The UAE government is very particular about tenants’ background checks. Yet the chances of getting a nonpaying tenant are never zero. Finding the right tenant is usually risky. However, you can take appropriate action knowing all the legal rules if a tenant is not paying rent on time.
Let’s scroll down this blog to learn how to recover the rent from the tenant!
- Laws for the Default Tenancy
- Legal Way to Take Action
- Procedure to Evict Tenant
- Contact Details for Real Estate Services Trustee Centres
- Faqs
Laws for the Default Tenancy (If a Tenant Does Not Pay Rent on Time)
Article 25 in the Dubai tenancy laws gives the complete right of evicting a tenant under certain circumstances. The law states that the landlord can evict the tenant before the lease contract expires.
If the tenant fails to pay rent within 30 days of notice, he will be evicted unless otherwise agreed. It is one of the cases of tenants’ eviction. Here, the landlord can take legal action or contact the rental dispute settlement centre (RDC). This will help file and solve the rental dispute case.
Legal Way to Take Action
As the landlord, Dubai tenancy laws allow you to act against the non-paying tenant. The following are the legal ways to take action against a tenant for unpaid rent:
- You must send a legal notice to the tenant if they do not pay rent. The notice period should be 30 days to settle the outstanding rent.
- Yet, if the tenant doesn’t respond within 30 days, you can file a complaint with the Rental Disputes Settlement Center (RDSC).
- Lastly, you can evict tenants if the tenant doesn’t pay rent within 30 days after receiving the legal notice. The eviction order is initiated through the RDSC once the notice period expires.
Procedure to Evict Tenant
The landlord must register for the execution proceeding at the DLD Rental Dispute Centre to evict the tenant if they are not paying rent. The service allows landlords to register all types of rental disputes, including:
- Eviction
- Monetary claim
- Lease renewal
RDC offers you two ways to initiate an eviction process. The duration of completing the procedure for both of the following methods is one business day.
Via Real Estate Services Trustees
- Visit one of the service centres (Real Estate Services Trustees).
- Submit the required documents for the staff to ensure their compliance.
- Then, the staff will enter the transaction data into the system to verify and approve.
- Pay the required fees and get a payment receipt.
Via Website
You can also visit the official website of the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre (RDC) to file an eviction:
- Sign up for an account and choose the service.
- Receive judgment with Execution Writ Stamp via email or electronic submission.
- Submit documents and receipts.
- Pay the online fee.
- Submit electronic requests after 7 days (if necessary).
- Pay the eRequest fee via the website.
- Follow up on the Execution Judge’s decision on eRequest.
Required Documents
The following are the documents required for the tenant’s eviction:
- Enforcement Writ attested with an Enforcement Stamp
- A copy of the receipt of the security deposit on appeal (if available)
- A copy of the receipt of the Offer and Deposit motion (if any) in the event of enforcing a verdict to renew the lease
- A letter from the bank or bank statement mentioning the Execution Claimant’s IBAN (if an update is required)
- Any other documents supporting the enforced claims
Service Fees
The following are the required service fees in case of eviction:
- 1% of the annual lease amount – AED 5000 (maximum)
- Process Service – AED 100
- Registration of Power of Attorney (if applicable) – AED 25
- Knowledge fee – AED 10
- Innovation fee – AED 10
If a claim is registered through the Real Estate Services Trustees Centers:
- Partners’ service fees – AED 130 + VAT is charged.
Note: The execution proceeding will incur a fee of AED 20 for each electronic request submitted.
Payment Methods
You can pay for the service fee when filing an eviction notice at RDC by using any of these payment methods:
- Noqodi
- Debit or Credit Cards
- Cash (Real Estate Service Center)
Contact Details for Real Estate Services Trustee Centres
The contact details for some Real Estate Services Trustee Centres are:
Afnan Real Estate Registration Trustee
Address
Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman Alashram Building, Al Garhoud, Dubai, UAE
Working Hours
Monday to Thursday: 08:00 am to 04:00 pm | Friday: 08:00 am to 12:00 pm.
Phone
+971 4 262 6888
Al Tabu Real Estate Services Trustee ( Al Barsha Branch)
Address
Al Tabu Registration trustee, Al Barsha, Al Barsha 2, Dubai, UAE
Working Hours
Monday to Thursday: 07:30 am to 04:00 pm | Friday: 07:30 am to 12:30 pm
Phone
+971 4 325 5558
FAQs
The landlord can request an eviction order from the RDC if the tenant fails to pay within a specified period.
You can request an extension of the eviction deadline if submitted electronically through the system. The eviction section at the RDC execution department will review it.
You can initiate electronic requests by:
– Log into the RDC Portal.
– Search for an execution file.
– Access E-Request seven days after serving the defendant with the executive writ notice.
With this information, you can avoid rental problems with the tenant, whether short-term rentals in Dubai or long-term. However, you can always count on RDC if you have a stubborn tenant not paying rent. Moreover, you can learn about DIFC leasing laws which are different from the rental laws in Dubai.
