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: 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: 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: I've been having issues with my building management regarding a supposed leak from my flat damaging another property. I've contacted Rera with the following: My building management is saying that there is a leak coming from my bathroom drain pipe which is damaging the below apartment. There is no leak inside my apartment. The only way to access the leak is to go through the below apartment's false ceiling as there is no possible way to access the drain pipe from my own apartment. My building contract also does not mention anywhere that I would be responsible for paying for this kind of damage. I would like clarification on who is responsible! Also, the time that the leak was reported the flat was unoccupied. Rera has replied that I am not responsible, however, the management company is still insisting. Any ideas?

Q: Hello, I am the owner of an apartment in JVC. The building management company charged very high maintenance charges. They are asking to pay AED 22 PSF, not worth paying even AED 10 PSF if you see the building condition. Also, no one invited us while selecting this company. It was forcefully implemented on us by the property developer because this company belongs to the same owner of the property. Now I have received a notice from the Rental Dispute Center. What should we do? Please advise!

Q: Hi, My landlord will not refund my AED 4,500 deposit for my rented villa, because he claims it was used to paint it, as per the request of the new tenant. I lived in the villa for less than 10 months, I left it in great condition and my contract doesn’t state I have to paint it upon the end of the contract. All the contract says is that the rental is bound by law 26 of 2007, in which article 21 states that normal wear and tear is acceptable. Initially, I was informed by the agent that the villa is in great condition and I will get all my deposit back. Then the landlord changed agent and the new agent claims that it is their practice to paint the properties before a new tenant moves in, irrespective of the terms of the contract. Should I file a case with RERA to get my deposit back?

Q: I am posting this to seek your advice on a matter regarding the rental dispute. The scenario is as follows; I selected an apartment to rent in Sharjah. The apartment was in bad condition with termites on door frames, a bathtub that needed to be replaced and other minor fixings to be done. The agent assured me to fix all the issues so I handed him over the 3 rent cheques, 1 cash installment, and a deposit of Dhs. 2000.00 (I have the receipts for cash payments). This all happened on 26.12.2023 and he promised me to fix the property by the 1st of January and the contract shall be made for 15.01.2024. Now today is 11.01.2024 when I am writing this email to you and nothing has been done yet other than false promises of fixing it all in 2 days. The contract date mentioned is 15.01.2024 but I have not yet received it physically. Now my question is, can you advise what are my options? Any help regarding this will be much appreciated.

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.