Q: Good morning My husband lost his job last year in October after 15 years in Dubai. He continued to pay his mortgage without giving any excuse to the bank till now when COVID-19 happened. He is on my visa. We want to defer mortgage payments for a few months. Kindly advise what should we write to the bank in this regard as they are demanding the payment now. We received the email this morning. I would like to mention that we have been paying the mortgage regularly. Best Regards

Q: Hi, I have a mortgage with a bank in Dubai. I renegotiated the interest rate with them in DEC 2018 to 4.15%. I discovered, in Jan 2020, that the bank had never amended my interest rate to 4.15% but was instead charging 7.75%. This bank has never ever sent me a statement of my mortgage. I have been in discussion with them ever since but they are refusing to abide by the terms of that signed agreement which I have in my possession. I want them to refund me the amount that I have been overcharged over the past 15 months. They are instead offering me a 3.99% rate for the next 3 years. I have filed a complaint with the Central Bank, they have not replied to the Central Bank's query in the 14 working day period. The bank has told me that I can call back on Sunday to see if they have replied. How can I get this bank to honor the agreement and refund me for their mistake? It seems that there is no accountability expected from them and I'm bearing a heavy financial burden as a result.

Q: I have a mortgage of 1.3m with a bank. It is a lease and the property is registered on my name. At the moment, I live outside the UAE and cannot sell the property because of COVID-19. There is a 40-day delay with payments - 1.5 installment is due. The bank sent me information to clear the outstanding amount within 1 day or they will start a police case and repossess the property. Is a 40-60-day payment delay long enough to start a police case and repossess the property? What can I do to avoid consequences? I can settle the outstanding amount within 15 days. I plan to sell the property when the borders get reopened.

Q: Hi, Actually, I'm working in my father's company and he had given a case against a company for a huge amount. Now, when I checked the legal document I found that the judgment has been issued and they have seized 26 vehicles. Now, my dad is not here in Dubai. He handed over a power of attorney to me. This all happened in 2012 and I think judgment came in 2016. Do I have any hope?

An interview-format article covering the topic of loans and bounced cheques in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

The provisions of this Law apply to the mortgage of real roperty as security for debt. It makes no difference whether the debt is secured by a charge over the whole of the property or over an undivided interest therein or by right in rem or personal right over a property marked as sold off-plan.