Questions & Answers - Legal Advice Middle East

Claiming compensation from the landlord for failing to fulfill obligations

Q: I moved to an apartment in July 2018 and the landlord was outside of Dubai. Being a foreigner, he promised to complete all documentation soon and he cashed out my cheques. Then he stated that the apartment was registered on his son (a minor) and doesn`t have the necessary documents and he will complete when he comes to Dubai. He came 9 months after I moved in and that costed me to pay AED 12,100 proven fine for late renewal of my maid’s visa (Ejari is the landlord`s responsibility). As per the contract, the Building Management deactivated access cards including the parking during my stay, saying the landlord failed to pay the service fee. This was the case for 100 days. All failures were acknowledged by the landlord via emails. When moving out (July 2019) his agent inspected the apartment. They promised to provide a list of deductions in few days which happened with 53 days delay and failed to present invoices and return deposit balance so far (80 days delay). The deduction is a round figure (suspicious). Please let me know if you can assist and tell me about the cost.

إلغاء الوكالة العامة من خارج البحرين

س: كيف بالإمكان إلغاء وكالة عامة من خارج البحرين علمًا بأن الوكالة تم إبرامها في البحرين؟ قمت بعمل وكالة عامة (لداخل وخارج البحرين) لأخي أثناء تواجدي في البحرين. الآن أريد إلغاء الوكالة بأسرع وقت ممكن، لكن المشكلة هي أنني خارج البحرين ويتعذر عليَّ الرجوع قبل عدة أشهر. علمًا بأنني لست بحرينيًا.

Stopping the payment of a cheque for breaching obligations

Q: I gave 12 guarantee cheques against salon rent. The first month, they deposit the cheque without information and collected the amount. The second time, we gave cash by hand and collected the cheque. But before the third time, we asked for an agreement for the salon. They said later. So when we realized they cannot give the agreement, we said we are leaving the salon and requested all cheques since there is no agreement. They refused and deposited and collected the amount. So I asked again and again and they are not ready to return the cheque and we already stopped work in the salon. Later, we reported in the police station the loss of the cheque and we asked the bank to stop the payment. But now they made a case against me for 20000 for bounced cheque due to stopping the payment of the cheque. How can I get a solution for this case?

Releasing an employee from jail in case of employer's waiver

Q: Hi Rajasree, An ex-employee of a car-washing company made a duplicate of the key of the company when he was working there. He gave the key to 2 other persons who opened the company and stole the engine oil. Now they are in jail. The owner withdrew the case. The value of the stolen oil was paid by the ex-employee. The ex-employee admitted to the police that he helped for stealing the company. 1. Can we release him from jail? 2. Should he get deported or fined?

How to analyse the authenticity of a job offer

Q: I received an offer letter from a university in Dubai in 21.10.2019 asking me to join in November 2019. They also asked me to pay my work permit cost which they will reimburse letter. No interview was conducted and the mail says they took my CV from naukri.com and checked my educational qualifications and did background verification. Can I accept the offer?

Applicable law in labour disputes subject to special visas

Q: I was working in a company in Abu Dhabi for a sheikh and my visa was on his private office. It was for three years and not for two years like the private sector. Also, I had no labour card and my employment agreement was not registered with the Labour Department. Do I follow and apply the labour law 8 of 1980? And in case of dispute, shall I go to the labour court or civil court?

Hire a lawyer online

Save time and money. Buy fixed-fee legal services or submit your request and get multiple competitive offers from qualified lawyers.

Buy services Get quotes

Claiming credit card dues after returning double the amount

Q: Hi, I have a credit card of 30k limit. I used it fully and paid them back almost 40k extra. I have receipts for 65000 or more. They presented the cheque in police and filed a case against me but I paid them more than their actual amount. So now what type of punishment they can give me? The cheque amount was 100k. I want to ask you, their limit was 30k but they presented the cheque with 100k. Isn`t it illegal? And what is the procedure to get rid of this tension? I shall be thankful to you Best regards

Calculating the grace period after visa cancellation

Q: Does the UAE grace period of a labour contract and visa mean it will be same for an individual? If my labour contract is cancelled and the visa is cancelled after 20 days, will the grace period be 10 days or 30 days after visa cancellation?

Assistance in changing visa sponsorship to owned property

Q: We own a house in Dubai [full ownership and in possession of the notarized title needs]. I have just resigned from my job and want to now stay in Dubai but not work. Can you help complete visa transfer from the company to my own visa for myself and wife? Regards D. R.

Claiming refund of property from a developer who fled the country

Q: I have booked an apartment in Ajman in a project and I have already paid 90% of the payment. The builder`s name is [-------], and now they have stopped the project for 6 years. Please let me know how I can recover my money.

Can the wife prevent her husband to enter the house she pays rent for?

Q: I filed a divorce case and already attended the 1st reconciliation. My husband agreed to divorce but can`t get any mutual agreement. I want to know if I can kick him out of the house. I am paying the rent and the tenancy contract is under my name. I am paying all the bills (he doesn`t pay anything), meaning I am the provider since we got married (2 yrs). Since I filed for divorce, I don`t want to live with him anymore. I asked him to move out but he doesn`t want to (He is unemployed). He is not letting me work when he needs to go and look for a job as no one will take care of our son (either me or him), and my job is at risk because of him. He is also hiding my car keys so that I will not leave. He already locked us up when I wanted to attend a friend`s birthday. He locked us (me & my son) when I did something he didn`t like. He left & left the key outside so I can`t get out of the house. Will I be in trouble if I kick him out? Take his things out. Or since he doesn`t want to move out, I & my son will go.

Looking for something else?

Ask for advice from a lawyer

It’s free and anonymous

No registration needed

Ask a lawyer

What happens if the witness does not appear before the court?

Q: If a UAE national is called to appear before the appeals court by the defense (06-10-2019) to testify in a case that the UAE national has registered against a UK ex-pat, but the UAE national does not appear on the specified date (20-10-2019), what usually happens next?

A car rent firm immediately withdraw the security deposit. What to do?

Q: My son hired a sports car and the firm immediately withdrew the security deposit from his account. The car has been returned in perfect condition but online reviews indicate that the firm is unlikely to refund the deposit. How do we get the deposit back? We are leaving Dubai today.

The gratuity calculation in case of "discontinuation of an unlimited contract"

Q: Hi, I have been informed by my employer that they are not going to renew my contract. They have stated in the letter that "discontinuation of an unlimited contract", and my contract was about to expire on December 20th. Now, will the gratuity calculation be based on termination or resignation? I have read on some websites that the gratuity will vary if terminated by the employer.

The way of lifting a travel ban after resolving a civil case

Q: A person has overstayed in the UAE due to a travel ban for a civil case which is now resolved. How does the person then rectify their immigration status and how long should the process take?

Consequences of resigning during probation and returning to home country

Q: Hi there, I would really appreciate it if somebody can give legal advice. I am still on the probationary period, one month to be exact and the entry visa will expire on Oct 28. My employer did not process it yet, and we haven`t done with the medical and no Emirates ID yet. I`m planning to resign from this company and return to my home country because I`m not comfortable and we always have a delayed salary and too much deduction. The question is, can I resign without paying any compensation to our employer or to the company? Thanks, I.