Q: Hi, A security deposit of AED 3,500 was paid to the landlord when I moved in and rental payment for each month was monthly. I moved out for personal reasons 4.5 months later and all rental payments were made for my time there. At the time of viewing the room, it is being claimed that the landlord stated the minimum term was 6 months, which was never put in writing or was it ever confirmed I would lose my deposit even when I gave my 30 days notice. There is no contract or correspondence to confirm any of this. The landlord lives in the property and is refusing to return any of my deposit. She is ignoring me now by blocking my number. I even offered her just over AED1,000 as a pro rata settlement as a goodwill gesture, but that is when she blocked me after she read it. I refused her 50/50 offer. If filing a complaint can cost AED 2.5k-3k where do I stand it seems like a pointless exercise, I don't think RERA will look at it? Do I go to the police? I'd prefer to avoid this option. Thanks

Q: Dear Madam, I am staying in Dubai. I had a rent bounced cheque due to the account being closed. I paid the bounced cheque amount in cash to the manager but he is absconding now and without giving me the receipt. Now the rental agency has opened up a case against me in the police. I am going to meet their lawyer. Need your advice on the correct procedures to follow in this case. How can I settle this dispute?

Q: I had given a cheque to my previous landlord which got bounced. Later, I had paid the amount by cash in his bank account and have handed him over the bank receipt as well. I do have a copy of the bank receipt signed by his manager also. Although the money is paid, he didn't return me the cheque and rather lodged a police case of cheque bounce. Also, he has given me a clearance certificate against the flat. What can I do when I am not in fault? Kind advice will be highly appreciated.

Q: Hi Sir/Madam. I was renting an apartment in Sharjah. My agreement has finished and I got a NOC from the landlord to cancel my flat. I canceled my municipality, SEWA and everything, and later my landlord filed a case against me in RDC. I showed all the cancellation papers to the judge and he said to show him the payment receipt, but I forgot to take it from the landlord. Now I don't know how to deal with this.

Q: Hi, I hope someone can give clarity to my situation. My tenancy contract in Sharjah expired last Feb 2022 but we were unable to renew due to financial difficulties. We stayed in the same flat and in Aug, we received a notice from Sharjah Municipality regarding a case filed against me for non-payment of rent. We went to the real estate office, paid a certain amount of what we had, and they assured us we can continue to stay in the flat so long as we pay the full amount by Dec. After a month, Municipality came and evicted us from the flat. We submitted a request and we were granted by the judge 1 week to take our things and move out. My question is since I already have an existing rental dispute case but I don't have a current contract, how can I cancel our SEWA connection after moving out? I understand that the case will continue to be active until I pay in full the amount stated in the dispute case, but will I be able to cancel my existing SEWA connection in this situation? Please help!

Q: Hi, I received a 30-day legal notice for missed rent on 26th Jan. I transferred the rent to the landlord by 7th Feb. I have communication from him that it was received. The subsequent months up until March were all paid and acknowledged by the landlord. A couple of weeks before renewal, he tried to increase the rent from 56k to 70k. On the contract renewal date, I filed an offer and renewal case, which the landlord did not respond to. On 8th May, he filed a case of First Instance stating he was still owed rent from the previous contract, which was already paid and acknowledged. I then uploaded the documents, but in English, and the decision went in his favor. Can I still appeal this enforcement?

Q: I have a case related to rent where I had to pay 5,555 and 9,600 for the month (01/02/2023) that we stayed till the evacuation date (01/03/2023) plus the court fees. The total amount is 17,350. Then he filed an execution order on (09/03/2023) and I received a document with the details, so I had 2 weeks to pay it off but I didn’t so they issued a letter to arrest the defendant on (30/03/2023) then on (09/11/2023) they issued a travel ban, I’m planning to pay it off now in installments. However, when I went to check for the amount now it says I have to pay 34,000. They included the 5,555 plus the court fees and they calculated the amount of the rent from 14/12/2022 to 01/03/2023 which equals 24,618. However, that doesn’t make sense because I only have to pay 15,155, excluding court fees, as stated in the letter I received on 09/03/2023. So what do I do? Do I have to appeal?

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.

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 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.