Q: Ex-landlord in Abu Dhabi Khalifa City isn't willing to return full payment that I paid as a security deposit. He claims that 1k will be deducted because I left the carpet and removed the lights whereas the lights were all mine and he communicated in a very ill-mannered way. Kindly assist me with this. Thank you

Q: I moved out of an apartment in Dubai on 19th of April 2019. It is almost three months later and they still have not refunded the balance of the security deposit. I have made repeated requests to get the money back but they are just wasting my time. How can I proceed to get this money back?

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: The landlord has not returned my security deposit worth AED 5000. I filed a case and have judicial announcements that the landlord should return deposit+expenses. But still no response. The landlord is out of the UAE and his property is handled by the agent. Not sure how to get my money back while I followed all procedures, even filed an execution case but no response. While I keep paying to follow up on the case, the property is rented out to the next tenant and earning money. I feel like this system is created like this on purpose.

Q: Dear sir, I have moved out of a flat after giving a notice. I handed over the keys in advance (1 day) of the lease period. My landlord is not giving me my 5,000AED security deposit after many reminders. The owner is a local. There is one PRO who keeps on changing words What action can I take to get my money back? Kindly help!

Q: I gave a 5% security deposit cheque to my building management. They told me this cheque will be returned to me when I am vacating the flat. But without prior notice, they deposited my cheque. I still have 2 months' time for my tenancy contract to expire. Please guide me, can they deposit my advance cheque without prior notice?

Q: Hello, I would like to ask if I am legally obliged to pay for damage to a unit I rented that I did not commit. My family rented a unit in Abu Dhabi for 3 years. After a week of moving in, I found damage in the toilet that was already patched and fixed. I reported it to the landlord through email to notify them that it is an existing issue. It was not discovered during the move-in inspection due to its inconspicuous location. The landlord did not address the issue back then so I thought that this matter is settled. I was surprised that after moving out, I was made to pay for the damage and the huge amount would be deducted from my security deposit. I told the landlord that this was already a reported and existing issue but they did not relent. This was not noticed by their inspection team during move-out and was not even included in the report I signed. I pointed this out later to the team so that they could address this before a new tenant moves in. Thank you so much.

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: Dear Sir/Madam, I recently moved from my old premises to a new one because the landlord wanted the tenants out after an inheritance case as he wants to increase the rent in the building. That case made the renewal of the contract impossible for months but once settled, I paid the amount in one go so I could move out. In order to avoid any issue, I moved out but the landlord is taking time to give me back my deposit telling me that some agent from the justice needs to sign the deposit cheque in order for him to give it to us. Therefore I wanted to inquire if that is true as I'm struggling now financially and that cheque would help me big time. I paid for moving out and moving in, in one go, which caused me a lot of expenses at once and that deposit cheque is more than needed. I gave them time, as they told me it needs 15 days, now it's been 22 days and they're still telling me the court agent did not come to sign the cheque. Could you please advise what is the legal action that I can take?

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.

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. 

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.