Q: Good day, Madam, I had a deal with a real estate broker in Dubai for a flat located in Sharjah. Paid everything since 17-Apr-19 after almost 2 weeks still no contract presented to me. I decided to go directly to the building management and found that the broker I contacted did not provide to them the cash and all cheques I have issued, though a receipt was given to me by the broker. Then the building management summoned the broker asking the later to hand over the cash and the cheques, however, the cash is now lacking AED 1000. The building management found out as well the commission charge against me by the broker was AED 2000 which is 40% more and an unnecessary additional charge of 300 for PRO services. Can I make a complaint against the broker? Many thanks

Q: I have paid an advance payment of AED 11,000 in Cash and AED 32,000 in Cheque to Real Estate Agent (Broker) in Sharjah for booking of my rental flat in Sharjah. Now it's already passed 11 days but no reply from the agent and the agent told me that there is no owner available and the owner's signature is required in the agreement. The agent also doesn't know when the owner will come & will sign. So, I asked the agent to give my money back but he refused to give money. What should I do now?

Q: Hello, Recently, I am in contact with a real estate broker for a 2 BHK apartment. He showed me an apartment and he said there is an agency fee of 5% and a broker fee of 2500. I did not agree with it. He did ask for my documents which I have given but then I thought of reaching the landlord. The apartment display the real estate management company number of this building. I called them and they said they didn't appoint any broker nor did they retain. So, I booked the flat directly with the property management since they insisted to book through. Now, the broker is claiming that he needs his fee, if not, he will follow a legal approach. It's a small amount but the whole process to secure this apartment is done by myself, why should I pay? Is there any rule as show fee?

س: السلام عليكم، لدي عقد إيجار مُوقَّع من صاحب العقار منذ أكثر من ٥ أشهر. إلى الآن لم أستطع استخراج إيجاري بسبب أنه لم يدفع رسوم مستحقة عليه والعقار محجوز في الإيجار. حاولت التواصل معه بالهاتف والوتساب والإيميل ولكن لا يوجد رد. ما الحل الآن وأنا غير منتفع من العقار طوال هذه المدة؟

Q: Hi Sir, I am R.K.B. I got in contact with a real estate agent and he showed me a room in a building and asked for 1000 Dhs as a booking amount. He never informed me that the amount is non-refundable. We deposited the amount and once the room was fine, he increased the yearly contract amount since it was not a good deal we informed him. He said it cannot be refunded and the cash will be gone. I tried to contact them but now they're not answering. The agent told me that he is from [------ Real Estate].

Q: Hi, I am a real estate agent. A customer paid me a token amount of 6300 AED to book a property in Dubai. I gave him a non-refundable receipt in return. The case was transparent and clear. Two days later, his current landlord gave him a discount on renewal, and he asked me to cancel the booking. His mother was also looking for the same property, so he asked me to convert the money and rent the same unit to his mother. However, the landlord rejected his mother's documents, and he is now asking me for a refund. I have a copy of his signed non-refundable receipt. What should I do?

Q: I wanted to rent a unit and booked an appointment in Sharjah for Friday (08/09). As I arrived there, he showed me another unit which looked awful and told me only then the one I asked for was already rented. I was so tired and confused, that I agreed to rent that unit if he could get me the Ejari by Monday which he confirmed. I signed an empty contract in the agent’s office on Friday evening in Dubai and he promised me to fill out the necessary fields. Someone cashed in my first cheque of AED 7370 already on Saturday when I still haven't got a contract signed by the owner. On Sunday, I had to get to Sharjah again to meet the owner. However, only his manager was there and the agent let me sign a second contract (different contract number) which had only the unit number on it. The owner signed a 3 copies contract only on Monday (11/09) evening and the agent wanted me to drive there and sign it which I haven't done. My question is can I get my money back and what should I do for it? Thanks

Q: An agent from a company in the housing space promised me 3% cash back from the brokerage if I booked the house through him. He has sent this understanding over email from his company email. He also paid 2% but before he paid the remaining 1% he left the company. Now despite sending numerous emails, the company is not responding. I put a bad review on Google and their lawyer warned me for a complaint with Dubai police. I removed my review as not sure of the laws. Tell me my next steps and whether the review can get me in trouble. Also, can I go to the police with the email to get support?

An interview-format article covering the topic of residential retail properties pertaining to the liability for property maintenance and the repercussions of defaulting on rent payments 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.

This Bylaw regulates the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai. No person may engage in real estate brokerage activities in Dubai unless he is licensed by the competent entities and entered in the register, which is maintained by Dubai Land Department.