Q: Good morning My husband lost his job last year in October after 15 years in Dubai. He continued to pay his mortgage without giving any excuse to the bank till now when COVID-19 happened. He is on my visa. We want to defer mortgage payments for a few months. Kindly advise what should we write to the bank in this regard as they are demanding the payment now. We received the email this morning. I would like to mention that we have been paying the mortgage regularly. Best Regards

Q: I’ve lost my job due to COVID-19. I am a school teacher. My school will open in September. I have a credit card with a bank. What legal action can I do? No means of paying them for the meantime.

Q: Hi, I took a personal loan and have a current outstanding 18 months to pay amounting to AED 63,975. In 2018, I lost my job but still managed to pay my dues until April 2019. My salary on the new company is lower compare to when I took the loan, and due to current COVID-19, my current salary has been cut further down of 40% and will not be able to pay my monthly dues. What with be my legal case if I will not be able to settle this outstanding amount? Your response is highly appreciated.

Q: Hello, I’ve been in redundancy from my employer related to COVID-19 impact to the industry. What will happen to my personal loan?

Q: Hi, I have an outstanding loan with 97000. I have been always paying and have a good history with the bank. The loan was given with a salary guarantee from my company. I work for a reputable airline, however, I was just notified a couple of days ago that I have been made redundant due to the pandemic. I understand the bank will seize my end of service gratuity. That will leave me with around 70000 outstanding. Based on the current market situation it will be hard to find a job on time. I have an official letter from my company with the reason why my contract was terminated, although my contract is auto-renewal. I have a few questions, if I may. 1- Since I haven’t missed a payment before, when does the bank issue a travel ban? 2- What are my options at the moment? I won’t be able to repay the outstanding unless I find a job. 3- What kind of legal action can the bank take against me?

Q: Hi, Yesterday my car has been detained by the police but I was not aware why. When I have been checked at the police station, they told me that there is an issue with the bank. What I remember is that some payments were not made since I was stuck in my home country due to COVID-19 from Feb to July 2020 due to which I was not able to pay the monthly instalment. I resumed work in Aug and started paying my instalments after that. Why did the bank request my car detention?

Q: I have 3 credit cards and a loan. Now I have resigned from my job due to the Covid issue and last year there is a deduction of my salary and unpaid leave. How will I handle this situation?

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.

The management of individual financial affairs is crucial and all the actions must be weighed down while committing to any financial liability. Whether it's job loss that may have lead to financial failure or the opposite, one must be aware of the personal liability which will not diminish by paying fines for cheque bounce cases. There are two major types of liabilities, criminal liability and civil liability. Each has its own significance, hence, must be dealt with accordingly.

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.

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.