Q: Dear lawyer, I have a tenancy contract for one year in Dubai, ending on 25 November 2018. On the 8th of October, the landlord sent me a lease renewal, with some parts of the contract modified and contains different terms from the previous one. I decided I don't want to renew the contract; neither with the new nor old conditions. On the 1st of November, I notified the landlord that I will vacate on the current contract end date 25 Nov. He replied that I needed to notify him 90 days prior to the expiry date and I didn't, and now he is entitled to reimbursement and asks for 2 months' rent as a compensation. Our contract says only "Tenant agrees to notify the Landlord in writing 3 months (90 days) prior to the expiry of this Agreement of his intention to renew or not renew the Agreement". However, no financial penalties for breaking the clause of 90 days' notice of non-renewal are mentioned there. Please tell, can he claim from me this 2 months' amount? I will highly appreciate your opinion. Best regards

Q: We notified our landlord that we do not wish to renew our lease contract 75 days before its expiry date. He told us we had to notify them 90 days prior therefore he will automatically renew the lease for one year. After some back and forth, he said we must extend for four months and he will increase the rent for these extra four months. We offered to pay for the days we missed in notifying and we requested to stay for 2 months extra with the same rate but he is refusing. Our contract does not have a penalty clause if we fail to notify 90 days. What do we do?

Q: Good day, I have given a cheque amounting to the full rent value for 1 year as per my landlord's requirement. I just renewed my contract for the 2nd time, however, I am requesting for an early termination due to the transfer of my work location. But the landlord says I cannot refund the remaining rent amount even after 2-months notice which is about 7 months and the amount is more or less AED29,000+.

Q: Dear Lawyers, I have an eviction notice for 2025, but I want to leave the flat earlier. There is a clause in my contract requiring one month's notice, so I can inform my landlord that I will be leaving the flat in September without penalty. Question: What happens if I inform the landlord but he doesn't reply and we cannot arrange the handover of the keys? Also, I have a payment to be made that will fall after the date I have given for leaving the flat. Should I therefore cancel my cheques with the bank?

Q: Dear Lawyers, My rental contract expires in mid-August. I don't owe any money to my landlord; all rent is paid. They contacted me 110 days before expiration and mentioned a rent increase if I choose to renew. I responded that I do not intend to renew. I plan to move out next week and requested a move-out permit 10 days ago. The Community Management has already sent four requests to the landlord's company to sign the permit and has called them several times. Each time, the landlord's company claims someone else is responsible. I have also contacted the landlord's company, encountering the same issue; they cite different responsibilities. Responses to my WhatsApp messages are evasive. Today, the CM informed me that if the landlord does not sign, I will not be allowed to move out, and the community management cannot intervene. What options do I have? It seems like I may lose all my furniture to the landlord if I cannot move out.

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.

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.