Q: Can a tenant break the lease early and be refunded by the landlord if the rental property has been found to have mould in several places? And it is no longer just a maintenance issue but a health hazard. The property also houses a child below the age of one.

Q: I have a tenant with an expired contract. I agreed to have a new contract for this year but I did not sign with him yet. He was 35 days late to pay the first 50% of the rent. Our agreement with him that he pays maintenance, but he deducted AED 40,000 from the rent because he said he changed the door latch and main circuit barker. I objected and demanded my money for the full rent (he paid 8,000 and he deducted 40,000). I want my full payment.

Q: Dear, Last year, 28th September 2017 to be exact, we rented 1 BHK Flat in Bur Dubai. The flat is old and since we required it on an urgent basis, we took the flat with unfixed things. We as the tenant fixed whatever is needed (bathroom door, kitchen cabinets, bathroom ceiling...etc.). We decided not to renew the contract due to the maintenance issues we had encountered. Now, the real state agent is asking us to pay the maintenance which quoted me for AED3500/- (kitchen and toilet ceiling change, full flat ceiling change, light change, switch change, kitchen exhaust fan change, all cleaning, shower pipe change, cabinet hinges repair, all materials and labours). Do we really need to pay for this maintenance? Please advice. Highly appreciate your immediate answer. Thanks & regards,

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.