By Rental disputes in Dubai are common between landlords and tenants. The dispute may involve unpaid rent, eviction, illegal rent increase, refusal to renew Ejari, security deposit deductions, maintenance issues, disconnection of services, or refusal to accept rent cheques.
In Dubai, these disputes are generally handled by the Rental Disputes Center, commonly called the RDC, which operates under the Dubai Land Department. The RDC provides specialised rental dispute services, including amicable settlement, first instance lawsuits, urgent petition orders, payment writs, and execution proceedings.
What Is the Rental Disputes Center in Dubai?
The Rental Disputes Center is the specialised forum for landlord and tenant disputes in Dubai. It allows parties to file rental claims, attend hearings through tele-litigation, receive judgments online, and enforce final decisions.
The RDC’s First Instance rental lawsuit service is designed for disputes arising between landlords and tenants at the first degree of litigation.
Common Rental Disputes Filed With RDC
A tenant or landlord may approach the RDC for many types of disputes, including:
- non-payment of rent;
- eviction claims;
- renewal of tenancy contract;
- illegal rent increase;
- refusal to register or renew Ejari;
- security deposit refund;
- maintenance and repair disputes;
- early termination of tenancy;
- disconnection of utilities or access cards;
- unpaid rent cheques;
- damages to the leased property;
- refusal by landlord to accept rent.
Dubai Land Department confirms, for example, that landlords are not entitled to disconnect electricity, water, or facilities from a tenant, and tenants may approach the RDC where such conduct causes loss or damage.
Step 1: Check Whether You Have a Valid Rental Claim
Before filing, the claimant must identify the legal basis of the case. A tenant should not file only because the landlord is difficult; and a landlord should not file only because the tenant is inconvenient. The RDC will look at the tenancy contract, Ejari, notices, payment history, correspondence, and supporting documents.
Dubai rental disputes are mainly governed by Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, which regulate the relationship between landlords and tenants in Dubai. Dubai Land Department also confirms that eviction cases are governed by Article 25 of Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008.
Step 2: Send the Correct Legal Notice Where Required
Many rental cases fail or become delayed because the notice was not properly served.
For example, if a landlord wants to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent, Dubai Land Department states that the landlord must send a notice asking the tenant to pay the rent or eviction allowance through the Notary Public or registered mail, giving a deadline of at least 30 days.
For eviction due to personal use, sale, or demolition, the landlord must usually notify the tenant through Notary Public or registered mail at least 12 months before the required eviction date.
For rent increases or changes to tenancy terms, Dubai Land Department states that the landlord may legally raise rent only after checking the Rental Increase Calculator, and either party must notify the other at least 90 days before the contract ends if they wish to change the rent or terms.
Step 3: Prepare the Required Documents
The RDC requires the documents to be clear, complete, and legally translated into Arabic where necessary. For a First Instance rental lawsuit, the official RDC list includes:
- latest lease contract or Ejari;
- Emirates ID for individuals;
- trade licence and manager or owner ID for companies;
- plaintiff’s IBAN through a bank letter or bank statement;
- notarised notice and notification report, or registered post and acknowledgement, in eviction cases;
- supporting documents such as power of attorney, management contract, correspondence, notices, DEWA bills, cheques, and letters.
The RDC states that all documents must be submitted in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic and uploaded through the RDC website. Hard copies are not accepted through the online process.
Step 4: Consider Amicable Settlement First
The RDC has an Amicable Settlement service. This service allows the parties to attempt settlement within a legal framework before full litigation. If a settlement is reached, the agreement is signed by the parties and conciliator, approved by a supervising judge, and can be enforced at the RDC.
This is often useful in disputes involving rent arrears, security deposit refund, renewal terms, minor maintenance disputes, or payment schedules. If settlement is reached through conciliation, RDC states that half of the court fee paid for basic claims is refunded.
Step 5: File the Case Online or Through a Real Estate Services Trustee
A rental dispute case can be filed through:
1. RDC website
The claimant signs up or logs into the RDC system, selects the relevant service, enters the claim details, uploads documents, pays the fees after electronic verification, attends the hearing through tele-litigation, and receives the judgment through the website.
2. Real Estate Services Trustee Centre
The claimant visits an authorised trustee centre, submits the required documents, the staff enters the transaction into the system, the claimant pays the fees, and the hearing is attended through the tele-litigation system.
The official RDC service time for completing registration is listed as one business day.
Step 6: Pay the RDC Filing Fees
The official RDC fee for many rental claims is 3.5% of the annual rent or lease value, whether the lease is more or less than one year, for matters such as eviction, lease renewal, rent claim, termination of lease, and return to premises previously evicted for demolition and reconstruction. The fee is not less than AED 500 and not more than AED 20,000.
For monetary claims, the fee is 3.5% of the claimed amount, with a minimum of AED 500 and maximum of AED 15,000. Additional fees may include AED 25 for power of attorney registration, AED 100 process service, AED 10 knowledge fee, AED 10 innovation fee, and trustee partner service fees if filed through a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre.
Step 7: Attend the Hearing Through Tele-Litigation
After filing and payment, the parties attend the hearing through the RDC’s tele-litigation system. Dubai Land Department explains that a party can attend tele-litigation by logging into the RDC website, accessing the case, and finding the hearing link on the lawsuit plaint.
The parties should be ready with their documents, payment proof, notices, photographs, inspection reports, cheque copies, returned cheque memos, DEWA bills, WhatsApp messages, emails, and any other relevant evidence.
Step 8: Judgment and Appeal
After reviewing the case, documents, and submissions, the RDC issues its judgment online.
Dubai Land Department states that final judgments can be appealed within 15 days where the claimed amount exceeds AED 100,000. Eviction judgments may be challenged irrespective of the value of the contract.
This appeal period is important. A party who delays may lose the right to challenge the judgment.
Step 9: Enforcement of the Judgment
Winning the case is not always the end. If the losing party does not comply, the successful party may need to open an execution file.
The RDC execution service allows customers to enforce adjudicated claims, including eviction, monetary claims, and lease renewal judgments. Required documents include the enforcement writ with enforcement stamp and supporting documents for the enforced claim.
For eviction execution, the RDC lists a fee of 1% of the annual lease amount, capped at AED 5,000, plus other applicable fees.
Special Case: What If the Landlord Refuses to Accept Rent?
If the landlord refuses to accept rent, the tenant should not simply stop paying. The tenant may file an Offer and Deposit motion with the RDC.
This service allows a tenant to request an order to offer rent or keys to the landlord without prejudice to leasehold rights. Required documents include the offer and deposit motion, ID or company documents, last signed lease, new lease with the same terms, deposited cheques, and correspondence between the parties if available.
Dubai Land Department states that once the judge accepts the motion, the tenant is deemed to have paid rent from the date of acceptance.
Special Case: Urgent Petition Orders
Some rental disputes require urgent action before a full case is decided. For example, a tenant may need restoration of electricity or water, activation of building access cards, inspection of property damage, confirmation of subletting, or urgent renewal of a commercial licence.
The RDC Petition Order service allows a party to request a temporary action from the Provisional and Urgent Affairs Judge in such urgent rental matters.
Practical Lawyer’s Advice
The strongest RDC cases are built on documents, not emotion. A tenant should keep proof of payments, Ejari, emails, WhatsApp messages, inspection reports, handover documents, and photographs. A landlord should keep notices, rent cheques, returned cheque memos, inspection reports, tenancy contracts, and proof of service.
The biggest mistakes are filing without proper notice, filing without Arabic translations, claiming amounts without proof, ignoring the Rental Index, or missing the appeal deadline.
Conclusion
Filing a rental dispute case with the RDC in Dubai is a structured legal process. The claimant must identify the correct type of claim, prepare the required documents, serve proper notices where necessary, pay the correct filing fees, attend tele-litigation, and enforce the judgment if the other party does not comply.
Whether you are a tenant facing unlawful eviction or a landlord dealing with unpaid rent, the RDC gives both sides a specialised forum to resolve the dispute efficiently and within Dubai’s rental law framework.