Tenant's Guide: How to Resolve Rental Disputes in Dubai

This guide provides tenants in Dubai with a comprehensive overview of how to resolve rental disputes, including reasons for disputes, the process of lodging a complaint with the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC), and the associated costs. With the RDC's structured process, tenants can seek a favorable judgment for issues such as unreasonable eviction, rent hikes, property defects, and unreasonable deductions from the security deposit.

How to Resolve Rental Disputes in Dubai: Tenant's Guide

03/12/2024

Disputes between tenants and landlords are not uncommon in Dubai. As a tenant, you may face issues related to the following:

Rent hikes
Eviction
Unreasonable deductions from the security deposit
Problems with the property itself..

In such cases, you may need to escalate the matter to the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC), a specialized entity established to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants in Dubai. In this blog post, we will provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to resolve rental disputes in Dubai.

Reasons for Dispute

Before discussing the process of resolving rental disputes in Dubai, it's essential to understand the most common reasons for such disputes. Some of the reasons include:

Unreasonable grounds for eviction
Rental increase by the landlord without adhering to the Dubai rent increase law.
Cutting off essential services to the tenant
Leasing apartment with defects and pest infection
Unreasonable deduction from the security deposit (also known as dispute move-out charges).

Entity Responsible for Tenants/Landlords Disputes in Dubai

Whenever there’s a dispute between owner and tenant, they should go to the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) in Dubai, where a specialized committee will solve their case. The RDC was established specifically to help in the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants. If you are unable to reach a mutually agreed rental dispute resolution, you may wish to file a complaint against the landlord to have Dubai authorities intervene. Real estate laws in Dubai are established to protect both tenants and landlords.

How to Lodge a Rental Dispute

To submit a rental dispute against the landlord, you should make sure you have originals and copies of the following documents when filing your rental dispute: Here are the documents required to file a rent dispute.

Passport, Residence Visa, and Emirates ID
Ejari certificate
Copies of cheques issued to the landlord
Title Deed and landlord’s passport copy
Copies of any correspondence between you and the landlord regarding the dispute
Any other relevant documentation which may support your case.

After preparing the above-mentioned documents, it is important to note that they will need to be translated into Arabic, as this is the official language of the courts in Dubai. Once you have your documents ready, you can proceed to the RDC ( rental dispute centre ), where a typing centre exists to fill out your complaint and file your case. Then the typist will translate the documents into Arabic and ask any relevant questions about the nature of your dispute so your complaint can be formalized correctly. After you submit your complaint, you can use the government website for your rental dispute case inquiry.

How Much Does It Cost to Lodge a Rental Dispute?

To submit your rental dispute with the landlord, specific charges should be paid. You need to pay 3.5% of the annual rent (minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000) to lodge a complaint. Additionally, you need to pay approximately AED 210 per page translation fee for relevant documents and approximately AED 110 administration fee.

Eviction

The eviction process has many rules that should be followed whether you’re a landlord or a tenant. This will help you in avoiding rental disputes that require a lawyer in Dubai. Besides, if you’re an owner and want to know how to evict a tenant without a rental agreement, you should know your rights and duties well as per the law.

Conclusion

In conclusion, rental disputes can be stressful for both landlords and tenants. However, the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) in Dubai provides a structured process for resolving disputes. However, without proper guidance, it is very difficult to achieve a favourable judgement. If you are not able to resolve the issue amicably before resorting to legal action you can reach out to our experienced legal consulting team. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to send us a whatsapp message.