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: Hey I rent an apartment in a building managed by a bank and had a one-year contract. They changed the management after three months of the contract. And then I had a bounced cheque so I went to the bank that was currently managing the building and paid them in cash. They said the old bank will send me my cheque back within a month. But after a few months, I received a message from the police that I have a criminal case so I went to check and found out that I have a travel ban as well. My mom was sick and I was traveling with her on Sunday and this happened on Thursday, 2 days before that. I went to the bank and got to know that they received the email but yet they filed the case by mistake and until this day I haven’t received my cheque back. It’s been 10 months now. Kindly let me know if I have a case.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Yesterday, I deposited money in a wrong account by mistake in an ATM machine. How can I get it back? Please advise!

Q: A person wanted to buy shares in my business. He issued cheques and then changed his mind and got cash from me. Now he filed a legal case against me. What shall I do?

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.

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.

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.

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. 

The provisions of this Decree by Law amend the Federal Law No. (18) of 1993 by replacing Clause (4) of Article (379) as well as Articles (600), (617), (641), (642), (643), (644), and adding new articles numbered (635) Bis, (641) Bis (1), (641) Bis (2), (641) Bis (3), (641) Bis (4), (643) Bis (1), (643) Bis (2), (644) Bis (1) and (644) Bis (2). The Decree-Law also repeals Articles (401), (402) and (403) of the Federal Law No. (3) of 1987.

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.