What is Rental Dispute Center in Dubai (RDC in Dubai)

Rental disputes are a key component of any thriving real estate market and UAE is not an exception. To ensure a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship between tenants and landlords, you need a system that can effectively handle their disputes without being unfair to either party.

In this article, we are going to cover some basics of RDC and look at some services it can offer to landlords and tenants so stay with us till the end.

1. Rental Dispute Center: An Overview

2. RDC Mandates

3. Services Offered by RDC i.e.,

• Register Dispute Lawsuits
• Lawsuits

• Register a Writ of Certiorari Lawsuit

• Substantial Enforcement Disputes

• Contestations

• Execution Services

• Filing Injunctions from Third Parties

• Provisional and Summary Orders

• Miscellaneous Services 

Rental Dispute Center: An Overview

RDC is a judicial system under the Dubai Land Department that has the power to resolve rental and jointly owned real estate issues through an efficient digital system so that every tenancy contract in UAE is fulfilled and honored.

RDC employs a swift and straightforward approach to settle these disputes to bring about harmony and economic stability in the UAE real estate market.

The RDC has jurisdiction over free zones, counterclaims, provisional actions, and appeals as well. In 2019 the scope of RDC expanded to jointly owned property disputes under Law No. (6).

RDC is an amalgam of various departments including the Department of Central Support which offers services like case registration, subpoena issuing, legal support, etc.

The Department of Conciliation and The Department of Law Enforcement are responsible for mediating disputes, and executing eviction or financial claim judgments respectively.   

RDC Mandates

• • RDC is responsible for settling rental disputes in the Emirates and its free zones. It can resolve counterclaims and handle requests for temporary or urgent action from either party.

• • It can also adjudicate appeals made against previous judgments per the provision of the decree and the regulations issued under it. 

• • The legal representatives at RDC are also responsible for the implementation of the judgments issued following the disputes.

Services Offered by RDC

The RDC aims to offer fair trial and case transparency to both parties involved in the lease agreement. For that purpose, it provides the following services to landlords and tenants

• Register Dispute Lawsuits

The litigants can file conciliation of disputes which leads to fair settlements within the legal framework without having to go through lengthy legal proceedings. After the case is settled, all the stakeholders sign the conciliation which is then sent to a judge for approval.

The service fee for dispute lawsuits ranges between AED 500 to AED 20,000 which is calculated as 3.5% of annual rent or lease value.

This fee is applicable for cases that involve an eviction, lease renewal, rent claim, termination of the lease in force, and return to the premise that was evicted for demolition or reconstruction.

• Lawsuits

RDC can also litigate and settle lawsuits for landlords and tenants over different disputes.

The most common examples of these are first-instance lawsuits. These usually fall into two categories.

       1. First Instance Lawsuits (Rental)

These allow the customers to sue for disputes in the first instance. The charges of this first-degree litigation with RDC range between AED 500 to AED 20,000.

       2. First Instance Lawsuits (for Jointly Owned Properties)

This category deals with claims that deal with the ownership of jointly owned real estate. The charges in this case are AED 100 for processing, AED 500 for writ of Certiorari Deposit, and AED 25 for power of attorney.

• Register a Writ of Certiorari Lawsuit

The landlords or tenants can submit a writ of certiorari within 30 days of the judgment which allows for a reconsideration or judicial review.

The charges include AED 500 for the Writ of Certiorari Deposit, AED 100 for the processing fee, and AED for the power of attorney registration if applicable.

• Substantial Enforcement Disputes

Under the substantial enforcement dispute lawsuit, you can initiate legal proceedings regarding the dishonored cheques. 

The fee for this service includes AED 5,000 for lodging a dispute, AED 100 as a processing fee, and AED 25 as registration for power of attorney.

• Contestations

Under this service, it is allowed to appeal against verdicts issued by the First instance committees, execution judges, and provisional or summary action judges. This service is applicable both for rental and jointly owned property cases.

If the appeal involves financial claims, half of the awarded amount against the Appellee is deposited as appeal security. The remaining fee includes AED 100 as a processing fee and AED 25 for power of attorney registration.

• Execution Services

The following services are offered by RDC under the execution category.

      1. Registering an Execution Proceeding (Rental)

Under this service, you can proceed and enforce adjudicated claims over rentals including eviction, monetary claims, and lease renewal.

The charges include AED 5,000 for the case, AED 100 for the processing fee, and AED 25 for the registration of power of attorney.

      2. Registering an Execution Processing (Jointly Owned Properties)

The execution service under this case, ensures different officially decided claims related to jointly owned properties are enforced. Things like lease renewal, eviction, and monetary claims belong in this category.

The same charges as above are applied for this service.   

• Filing Injunctions from Third Parties

Every injection order from a third party can be carried out under this service. Third parties can submit formal injunction requests with RDC for execution files stored in the RDC database.

The charges include AED 20 for E-request during execution proceedings.

• Provisional and Summary Orders

The following services are offered by RDC under the provisional and summary orders category:

      1. Registration of Grievances

Under this service, you can submit your grievance in regards to certain decisions. You can submit this within 8 days following the enframement of the decision.

The fee includes AED 100 for processing and AED 500 for power of attorney.

      2. Registration of Writ of Payment

This is used to recover pending payments from any party. You can use this service to request the Provisional and Urgent Affairs judge to issue immediate orders.

The charges are AED 500-AED 15,000 or 3.5% of the annual rent amount, AED 100 for processing, and AED 25 for power of attorney.

      3. Registration of a Petition Order

This service is to request the Provisional and Urgent Affairs judge to take temporary actions in cases involving utility restoration, renewal of commercial licenses, activation of access cards, and inspection of leased properties.

The fees include AED 20 for petition order requests and AED 2.5% of the annual rent in case of inspection requests.

      4. Registration of an Offer and Deposit

Under this service, you can request the judges to issue orders that protect the leasehold rights of both parties. The judges can issue an order for rent payment or surrender keys to the owner in failed to do so.

A fee of AED 50 is charged for the offer and deposit.

• Miscellaneous Services

Following are some miscellaneous services offered by RDC

• • Issuing a rental good conduct certificate containing the other party’s rental history. 

• • Issuance of “To Whom It May Concern” certificates.

• • Submitting requests for lawsuit fee exemption.   

Conclusion

Ever since its inception in 2013, the rental dispute center has amicably resolved all sorts of tenant-landlord disputes. It has served to regulate the relationship between these parties thus reducing common issues like the violation of contractual responsibilities.

The decision-makers working at RDC are adept at monitoring market development, identifying common issues and their causes, and formulating solutions that do not impinge on the rights of either party.

It will be fair to say that the establishment of RDC has led to a more secure and thriving real estate environment in the UAE that ensures equal rights for all.

Visit My Property Manager today to get top-notch legal representation at RDC and general property management and maintenance services.