Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers
9 available 9 • View allIs the landlord allowed to increase rent by 20% despite the rent freeze law?

1
Q: Hi,
My landlord is going to increase the apartment rent from the next renewal. They are increasing by almost 20%.
Is the 'three-year rent freeze' in Dubai for residential buildings applicable for this case?


Nov 2, 2021
1550
Can the landlord force rent increase if it is not allowed by RERA Rent Index?
7
Q: Hello Madame.
My landlord sent me a notice to increase rent on the renewal of tenancy, 90 days in advance before the end of the contract.
However, no rent increase is permitted as per RERA Rental Index, as such, I refused the increase and asked him to renew the tenancy at the same rent as last year.
He refused and asked me to vacate upon tenancy completion which is on 14-Feb. Now, he is threatening to come to the house, and force me to vacate on 14-Feb.
What are my legal options?
I want to continue living in this house, and pay the same rent, as last year, as no increase is permitted as per RERA Rent Index.

Feb 10, 2022
2692
The landlord wants to increase the rent while the tenant refuses. What to do?
1
Q: Dear questioner,
I don't want to renew the contract of my tenant and he doesn't want to move. What do I do?
I have sent him a notice of rent increase 90 days before the end of the tenancy contract.
I told him in an email that the rent will be 55000 AED and he wants to pay 48K only.

Jul 5, 2022
1149
Can the landlord ask for rent increase 77 days prior to contract end date?




4
Q: Hi,
My landlord asked for an increase in rent 77 days prior to the contract's end date. He also asked for more than the amount that is allowed by the RERA calculator.
Since it is close to the limit of 90 days, if I go for the option of complaint via DLD/RDC, do I have a valid case for asking for the contract to be renewed under old terms?
Or is there a chance that the court will allow the landlord to increase the rent by what is allowed for by the RERA calculator?
Thank you





+1
Oct 23, 2022
289
دفع الإيجار المتأخر في حالة الفوز بدعوى عدم زيادة الإيجار

1
س: السلام عليكم،
كنت أجدد عقد الإيجار ووجدت أن مكتب العقارات يريدني أن أدفع زيادة في الإيجار 10 آلاف درهم. ذهبت إلى مركز فض المنازعات الإيجارية وأخبرتهم بذلك وقالوا لي ليس لهم الحق في زيادة الإيجار وتقدمت بطلب عرض وإيداع لكن مكتب العقارات لم يستجب.
ذهبت إلى مركز فض المنازعات مجددًا وقالوا لي ستبدأ بسداد الإيجار عندما يقبلون العرض. بعد خمسة أشهر تحدث مكتب العقارات معي ويريدني أن أذهب لتجديد العقد لكنهم يريدون أن أدفع الزيادة.
ذهبت إلى مركز فض المنازعات وتم تحديد جلسة تقاضي وكسبت الدعوى ولدي الحق في تجديد عقد الإيجار بنفس القيمة الإيجارية في العقد السابق.
هل يجب أن أدفع الأشهر الماضية؟ وما الحل؟


Oct 15, 2022
130
What happens to the rent increase and eviction notice upon selling the property to a new owner?



4
Q: I am a tenant in a villa. The landlord wants to sell the property to a new owner who wants to move in.
My rental agreement is till August 15, which means my 90-day increase notice is due on May 15.
Three parts to this question:
1. If the current owner serves me a 12-month notice, can the new owners still increase my rent?
2. If the current owner doesn't accept my counter-offer for the rental increase that he served before the notice (My offer is in line with the RERA calculations, but his is not), can he legally increase my rent if I get an eviction notice?
3. Is my eviction notice still valid if the sale of the property goes through? Or must the new owner serve me a new notice?
Thanks in advance




May 11, 2023
1423
I agreed with my landlord to increase the rent 10% I pay in cash. Should I insist on changing the contract?


0
Q: I'm staying in JLT in a house with a rent of AED 140,000 per year. The lease starts on 1st Sep '23 and expires on 31st Aug '24.
The landlord sent me a legal notice from the Dubai Courts in mid-Sep '23, giving me 1-year notice to vacate the house as he plans to sell the house. The notice was received by me through email from the court.
He claims the email notice sent by the court is not valid till I receive it by courier via Aramex for my physical signature. Can you please confirm if this is true?
The landlord is now ready to let me stay in this house for two more years. He has proposed that we maintain the existing lease agreement and Ejari. However, I should pay him AED 14,000 in cash (10% increment).
We will sign a separate paper document wherein we will agree that I will further rent increase of 10% (10% on (140,000+14,000)) on 1st Sep'24 when my current lease expires.
Should I insist on making a fresh written contract with the higher rent (140,000+14,000=154,000)?



Nov 18, 2023
135
Is it legal for my rent to increase by over 20%?




1
Q: Dear Sir/Madam,
My landlord has just sent me an evaluation certificate indicating that the rent for the property we are staying in is AED 220,000 and wants to increase it from AED 150,000 to AED 220,000. Is this legal?
Many thanks!





Feb 20, 2024
426
I received a judgment in my favor from RDC that awarded me legal fees. Does this include lawyer fees?




0
Q: I have received a judgment in my favor from RDC that awarded me legal fees.
However, RDC says that legal fees do not mean lawyer fees; they are RDC fees only.
Is this correct?





+2
Feb 14, 2025
103
Laws & Regulations
3 available 3 • View allLaw No. (26) of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai 12
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.
Nov 26, 2007
24293
Law No. (33) of 2008 Amending Law No. (26) of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai 8
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.
Dec 1, 2008
24962
Decree No. (43) of 2013 Determining Rent Increases for Real Property in the Emirate of Dubai 9
This Decree determines the maximum percentage of rent increase for real property in the Emirate of Dubai when renewing lease contracts.
Dec 18, 2013
13243

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313 313 answers •
View allCan the landlord request the tenant to pay the chiller in the middle of the contract? 0
I live in Dubai Marina, and the landlord claimed that according to new Dubai Land regulations, the chiller now has to be paid by the person occupying the apartment.
Even though my contract says that the landlord should pay the chiller, they want to implement this mid-contract.
I understand that the terms upon renewal will be renegotiated, but on what grounds can they implement the change mid-contract?
Does a new DLD regulation precede a tenancy contract? Moreover, I am receiving a disconnection notice from the chiller company due to non-payment.
What can I do if this happens?
Please advise.
Mar 23, 2022
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Can I travel with a non-paid telecom bill in the UAE if my visa is canceled? 0
Can I travel with a non-paid telecom bill in the UAE if my visa is canceled?
Feb 16, 2023
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Does the new property owner have to sign a new contract with the tenant? 0
Hi,
I'm a new landlord of the property which is already rented.
Kindly advise, do we have to sign a new tenancy contract with the tenant for the remaining period? And who will pay the cost of Ejari?
Feb 16, 2023
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Cleaner's resignation with 30-day notice in incomplete contract 0
Hello,
Good afternoon!
My friend works as a cleaner for a cleaning company and she now wants to resign with a 30-day notice. However, she has not completed the two-year contract and has only served for 16 months.
Additionally, she has not taken any vacation leave. The sad part is that when she signed the offer letter, she did not receive a copy of it and only signed it.
I would be very grateful if you could let me know if she would have to pay or if her boss has the right to not accept the resignation if the notice period mentioned in the offer letter is more than a month.
Her boss has not provided her with any kind of proof that she can use in the future if anything happens.
Feb 13, 2023
552
The ownership of a code of a web application 0
Hello,
I represent a tech-based marketplace company registered in a Freezone, in the UAE.
This is in regards to the UAE's law regarding the ownership of code when there is no clause mentioned in the agreement. One of our products (web application) is being developed by an agency in the UAE.
While we do have agreements in place, there is no clause regarding ownership of code. In the situation mentioned above, I've heard that the ownership of code either goes to the author or the agency that employed the author. Is this true?
Your assistance and help would be of great help.
Sep 7, 2021
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View allThe landlord refuses to wait for days beyond rental cheque due date. What to do? 0
Dear sir/madam,
My rental cheque is due tomorrow and unfortunately, I’m not able to honor it. I asked my landlord to wait a couple of days but he doesn’t want to wait and said that he is going to cash the cheque tomorrow.
Of course, the cheque will bounce, what would be the procedure then?
Do I have a certain amount of days before eviction to pay the rent?
Sep 25, 2022
484
What happens when the property is sold mid-lease? 0
Dear Sir/Madam,
Does the existing tenancy contract between the tenant and the previous owner remain in force even after the new landlord has purchased the property in the middle of an ongoing lease?
And when should a new tenancy contract be made?
Should it be made immediately after the property has been sold, or at the end of the ongoing tenancy contract signed between the previous owner of the property and the tenant?
Also, does a new contract have to be in place for the tenant to exchange the cheques, or does the existing tenancy contract with the previous owner remain valid for the purpose of exchanging the cheques?
Apr 5, 2023
770
Evicting an employee from school accommodation while a labor case is pending 0
Dear Sir/Madam,
I was wrongfully terminated by my school under Article 44 on March 20th, 2023. I have a case in the labor courts, and the first hearing is on April 4th, 2023.
However, my employer is asking me to vacate the school accommodation. I asked the Ministry of Labor and the courts, and they informed me that the school cannot evict me until the case is resolved.
Is this information correct?
I am currently unemployed and have nowhere else to go until I find another job.
Apr 3, 2023
128
If I have a travel ban in KSA, can I travel to the UAE on a work visa? 0
Hi,
May you and your family be blessed.
I'm extremely tense and need your kind feedback on the following issue.
If I have a travel ban in KSA, can I travel to the UAE on a work visa?
I have been visiting Dubai on a tourist visa without any problems.
The ban was imposed because I had to leave KSA suddenly and could not return after an exit-entry, and I was unable to pay back my car EMI and credit card payment totaling 30k SAR, which I intend to pay off gradually now.
When I left KSA, they only had my fingerprints at the time. I also understand that while coming for a visit to Dubai, only a retinal scan is done.
On the other hand, when obtaining a work visa, UAE takes and registers fingerprints as well. Could this lead to any issues for me?
I have finally obtained a better-paying job after a long time and can finally save up to pay off my debts. The case registered for which the travel ban is imposed is only for SAR 16000.
As of now, I cannot afford to hire a lawyer to check in UAE.
Thank you for your help!
Mar 29, 2023
1895
Tenant's rights: Can my landlord evict me, raise my rent, and ban my pet? 0
Dear Sir/Madam,
My landlord wants to evict me from the property where I reside. They have not provided a court order for eviction within the past 12 months.
Additionally, they are requesting a 40% increase in rent and are insisting on a 6-month fixed-term renewal, despite the RERA index indicating no such increase.
Furthermore, they have included an unreasonable clause that prohibits pets, even though I have lived on the property with a pet for over three years.
What options do I have if I do not agree to these demands?
Mar 16, 2023
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View allSigning a non-compete clause upon termination of a labor contract 0
Dear sir/madam,
I had signed a labor contract with the Ministry of Labour which had no "non-compete" clause.
Now, I want to leave the company, but my employer wants me to sign the "non-compete" clause in the termination contract.
In this case, is the non-compete clause applicable or not?
Oct 19, 2022
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Max deduction for severance pay due to damage/negligence in UAE 0
Dear Questioner,
In the UAE, is there a maximum amount an employer can deduct from an employee's severance pay due to damage/negligence?
Apr 26, 2023
200
Canceling my MoU and getting my deposit back due to a low bank valuation and overpriced property 0
Hi,
I wanted to purchase a 2-bedroom apartment in JVC Dubai. I gave a 10% security deposit cheque to the seller. The price mentioned in the MoU is very high compared to other similar apartments in the same building.
The bank’s valuation also came in very low. Since the valuation is much lower, how can I terminate the MoU and get my cheque back? The MoU ends on 1st October 2024.
One of the articles in the MoU states:
In the event that the Buyer fails to make the payments as agreed or fails to complete the transfer on the agreed date due to his own acts or omissions, the Seller has the right to terminate this agreement and retain the deposit, provided that the termination is due to a violation of the agreed terms, unless both parties agree amicably to different dates.
I need help urgently.
Sep 16, 2024
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ما الطُرق المتاحة للإنذار بأمر الأداء قبل إقامة الدعوى؟ 0
صباح الخير،
ما الطُرق المتاحة للإنذار بأمر الأداء قبل إقامة الدعوى في حال كون المدَّعِي (فرد) والمدَّعَى عليه (شركة) في الإمارات؟
شكرًا!
Jan 13, 2022
746
استحقاق المحامي نسبة من الفائدة القانونية رغم إبرام عقد سنوي بمبلغ مقطوع 0
السلام عليكم،
اتفقت الشركة مع مكتب محاماة على عقد سنوي بمبلغ مقطوع بالإضافة إلى نسبة من المبلغ الذي يتم تحصيله من القضايا.
هل يستحق المحامي نسبة من الفائدة القانونية المقضي بها حكمًا؟
Apr 27, 2022
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