Q: Dear sir/madam, We rented a serviced and furnished apartment via a real estate agent and paid the 5% agency fee. We paid the deposit to the landlord and one rental check. Our contract is for one year, paid in two checks. The real estate agent agreed on a deep cleaning before we move in. We moved into the apartment on April 10. When we moved into the apartment, we noticed that the wall skirting panels were broken, none of the doors close properly, the drainage of the dishwasher is broken, the couch and carpets have large stains, some tiles are broken, and the walls are dirty. The apartment is serviced and comes with utensils and kitchen supplies. Some kitchen supplies and utensils are broken or incomplete. The landlord doesn't answer our requests to have all fixed, replaced, and liveable. After five days of fighting and trying to get a hold of the landlord and get the real estate agent to do something to assist us, we are done. Can we move out and request our deposit, rental check, and agency fee back?

Q: Dear sir/madam, I am terminating my tenancy contract with my landlord. He gave me an eviction notice in May and since then he has refused to fix any major issues in the property saying that "I'm free to fix it at my own expense", forcing me out of the property. Given these conditions, am I on the obligation to pay the 2 months' penalty for early termination? It seems to me that he waited until the contract was renewed to give me an eviction and force me out.

س: السلام عليكم، أحاول رفع دعوى ابتدائية ضد مستأجر سابق خرج من الشقة وخلّف وراءه أعطالاً ولم ينظف الشقة كما ورد في العقد. عندما وصلت لمرحلة طلبات الدعوى وأدخلت مطالبة مالية بسبب صيانة محددة القيمة، برزت رسالة في الأعلى تقول "رجاء تسجيل أمر أداء حيث أن الطلبات المقدمة تخص أمر الأداء فقط". عندما حاولت رفع الدعوى على أساس أمر أداء، طلب مني النظام تقديم وثائق غير موجودة حسب عقد الإيجار؛ مثلاً تعهد بالدفع أو ما شابه. كيف أحل هذه المشكلة؟ وتحت أي صفة يجب رفع مثل تلك الدعوى؟

Q: What are my options to take legal action against my apartment building for not fixing the constant issues that I am facing in my bathroom? For over 2 months now, I have been fighting with them to get more hot water and to stop leaks in my bathroom that are caused by a bad water heater. The building management has not been able to fix these issues and is now telling me to find my own technician and pay for another water heater. I know this is illegal. Please help!

Q: Hello, I am a tenant living in Dubai and last winter lots of villas were affected by the rain and there was a lot of damage caused by the rain. There was leakage in the entire villa, the floor went down and a lot of tiles popped out and cracked, and that’s what the engineer sent by the developer to see the damages told me. I have the proof paper from the developer for all the damages. They only fixed the leakage, painted the walls, and refused to fix the tiles. My question is, is it my responsibility or the landlord's as it wasn’t caused by me?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I rented a warehouse from a landlord on September 13, 2022, for an annual rent of 50,000 AED. I paid the first installment of 12,000 AED. The warehouse is our workshop where we manufacture customer orders. The landlord had an issue with Abu Dhabi Municipality, so he did not issue us a tenancy contract until February 15, 2023. After we received the tenancy contract, we discovered that the landlord also had an issue with ADDC. Due to these issues with the landlord, we were unable to get an electricity connection for our workshop until March 9, 2023. The landlord is now demanding rent for this period, but we refused to pay because it was not our fault. We also suffered a lot of losses during this time because we were unable to fulfill customer orders due to the lack of electricity. We also had to pay salaries to our idle workforce. The landlord has now filed an enforcement case against us by using the installment cheques. What legal actions can we take against the landlord now?

Q: I am posting this to seek your advice on a matter regarding the rental dispute. The scenario is as follows; I selected an apartment to rent in Sharjah. The apartment was in bad condition with termites on door frames, a bathtub that needed to be replaced and other minor fixings to be done. The agent assured me to fix all the issues so I handed him over the 3 rent cheques, 1 cash installment, and a deposit of Dhs. 2000.00 (I have the receipts for cash payments). This all happened on 26.12.2023 and he promised me to fix the property by the 1st of January and the contract shall be made for 15.01.2024. Now today is 11.01.2024 when I am writing this email to you and nothing has been done yet other than false promises of fixing it all in 2 days. The contract date mentioned is 15.01.2024 but I have not yet received it physically. Now my question is, can you advise what are my options? Any help regarding this will be much appreciated.

Q: Dear Lawyers, The windows are not fixed properly (Sharjah), and we suffer from dust nuisance. The landlord refuses to do the maintenance. What are the solutions?

Q: I own an apartment in Dubai which I rent out. The apartment below has reported water damage, and now the building management company is holding me responsible, asking me to fix both the leak and the damage to the unit below. I disagree with this for two main reasons: 1. The management company did not act quickly to stop the leak, and both my tenant and I were out of the country at the time. Had they intervened sooner, the damage could have been minimized. 2. I believe the leak may be due to construction defects or poor materials used by the developer. The building is less than three years old, and I bought the apartment directly from the developer. I don't see how any of this is my or my tenant's fault. I need legal advice on how to challenge this claim and understand my rights. Please let me know if you can help.

The relationship between tenants and landlords is regulated in Dubai by Law No. 33 of 2008 Concerning the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai. The arising rental disputes are referred to Rental Disputes Settlement Centre (“RDSC”) created by Decree No. 26 of 2013 to reconcile between the parties and reach an amicable settlement or seek a final judgment issued and enforced by the RDSC.

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.

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.

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.

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.