Q: I live in Dubai Marina, and the landlord claimed that according to new Dubai Land regulations, the chiller now has to be paid by the person occupying the apartment. Even though my contract says that the landlord should pay the chiller, they want to implement this mid-contract. I understand that the terms upon renewal will be renegotiated, but on what grounds can they implement the change mid-contract? Does a new DLD regulation precede a tenancy contract? Moreover, I am receiving a disconnection notice from the chiller company due to non-payment. What can I do if this happens? Please advise.

Q: The owner is asking for chiller charges for the last 2 years, for an apartment that we have vacated 2 months ago. The bills are in the owner's name, who has been settling them and is now requesting reimbursement contract mentioned a company for the chiller by the name '[----], which does not exist. We did ask the building and agent for a chiller and were told that those are covered within the building. In the 2nd year, the term chiller was removed by the owner from the contract. The invoices shared to claim the chiller charges are from a building management company that is issuing building management charges to the owner based on the area of the apartment and it has nothing to do with the consumption. At end of the lease, the owner asked for settled copies of all other utility bills which were shared and there was no mention of chiller charges even then. Accordingly, the owner paid back the security deposit. The owner has sent a legal notice to reimburse these paid invoices, along with the charges he incurred on the legal notice and lawyer.

Q: Dear Sirs, I am facing a serious issue with regards to the chiller unit of my flat. I stay in Ajman in a 2-bedroom flat in a tower owned by a real estate company and the flat owner is an expatriate. My cooling bill from the real estate company is coming abnormally high even when we didn't use it during the winter the chiller charges keep on coming. So when I contacted the real estate company they send a technician and checked and told me the issue is with the units installed inside the flat not outside and it's not their responsibility. Then I contacted the flat owner who sent technicians and found some faulty components and replaced them. Now I have incurred a total cooling bill of more than AED 8000 from the real estate company, which was just due to the faulty components of the AC parts installed inside the flat. Am I liable to pay this amount? Both the real estate company and the flat owner refused to take responsibility. Kindly guide me on what options I have. V. C. T.

Q: I have been living in this apartment for 3 years. When I rented it, the agent told me it has a chiller with DEWA. Now the agent told me I need to pay chiller fees for the past 3 years. The chiller charges are part of the service charge billed to the landlord & they are fixed for every quarter. The chiller fee is very expensive & approx AED 5600 yearly which is much higher than what I used to pay elsewhere. My tenancy contract has a standard RERA template which states the tenant should pay all electricity, gas, cooling charges, etc. However, I have never paid any chiller fees for the last 3 years nor has the agent/landlord mentioned anything. I checked the contract & my previous conversation with the agent - it was not mentioned anywhere that the apartment chiller is with DEWA. Because of that, the agent is insisting that I have to pay. Is it legal for them to suddenly force me to pay this amount? Some said that I am not liable to pay any bills not issued in my name, and some suggested that the bill is too old.

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 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.

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.

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.