There are avenues for redress for tenants and landlords in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In Abu Dhabi, complaints are handled by the Rent Dispute Settlement Committee. Complainants must fill out an application form and submit the original petition plus two additional copies, as well as copies of the rental contract, passport and the trade licence or power of attorney if appropriate at the customer service desk.
In addition, they must pay a fee of 4 per cent of the rent contract value, capped at Dh20,000 in the first instance (and at Dh10,000 at appeal).
After that they will receive a date for the first case session.
In Dubai, people can contact the Rent Dispute Settlement Centre. Those hoping to open a case must file supporting documents, including emails between the tenant and landlord, plus copies of the tenant’s passport, Emirates ID, Ejari certificate, the original tenancy contract, a passport copy of the landlord, a Dewa bill and title deeds, in addition to copies of any cheques that were issued.
The Rent Disputes Settlement Centre form must be typed and non-Arabic documents must be legally translated into Arabic.
You can then file a case and pay the fee, which is 3.5 per cent of the annual rent up to a maximum of Dh20,000. Most cases are judged within 75 days.
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