there is no response from real estate. How can I take this forward?

Q: Dear lawyers, We need your help. I and my home mate are working in the same airline company as air hostesses and we are renting an apartment together. We are not flying as it used to be before, because of the coronavirus crisis which means that we are not paid for flying hours and in addition to that, our basic salary is officially deducted by 40%, effective from 1st April. We are now in a critical situation. We are not able to afford our rent due to force majeure and an unexpected situation. We shared this situation with our landlord, however, he is not showing any goodwill; either for reducing the rental fee or letting us check out from the apartment without penalty (he is basically asking for 1-month notice + 2 months early check out penalty). I can prove that the latest salary that I will get will be evidence of our situation. Can you help us with legal advice if we can check out without paying any penalty? Your support will be appreciated. Our kind regards,

Q: Please advise on this case as a landlord. My tenant informed me that she has lost her job because of COVID 19 and wants to delay the rent cheque due this month. On asking for how long she wants the delay and what is her plan for the future, she said that she does not want to pay for 3 months and then continue payment after 3 months. She has no plans to leave Dubai or the property; her whole situation is uncertain because of the current situation. The property is a townhouse in Dubai. Please advise what should I reply to her? Quote from her email (Please ask the landlord to either send back the 15th April cheque or maybe overwrite it and send a picture. My kind request is to freeze the payment for the period of 3 months and continue payment from the next cheque on the 15th of July. As for your question, I do not intend to leave Dubai, and I hope the situation will get back to normal soon, so I will be able to get a job.)

Q: The contract of my apartment expires on June, 30th. At the same time, my employer did not extend the new contract with me. I am a Polish citizen (Europe) and because of COVID-19. I have no flights to Poland. Do I have the right to stay in my current flat for about two months longer free of charge or do I have to pay to the owner? If so, how much should I pay? If not, then how to do it? Regards,

Q: I am staying in a rented apartment in Ajman since September last year. During September 2020 the landlord agreed to renew the rent agreement for a further period of one year with a reduced annual rent amount. Accordingly, both of us signed the application format of Ajman Municipality for renewal of tenancy agreement. Apparently, the landlord failed to authenticate the tenancy contract from Ajman Municipality. According to him his online account with the Municipality could not be accessed as it was locked and he is communicating with them through emails as the landlord currently stays abroad. My question is that, is it legal to continue in a rented flat in Ajman without Municipality Authentication? First-year tenancy contract was duly authenticated by Municipality which expired in Sept 2020. Are there any consequences to continue in the same flat without authentication?

Q: Greetings, A brief about the rental dispute that we have with our office bldg owner: So our office landlord has recently filed a legal case with the Rental Disputes Center against our company. They are demanding us to pay the unpaid rent from March 2020 onwards. We felt it would be unfair for us to continue paying since we have been suffering from a frustrating AC issue since July 2019, and this particular issue has been from the building’s central unit apparently, During the past 2 years of having this issue, we contacted the landlord and his team so many times and asked them to resolve the matter, but these guys didn’t really take any proper steps to resolve the issue. Please note below the clause mentioned in the contract between us & the landlord: "Lessor shall keep the premises in a good state of repair and fit for habitation." Kindly let us have your professional legal advice so that we consider using your services, Thanks, H. M.

Q: Hi, Hope you can guide me! We have a leaking ceiling in our apartment due to our neighbor above us who has failed to make proper repairs. The ceiling is badly damaged, and the representative of the accused party does not want to commit to bearing the expenses for the repairs. What legal action can we take? They keep ignoring us, and Nakheel is not mediating our complaint. What authority should we approach for this kind of dispute? Also, how can I compel the representative to disclose their landlord's contact information so that we may forward our complaint to them? Please assist us!

Q: Hello, I have won a compensation case against my ex-landlord in Dubai because he re-rented the property after giving me notice that he was selling. I have two questions: 1. By issuing an execution/enforcement order, does that mean he won't be able to re-rent or sell any of his other properties until he pays the compensation? 2. Am I able to claim legal fees in addition to the court and expert fees? Thank you!

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.

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.

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.