Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am a landlord and gave notice (through a Notary Public) to the tenant to vacate the villa for personal use or to sell it one year ago. The tenant vacated the villa after one year as per the notice. I failed to sell the villa after trying to sell it through multiple agents for the past two months. I re-offered my previous tenant the villa for rent for one more year as I failed to sell it, through email (7 days ago). However, I have not received any response to this email. Please advise whether I can proceed with renting the villa to another tenant as I am incurring losses by paying EMI, maintenance, etc. Please also advise if the previous tenant can still ask for compensation. Thank you in advance!

Q: My landlord sent me a notary notice to vacate the property saying he will ‘sell’ the property. He previously asked me to leave so that his family can stay there. We are almost certain that he wants to lease the property to new tenants to take advantage of the rent hikes in the area. We have signed a contract till the eviction date. Do I have any option to remain in the property after the eviction date taking into account that I have been in the property for 4 years?

Q: My landlord has asked us for a 33% rent increase and I responded by informing him that according to Dubai law, the maximum rental increase he can impose on me is 20%. He then replied back and gave me 24 hours to respond and agree to the 33%, or else he will evict me (all communications have been done through email). 2 days later, I received a 12 months eviction notice through the notary. The eviction said it was for the reason of selling his property. Fast forward, I moved out at the end of the 12 months. Then less than 2 months later (48 days later), he rented the property to another tenant for a higher price (I have managed to obtain a copy of the Ejari of the new tenant). My question is: Is it worth it to go to the RDC and file a case? Or is this a gray area in the Dubai rental law, and there is a chance that the judge won't order the landlord to pay any compensation? Please let me know what is the success probability here.

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.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

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. 

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.