Q: Dear Lawyers, I filed 2 Offer & Deposit applications: 1. Notice & Rent Increase: The landlord gave a 90-day notice to an unregistered email that is not listed in the tenancy agreement. My Jan 2025 filing, based on the Dec 2024 RERA Index, showed no rent increase, but the landlord now claims a 5% increase per the updated RERA Calculator this year. 2. Rental Payment: To deposit/transfer rent. Both were rejected due to the landlord’s nonresponse. However, the first installment was transferred via RDC & I provided the receipt. The landlord now demands the remaining payments, a renewed Ejari, & AED 420 admin fee (vs. the usual AED 265). They also threatened with eviction since Ejari expired last month. I’ve offered to provide PDC or deposit the amount. They have asked me to follow up with RDC to ensure the 1st payment is transferred to their account. Since I completed the Offer & Deposit process, I prefer they initiate a preliminary case. Could you please advise on the best course of action at this stage?

Q: Dear lawyers I submitted a file to the Dubai Land Department (RDC) through a trustee center regarding the rental increase by the landlord. I submitted the documents as per the trustee officer. Now I record the email that ‘the offer and deposit request has been rejected by the system as there has been no response from the respondent for 5 days. What do I do next? Is there any fault on my side? Kindly advise.

Q: Hi, My tenancy contract expired last week, and I filed an offer and deposit case with DLD because the landlord had not informed me of the rent increase 90 days earlier, and the RERA calculator also stated no rent increase was due. The offer and deposit case has been rejected due to no response from the landlord. What are the next steps? Do I need to file anything further? Thanks!

Q: Good day. For the last 3 years, the landlord's office has not responded to renew the contract, so I contacted RERA for renewal. The office doesn't respond to emails related to renewal, even though I started sending emails and reminders 2 to 3 months before expiry, and I have no choice but to contact RERA and send a notice. Once the renewal was processed by law, the landlord's office delayed in releasing the Ejari. Since it is a commercial property, my renewals are related to a staff visa, and I have to pay delay penalties. The landlord's office staff tried to take advantage of the Emirati owner, and no direct meeting was fruitful. What is the law that safeguards expats and sorts out issues without mutual compromise as they try to force their terms to be acceptable by law and not supported by any documentation?

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.

Legal notices are a key requirement under Dubai’s Tenancy Law to regulate landlord-tenant relationships and ensure fair warning before termination or legal action. These notices, whether judicial or ordinary, serve to inform the other party of breaches, non-renewal, or eviction. Dubai’s tenancy regulations clearly outline when notice is required, the proper form and method, and the consequences of failing to comply, all supported by legal provisions and judicial precedents.

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. 

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.

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.