Q: A company has rented a small office in a business center, but has been unable to pay the rent for a few months since the COVID-19 lockdown. The business center has locked up the office, preventing access and usage, but continues to accrue the new unpaid rents as being due even though the company has no access to use the premises. Is this legal? The lease mentions that the landlord is allowed to lock up the office in case of late payments, but I had in mind that was illegal, hence that this clause was invalid, and that the company should have access to the office and to retrieve its belonging from there. Thanks, E.

Q: We have been using an office for rent in Al Karama since 2014 and renewed contract in August 2020. Now, since business is less we wanted to vacate the office because the rent was high and we informed the real estate office but they are saying we need to pay 2 months rent for free. Also, they are saying they will take AED 8500 old security deposit for damages and repair of office but there is no damage in office and it doesn't even have any interiors or partition works done, just open office. Kindly advise if we have any rights to vacate without paying additional payments.

Q: Dear Sir, Please reply to my problem. I am currently in Abu Dhabi. I have a labor case against my old company in Abu Dhabi for my final settlement amount for 14 years. I won the case and got the final judgment and execution started on March 2021. Until now that company did not pay anything with respect to the judgment. The company having a commercial license as a branch in Abu Dhabi & the parent company license in Sharjah. The Abudhabi branch has no assets (no vehicles, no own office - Has a rented office, no bank accounts) under Abudhabi License. The execution court made a decision to freeze the company account under Abudhabi License but they have no accounts under Abudhabi License. But all of their accounts are under Sharjah license. In this situation, how can I proceed with the court to block the company accounts? The execution court had already made several decisions to seize the assets (But the Abu Dhabi branch has no assets). Please advise how to handle this subject.

An interview-format article covering the topic of defaulting on commercial lease in the UAE and related procedures. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW. In this article, Ludmila discusses what one should do if the tenant becomes unresponsive.

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.