Dubai landlord refuses to pay back Rera fees after losing rent case

I'm living in Al Barsha in a one-bedroom apartment. The first contract was signed in November 2012, for Dh50,000. In October last year the landlord sent a renewal notice asking for Dh60,000. I checked on the RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency) calculator and it was illegal. I opened a case with the Municipality and fortunately I won as the landlord didn't show up. However, now he refuses to pay back the fees from the case, and worse than that, he has sent me a contract with "one year nonrenewable" note. What should I do? I cannot talk to this man and I cannot afford to pay a lawyer. N F Dubai

There are several issues here. The landlord is either ignorant of the law, or has decided to disregard it. The landlord is obliged to pay the fees where a case is lost. In addition a non-renewable clause is not valid and cannot be enforced. The law is quite clear in that a tenant can only be asked to leave for specified reasons, not simply because the landlord wants them to do so. N F cannot be evicted in this way and the landlord does not have the right to get her to leave at renewal or to request an increase in rent that is higher than permitted by the RERA calculator or without providing 90 days notice. My advice would be to send a registered letter to the landlord reminding him that he is legally obliged to pay the fees and that if he fails to do so, the amount due will be deducted from the next rental payment. You will need to be careful with the wording and I would be happy to assist with this. You should also notify the rental committee that the landlord is not complying with their ruling.

Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com

Dubai landlord refuses to pay back Rera fees after losing rent case

Keren Bobker helps a tenant who wants to know how to reclaim his RERA case fees and who has also been sent a contract with a “one-year nonrenewable” note.