Q: Hi Ma'am, Can I know what is my legal situation if I refused to accept the rent increase? Also, as per our contract, the landlord should inform me before 60 days. What if he didn't notify me? Thanks

Q: To whom this may concern, Recently, I have an issue with our agent when we left the property. We rented the property for two years and we gave the security deposit. We have moved out of the place because the agent increased the rent by more than the RERA calculation. Now, almost 1 month already had passed and we still have not received the security deposit. The agent gave us the invoice which includes; the A/C service of the apartment, and the supply and replacement of the water heater with pipes (plumbing work). All other costs are okay such as re-painting and replacing hinges. But the first two are unacceptable from my point of view. Are we allowed to submit a dispute with the landlord, if the agent will not give the security deposit back, should we file a complaint? Kindly need your expert advice! Thank you and regards,

Q: I have rented an apartment in Dubai (business bay). My rent is up for renewal in May. A few weeks ago the landlord asked if I wanted to renew and I said yes. Checking the RERA calculator, he is permitted to increase my rent by 10%. I agreed to that. He is asking for more and I declined his offer and mentioned that I would only pay the 10% increase. He then said he is not willing to bargain and simply will not renew my contract. I told him I did not accept that. He then made reference to a clause in the contract that says “A ninety days' notice in writing should be given by the landlord to the tenant if the landlord wishes to review the rent in accordance with the applicable RERA law at the relevant time for renewal OR if the landlord wishes to terminate the contract”. He is relying on the second part of this statement for his argument. Can he decide not to renew my contract? Please note he has not submitted any valuation certificate. Thank you!

Q: My landlord said he wants to increase the rent and I cited that the RERA Index does not allow them to do that. He came back saying we can proceed through a rental committee to get a rental valuation, and if we choose not to, then he will: (1) have one cheque instead of our original 3 cheques (2) have me pay for the chiller though in the contract it says it's the landlord's responsibility. Can he do that?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, A landlord looking to increase rent without following the RERA index. What are tenant’s rights? My landlord notified me on time that he would like to increase the rent significantly. He claims that the RERA index is not applicable as it is a Hotel Apartment (the property type on the title deed is indeed “Hotel Apartment”). However, I do have a valid Ejari. Does it mean that the RERA index is applicable? Thank you!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I'm renting an unfurnished apartment in a building, which is classified as a hotel apartment. I have an Ejari certificate. The owner wants to increase the rent by 50%, from 105,000 AED to 155,000 AED. He says that hotel apartments don't follow RERA rules and policies. He has obtained a rental valuation certificate with a value of 155,000 AED, even though the highest rent in this building is 130,000 AED. He keeps insisting that they can raise the rent as high as they want, without regard to RERA.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My landlord has just sent me an evaluation certificate indicating that the rent for the property we are staying in is AED 220,000 and wants to increase it from AED 150,000 to AED 220,000. Is this legal? Many thanks!

Q: Hi, My tenancy contract expired last week, and I filed an offer and deposit case with DLD because the landlord had not informed me of the rent increase 90 days earlier, and the RERA calculator also stated no rent increase was due. The offer and deposit case has been rejected due to no response from the landlord. What are the next steps? Do I need to file anything further? Thanks!

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.

This Decree determines the maximum percentage of rent increase for real property in the Emirate of Dubai when renewing lease contracts.

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.