Q: 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.

Q: I have a friend renting a flat but there's no contract between them. He issued a cheque as a guarantee cheque only and they agreed that they will give it back to him once he pays the rent. Now, my friend notices that they deposited the cheque to the bank and it bounced. What can he do for it? What advice can you give? Thank you and regards.

Q: I'm a foreigner landlord and my tenant is paying rent. His cheque has bounced and he's not in Dubai, but his friend is living in the apartment.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, The apartment contract is under my cousin's name, but the cheques I issued are under my name. Due to losing my job, there is an overdue rent. The landlord called me and said he will file a case against me because of a bounced cheque. I just want to know if I will be in trouble for a bounced cheque.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My cousin sister asked me to use my EID to set up water and electricity for her apartment in Sharjah in 2018 for two months while her ID was being renewed. She called me in 2019 to cancel the water and electricity. The apartment management assured me that the checks and everything would be under my cousin's name, and that's how it was for the past 5 years. My cousin had bounced checks, and since the apartment management knew about the agreement, nothing was done on my behalf. New management took over this year and placed a travel ban on me for failing to pay my rent, even though I have never lived in that apartment in Sharjah. For the past few years, I have been living in company accommodation. How can I get justice since I have a travel ban?

In the UAE, cheque bounce is a very frequent problem faced by people during their span in the country. It is covered under the purview of Commercial Transactions Law, and legal implications/penalties can be financially severe and daunting for more “serious” offenses. Bounced cheque issues may arise in a variety of commercial transactions, including but not limited to, companies’ exchanges, bank loans, property rents or purchases, and individual transactions.

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 Decree by Law amend the Federal Law No. (18) of 1993 by replacing Clause (4) of Article (379) as well as Articles (600), (617), (641), (642), (643), (644), and adding new articles numbered (635) Bis, (641) Bis (1), (641) Bis (2), (641) Bis (3), (641) Bis (4), (643) Bis (1), (643) Bis (2), (644) Bis (1) and (644) Bis (2). The Decree-Law also repeals Articles (401), (402) and (403) of the Federal Law No. (3) of 1987.

The law promulgates UAE Civil Procedures Code (Civil Procedure Law) which governs civil procedures in the United Arab Emirates, including the prosecution before the courts, litigation and execution.