Q: Good Morning, Due to the global pandemic, Hotels and Tourism business is majorly effected and that resulted in my 50% salary reduction for the month of March, April 2020. I am not sure if I might get paid these coming months as well. My wife is a Cabin Crew and is effected with the same salary reduction scenario and due to no flights assigned is getting paid only 20% of the actual she was earning before the Covid-19 outbreak. I politely requested my landlord to either decrease rent for the month my salary will be effected or extend the tenancy contract free of charge for a few months, that will ease my financial burden for the Year 2020. Please guide me through this financial crisis & rental relief situation. Thank you

Q: I have to cancel my tenancy contract as I lost my job. I read in gulf news that tenants can cancel the contract without paying a penalty if they don't have income for it. My wife has a job, but the tenancy contract is on my name. Is it possible to cancel the contract without penalty? Should I approach the court to get a ruling in my favour?

Q: We have been using an office for rent in Al Karama since 2014 and renewed contract in August 2020. Now, since business is less we wanted to vacate the office because the rent was high and we informed the real estate office but they are saying we need to pay 2 months rent for free. Also, they are saying they will take AED 8500 old security deposit for damages and repair of office but there is no damage in office and it doesn't even have any interiors or partition works done, just open office. Kindly advise if we have any rights to vacate without paying additional payments.

Q: We have an existing tenancy contract in Sharjah, but due to unfortunate circumstances of this pandemic, my wife and I lost our jobs. We already paid until December. Is there a current law where we can avoid paying the penalty of 2 months if we will end the contract earlier?

Q: A company has rented a small office in a business center, but has been unable to pay the rent for a few months since the COVID-19 lockdown. The business center has locked up the office, preventing access and usage, but continues to accrue the new unpaid rents as being due even though the company has no access to use the premises. Is this legal? The lease mentions that the landlord is allowed to lock up the office in case of late payments, but I had in mind that was illegal, hence that this clause was invalid, and that the company should have access to the office and to retrieve its belonging from there. Thanks, E.

Q: Hi, I left the UAE during COVID due to redundancy. I had an apartment in Sharjah, where they were unwilling to cancel my tenancy without penalties. Despite many requests, they refused, and I had no option but to leave the country due to very limited flights. Recently, when I checked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs app, I saw a financial criminal case pending against me, stating I am a most-wanted individual due to failure to pay financial sums. I sent a friend to check on the apartment, and they found that a case had been filed with around 29,000 AED due. I am now planning to visit the UAE for a job hunt. Will I be arrested upon arrival and sent to jail, or will they allow me to enter and impose a travel ban until I pay off the amount? Please advise!

Q: Hello, A client is willing to rent a flat, but the real estate agent has refused to add a force majeure clause to the rental contract. What can the client do to include a force majeure clause in the rental agreement?

As the world is currently experiencing a major lockdown and suspension of almost all commercial and civil operations, the question arises in the novelty of Coronavirus outbreak on how serious it is to be dealt with as a Force Majeure.

This article discusses the Ministerial Resolution No. (279) of 2020 Regarding Employment Stability in the Private Sector during the Period of Application of Precautionary Measures to Curb the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus Issued by the Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization in Abu Dhabi on 26/3/2020.

An interview-format article covering the topic of force majeure in the UAE, in light of COVID-19. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

An interview-format article covering the topic of COVID-19 in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.