Q: Hello, I purchased a second-hand car from a direct owner in Dubai. The owner claimed that there is no accident and only small paint in the car. I trusted him and purchased the car at the price he asked for. After driving the car, the car had a problem and I went to the mechanic. The mechanic informed me post-inspection that the car has been in a major accident and it has been fully repainted. When I went to an authorized dealer thereafter, they told me that the value of the car is 60,000 AED due to the damage. However, I purchased it for 115,000 AED. The car owner did fraud with me. It is not safe to drive the car now and it looks risky to drive. Could you please help me here if I can go to the court and claim my money from the owner? I would appreciate your assistance. Thanks!

Q: My wife and I went and saw a car at a dealership in the Sharjah car market. The dealer claimed the car had a very minor accident. We asked for some scratches to be fixed as a condition to buy, and he agreed. We paid 1000 dirhams and signed. later, he asked for another 4000. I transferred another 4000 online to him, so in total I paid 5000 Dirham, and sent him a note about the expectations, and he responded back with “agreed” on Whatsapp. A few days later he said the car is ready. We went but none of what we agreed on was done. He asked us to come back again on Monday. On my request, he sent this note on Whatsapp and agreed to refund the deposit on Monday if the car was still not ready. On Monday the car wasn't ready. I asked for my refund as he agreed before but he refused. I asked for a receipt of my 4000 payments. He forged the document and added a note about the 4000 on the document that I already signed, to make that a non-refundable! Later I found the car also had a major accident and he distracted us.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I purchased a car from Dubai's largest second-hand dealership with full faith in their claim, on their website, that all cars on sale are thoroughly inspected and free from any material defects. Eleven months later, I decided to sell the car privately and received a matching offer. However, I was unable to sell it despite passing the RTA test because I discovered that the car had undergone chassis repair, with evidence that such repairs took place before the car was sold to me. The dealership must have been fully aware of these defects when they completed the RTA registration on my behalf. I had no doubt that the car was defective as its VIN number did not return any history of accidents. I feel extremely disappointed and let down because the car is now worth 50k less. Could you please advise me on my legal options? Am I in a position to sue them for compensation?

An interview-format article covering the topic of contracts in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The provisions of this Federal Law, known as the "New Consumer Protection Law", govern Consumer Protection regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Consumer Protection Law repeals the previous UAE Consumer Protection Law (Federal Law No. (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection).

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.

The provisions of this law On Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions (Law of Evidence) govern evidence in civil and commercial disputes in the UAE.