Hi Ms. Jennifer, My friend in Dubai opened her dance studio in Karama & requested me to give her 4 cheques in my name as they had some issues opening an account. She assured me that every alternative month before the due date of the cheque she would deposit the said amount in my account. The 1st cheque was on 10 Nov 2022, for which she put the amount in my account. On 10 Jan 2023 was the 2nd cheque & this time she did not put the money in my account, I borrowed money from my known sources to avoid the cheque bounce case. It has been 13 days now & she has still not deposited my money in the account. How can I get out of this situation? I want to take back my 2 pending cheques from the landlord as the class does not belong to me, I just helped on humanitarian grounds & this is what I got in return. I have been messaging her pleading with her to deposit the money in my account but she has been giving me excuses. Please guide & help me.

Dear sir/madam, I am planning to start a new business in the UAE. I left my old office and planning to go for the registration of a new license. Is there any legal issue to start a business? And can I approach my existing clients for the new business?

Dear sir/madam, Can a landlord refuse to return the remaining rental cheques if the tenancy agreement has been terminated earlier with proper notice in place? I am vacating a quarter earlier, but the landlord refuses to return the 4th quarter cheque until I vacate the premises and he makes post-inspection despite having a separate security deposit amount in place.

Hi, I was laid off in June 2020 during COVID19 and had credit cards in several banks. I had to leave the country but was still paying the banks up until September 2021. So I was getting calls from the bank, and the last one was maybe in December 2021. A new law came into effect this January, so the cheque bounce was decriminalized but the civil case is still there and a new option of some kind of execution is also there now. I don't know if I got any cheque bounce, do I get a notification on my email or SMS on my mobile? (My mobile is still active and I am outside of Dubai since then). Also, want to ask- under the new rule does the execution smth can lead to imprisonment and/or a travel ban? And if yes then for how long? Will I be able to come to Dubai and find a job if the execution case is there? Thank you

Hi, I have a query regarding a contract renewal. I have given notice by the notary public to my tenant to vacate my apartment. He is not agreeing on terms and conditions and is asking to have the same terms and conditions as the previous year's contract, for which I said that I will not sign the contract which contains renewal terms and conditions. (I told him 90 days before the current contract expiry date that I am not willing to renew and I will give the notice to vacate). So if I do not sign the contract and it gets renewed automatically, can my tenant challenge the notice by a notary public at the time of vacating the apartment? Thank you!

I live in Dubai Marina, and the landlord claimed that according to new Dubai Land regulations, the chiller now has to be paid by the person occupying the apartment. Even though my contract says that the landlord should pay the chiller, they want to implement this mid-contract. I understand that the terms upon renewal will be renegotiated, but on what grounds can they implement the change mid-contract? Does a new DLD regulation precede a tenancy contract? Moreover, I am receiving a disconnection notice from the chiller company due to non-payment. What can I do if this happens? Please advise.

Can I travel with a non-paid telecom bill in the UAE if my visa is canceled?

Hi, I'm a new landlord of the property which is already rented. Kindly advise, do we have to sign a new tenancy contract with the tenant for the remaining period? And who will pay the cost of Ejari?

Hello, Good afternoon! My friend works as a cleaner for a cleaning company and she now wants to resign with a 30-day notice. However, she has not completed the two-year contract and has only served for 16 months. Additionally, she has not taken any vacation leave. The sad part is that when she signed the offer letter, she did not receive a copy of it and only signed it. I would be very grateful if you could let me know if she would have to pay or if her boss has the right to not accept the resignation if the notice period mentioned in the offer letter is more than a month. Her boss has not provided her with any kind of proof that she can use in the future if anything happens.

Hello, I represent a tech-based marketplace company registered in a Freezone, in the UAE. This is in regards to the UAE's law regarding the ownership of code when there is no clause mentioned in the agreement. One of our products (web application) is being developed by an agency in the UAE. While we do have agreements in place, there is no clause regarding ownership of code. In the situation mentioned above, I've heard that the ownership of code either goes to the author or the agency that employed the author. Is this true? Your assistance and help would be of great help.