Q: Hi, I paid my rent in 4 cheques in the landlord's name and a 5th cheque as a rental fee to the agency. The agency cheque was cashed straight away. The landlord only cashed the third and fourth rental cheques saying there were problems with his bank account. He says he does not have the first and second cheques and never received them from the agency (the agency paid all the cheques to his bank directly). The first two cheques had gone past 6 months and the bank no longer accepts them. I refused to issue the 2 replacement cheques unless I get the old ones back. I have already left the property. What are the legal implications? Can he sue me for non-payment? What do you recommend as a solution? I have photocopies of the 4 cheques (including the last 2 he cashed). The flat is in Dubai. It was a non-Rera registered agreement. Thank you!

Q: Hello, My new landlord has the old checks from the previous landlord. I have already paid the rent to the new landlord, but he is not giving me back the old checks with the name of the old landlord. What legal actions can I take in this matter? Can I inform the police about this? Or should I do it through the rental disputes center?

Q: Hi, I'm a new landlord of the property which is already rented. Kindly advise, do we have to sign a new tenancy contract with the tenant for the remaining period? And who will pay the cost of Ejari?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My landlord renewed the contract with me just a couple of weeks before expiry and collected a single cheque out of the 2 agreed upon. However, after 1 month, he sold the property without my knowledge. Now the new landlord is asking me to sign a contract with him as the previous one is not valid since he is the new landlord. Additionally, the new landlord is asking me to change the terms and conditions and pay a new security deposit as the original landlord has not returned it.

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.

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.