Q: Dear sir/madam, We have an issue related to service delivery with an engineering consultant in Dubai. This is related to the construction of a villa in Riyadh, KSA. The contract required them to provide us with detailed design services related to a project which included the MEP, facade, landscape detailed drawings, and tender documentation for submission to the contractor to construct the project. Chronology of events: - Contract signed: 19th March 2021 - Concept design documents submitted to OMTO to start their work: 29th June 2021 - MEP package received: 27th July 2021 (was promised delivery in 10 days, they took nearly 30 days) - Full MEP and schematic design documents received from OMTO: 27th August 2021 (4 weeks late) - Approval and payment made to proceed to detail design stage: 8th November 2021 - Detailed design package received: 2nd January 2021 (4 weeks late) We wish to sue them for the delays and losses incurred by us.

Q: Dear sir/madam, I hired a contractor to do my villa renovation in Meadows, Dubai in April 2022. The contractor's team is not technically sound, and everything has to be worked on a minimum of 2-3 times to make it right. There are structural defects in the workmanship of his team; for instance, the concrete pillar they made to support the structure was titled. His entire on-site team is illiterate (meaning they can't read and write in English) including the project manager. My husband and I have been doing project management to keep things going for the past 4 months. Based on our contract, he has got more work within the Meadows community, and he pays no attention to our work now. Things have gone from bad to worse. The whole process has been delayed by more than 4 months. We are sick and tired of it. By the way, the contract that both parties signed is loosely written. Kindly advise what legal recourse we have in this case. Many thanks!

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am looking for some advice. Twelve months ago, we hired a contractor to install a concrete pool. To date, we haven't been able to use the pool due to a leak. They keep trying to "fix" it, but I have no confidence in them anymore. Last week, another contractor came to the villa to look at it testing some of the fittings that I thought could be the reason. He removed some of the fittings and gave me a gut-wrenching comment. The concrete used for the pool is, in his opinion, "not good." What course of action can I take now? I obviously need to get the pool fixed, but I'm assuming the contractor won't accept liability. Can I involve the DM (Department of Municipality)?

Q: Dear Lawyers, I hired a contractor for my apartment renovation, and we agreed on the scope of work based on the quotation they provided. I have paid them almost 90% of the total value, but they have not completed the work on time and have not used the materials specified in the quote. They have also significantly delayed the project, and despite multiple follow-ups, they never provided the milestone details for the payment schedule, nor did they adhere to the timelines they committed to. I have payment details, the agreed-upon quotation signed by them, as well as email exchanges and WhatsApp group discussions. However, I don’t have a formal contract or agreement. I made payments whenever they requested, but they have cheated me, resulting in a significant loss of time and money due to delays. I am seeking legal help to obtain a refund from this company and take necessary action against them.

Q: Hey, I'm building my house in Dubai, and it was going well. I gave the contractor 420k as a first payment, and we both agreed that the rest would be in installments. Just two months ago, the contractor went off the grid, and I can't find him. All I have is a security cheque that bounced back when I went to the bank, as the signature doesn't match what's in the file. However, I learnt that he does have money, but not the amount that's in the cheque. What should I do now to get my money back? I need advice.

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.