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: Hi Ma'am, An agency that doesn't have a license for doing leasing/ property rental business (I came to know this today) has taken my money for providing me 6 months accommodation in a hotel apartment. They did not provide me with the accommodation and after a lot of efforts, I was able to get my partial money back. But the agency is not refunding my remaining amount and they are not opening their office nor responding to my call (they have blocked my number and don't respond to any new number). Can I file a case in the rental dispute centre and also claim compensation for all the trouble me and my family went through and the expenses incurred? They took AED 2000 cash, a cheque of AED 12500 dated 2nd may (which they used) and another cheque of AED 12500. After the police called them, they returned my 2nd unused cheque and AED 7000 in cash. I have AED 7500 refund pending. Kindly suggest. Thanks, S.

Q: The employee of the real estate agency frauded 6-7 tenants from our building and ran away with the rent money. Now, the real estate lawyer is suing me for not paying the rent and it’s my fault that I gave the cheques to their employees. What can I do?  

Q: My landlord is abroad and is not currently able to travel to Dubai to withdraw one of my rental cheques. Instead, he has asked me if I would be able to transfer the rent amount to the building management team as part of paying off his service charges. I am not comfortable with this and wanted to know where I stand from a legal perspective.

Q: Hi, I recently gave a deposit + agency fee in cash (I have the agency receipt), but we would like to go back on our decision and not rent this apartment. We haven't signed the leasing contract yet, and neither has the owner. In the receipt, it's written that the deposit is non-refundable, but I haven't signed it, only the agent. So I don't know if it is legal. Do you know if I can get all my cash back (deposit + agency fee) when the deal did not close in the end because of me? Would the reason for deciding not to rent anymore impact the legal aspect of the situation?

In the UAE, cheque bounce is a very frequent problem faced by people during their span in the country. It is covered under the purview of Commercial Transactions Law, and legal implications/penalties can be financially severe and daunting for more “serious” offenses. Bounced cheque issues may arise in a variety of commercial transactions, including but not limited to, companies’ exchanges, bank loans, property rents or purchases, and individual transactions.

The provisions of this law On Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions (Law of Evidence) govern evidence in civil and commercial disputes in the UAE.