The Rental Dispute Settlement Centre (RDC) is the judicial rental system of Dubai which ensures fair and equitable resolution of property rental issues. Established in 2013, the RDC operates under the umbrella of the Dubai Land Department (DLD), playing a crucial role in maintaining harmony between tenants and landlords.
Moreover, the RDC’s commitment to fairness, transparency and effective conflict resolution is evident in the array of services it offers. Let’s find out more details about these services.
RDC – A Smart Judicial Rental System
The aim of the Rental Disputes Centre in Dubai is to serve as the primary government body for regulating landlord-tenant relationships and resolving disagreements between them with transparency and accuracy.
The RDC comprises several departments, including the Department of Central Support, which handles case registration and offers subpoenas and legal support for litigants. The Department of Conciliation mediates disputes, while the Department of Law Enforcement carries out eviction and financial claim judgements.
Services Offered By RDC
To achieve its goal of becoming the leading global reference in resolving rental disputes, RDC has many services to offer. Let’s go through these services in detail.
Register Dispute Lawsuit- Amicable Settlement
This service allows litigants to file a conciliation of dispute, facilitating settlement within a legal framework that guarantees the rights of all involved parties. Once the case is settled, the conciliation is signed by the stakeholders and conciliator and then approved by the Judge.
You can access the amicable settlement service on the official RDC website.
Required Documents
- Latest copy of the lease contract (Ejari).
- Copy of Emirates ID (individuals) / Copy of manager’s or owner’s Emirates ID and copy of commercial licence (companies).
- Bank letter or statement stating the Plaintiff’s International Bank Account Number (IBAN).
- Copy of a notarised notice accompanied by the notification officer’s report or the registered post details, including the receipt of notice acknowledgement, in the case of an eviction claim.
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as power of attorney, correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, management contracts, etc.
Service Fees
- The fee ranges between AED 500 and AED 20,000, calculated as 3.5% of annual rent or lease value, if it is more or less than a year. This is applicable for cases including eviction, lease renewal, termination of lease in force, rent claim and return to the premises earlier evicted from for reconstruction or demolition.
- The fee ranges between AED 500 and AED 15,000, calculated as 3.5% of the claimed amount in case of money claims
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
Lawsuits
The RDC offers services to register a lawsuit over different issues.
Register First Instance Lawsuits
Under the section of registering lawsuits, RDC enables customers to initiate legal action in the first instance over disputes for:
- Rentals between the landlord and tenant
Service Fees
- The fee ranges between AED 500 and AED 20,000, calculated as 3.5% of annual rent or lease value, if it is more or less than a year. This is applicable in cases including eviction, lease renewal, termination of lease in force, rent claim and return to the premises earlier evicted from for reconstruction or demolition.
- The fee ranges between AED 500 and AED 15,000, calculated as 3.5% of the claimed amount in case of money claims
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
- Claims of ownership over jointly owned properties
Service Fees
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Required Documents for Registration of First Instance Lawsuit
These documents are required for the registration of first instance lawsuit for both the rental and claims of ownership over jointly owned properties:
- Latest copy of the lease contract (Ejari).
- Copy of Emirates ID (individuals) / Copy of manager’s or owner’s Emirates ID and copy of commercial licence (companies).
- Bank letter or statement stating the Plaintiff’s International Bank Account Number (IBAN).
- Copy of a notarised notice accompanied by the notification officer’s report or the registered post details, including the receipt of notice acknowledgement, in the case of an eviction claim.
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as power of attorney, correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, management contracts, etc.
Register a Writ of Certiorari Lawsuit
Customers seeking a judicial review can register a Writ of Certiorari with RDC, 30 days after the judgement’s date.
Required Documents
- Explanatory memo or plaint stating the reasons for obtaining a Writ of Certiorari
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as power of attorney, correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, management contracts, etc.
Service Fees
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 500 – Writ of Certiorari deposit
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Register a Substantial Enforcement Dispute
This RDC service enables customers to register a lawsuit over dishonoured cheques.
Required Documents:
- Latest copy of the lease contract (Ejari) with Arabic translation.
- Copy of Emirates ID (individual) / Copy of Manager’s Emirates ID (legal person / corporate body) and copy of commercial licence
- Letter from bank or bank statement stating Plaintiff’s IBAN
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as power of attorney, correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, management contracts, etc.
Service Fees:
- AED 5000 – for lodging Substantial Enforcement Dispute
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 25 – registration of power of attorney
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – Partner’s service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centres
Contestations
The RDC also allows customers to contest or register an appeal against the judgement passed by Execution Judges, First Instance Committees or Provisional and Summary Actions Judge in any of the following cases:
- Rental cases
- Jointly owned property cases
Required Documents
- Document of appeal plaint
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, letters, penalties, etc.
Service Fees
- For appeals involving financial claims, half of the awarded amount against the Appellee in the First Instance Committee’s judgement must be deposited as appeal security. This deposited amount is refundable.
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Execution
Under the category of Execution, RDC offers services for enforcing or giving effect to the court’s judgement.
Register an Execution Proceeding (Rental)
The service allows customers to proceed and enforce all adjudicated claims over rentals. Such claims may include eviction, lease renewal and monetary claims, among many others.
Required Documents
- Enforcement writ with stamp
- Receipt of appeal security deposit (if applicable)
- Offer and deposit motion receipt (for lease renewal)
- Bank letter or statement mentioning the Execution Claimant’s IBAN
- Any supporting documents
Service Fees
- AED 5000 maximum – 1% of the annual lease amount in case of eviction
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
- AED 20 is charged for each request generated electronically during Execution Proceeding
Register an Execution Proceeding (Jointly Owned Properties)
Similar to the previous one, this service for registration of execution proceedings allows customers to enforce all claims associated with jointly owned properties.
Required Documents
- Enforcement Writ with the notification issued by Mollak System
- Bank letter or statement mentioning the Execution Claimant’s IBAN
- Any supporting documents
Service Fees
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
- AED 20 is charged for each request generated electronically during Execution Proceeding
File an Execution (Cheques)
This service by RDC allows customers to recover their owed amounts in the event of dishonoured cheques.
Required Documents
- Latest copy of the lease contract (Ejari).
- Copy of Emirates ID (individual) / Copy of Manager’s Emirates ID (legal person / corporate body) and copy of the commercial licence.
- Letter from bank or bank statement stating Execution Claimant’s IBAN for execution purposes.
- Dishonoured cheque’s copy.
- Return memo of the bank-issued cheque.
- Copy of offer and deposit motion receipt for tenancy contract renewal (if applicable).
Service Fees
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
- AED 20 is charged for each request generated electronically during Execution Proceeding
File an Injunction from a Third Party
Through this service, third-party customers can file an injunction with the RDC.
Required Documents
- Plaint of injunction from a third party
- Copy of Emirates ID (individual) / Copy of Manager’s Emirates ID (legal person / corporate body) and copy of the commercial licence.
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as power of attorney, correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, letters, management contracts, etc.
Service Fees
- AED 20 is charged for each request generated electronically during Execution Proceeding
Provisional and Summary Orders
Under the category of Provisional and Summary Orders, RDC offers these services:
Register a Grievance
Customers can submit a grievance within eight days from the issuance of the decision that they wish to contest, specifically against the Petition Order and Offer and Deposit.
Required Documents
- Decision copy against the complainant
- Grievance Motion Plaint
Service Fees
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Register a Petition Order
This service allows customers to register a petition requesting the Provisional and Urgent Affairs Judge for immediate orders affecting both parties in different cases.
Required Documents
- Latest copy of the lease contract (Ejari).
- Copy of Emirates ID (individual) / Copy of Manager’s Emirates ID (legal person / corporate body) and copy of the commercial licence.
- Undertaking of indemnity guarantee for exit ban request.
- Copy of the valid passport with the residence visa page (for expatriates) and Emirates ID.
- For an exit ban request, proof of debt, such as dishonoured cheques, along with the bank’s return memo, accompanied by an Arabic translation.
Service Fees
- AED 20 – Petition Order Request
- 2.5% of the annual rent (in case of request to inspect)
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Register a Writ of Payment
Customers can request issuance of a writ of payment for settlement of the due amount by filing a petition to the Summary Actions Judge in RDC.
Required Documents
- Latest copy of the lease contract (Ejari) with Arabic translation.
- Proof of domicile of debtor.
- Copy of Emirates ID (individual) / Copy of Manager’s Emirates ID (legal person / corporate body) and copy of commercial licence.
- Letter from bank or bank statement stating Plaintiff’s IBAN.
- Any of the claim supporting documents, such as power of attorney, correspondence, electricity and water bills, cheques, management contracts, etc.
- Debt documentation as proof specifying the immediate amount due for payment.
- Proof of a notice compelling the debtor to settle the outstanding debt.
- Proof of debtor acknowledging the receipt of the Payment Obligation amount.
- Cheque return memo.
- Declaration from the applicant affirming the accuracy of the provided information and undertaking an indemnity guarantee for potential damage and prejudice.
Service Fees
- The fee ranges between AED 500 and AED 15,000 – 3.5% of the claimed amount
- AED 25 – power of attorney registration (if applicable)
- AED 100 – process fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Register an Offer and Deposit
This service empowers customers to file an offer and deposit motion with RDC. Through this request, customers can urge the RDC’s Provisional and Summary Actions Judge to issue an order for either depositing the rent or surrendering keys to the property owner, under the protection of leasehold rights for both parties.
Required Documents
- Offer and Deposit motion.
- Copy of Emirates ID (individual) / Copy of Manager’s Emirates ID (legal person / corporate body) and copy of commercial licence.
- Copy of the last signed lease and a copy of the new lease.
- Copy of the cheques deposited along with the new lease.
- Copy of any correspondence exchanged between the parties, if available.
Service Fees
- AED 50 – Offer and Deposit fee
- AED 10 – knowledge fee
- AED 10 – innovation fee
- AED 130 + VAT – partners’ service fee if the claim is registered through the Real Estate Trustees Centre
Miscellaneous Services
Other miscellaneous services offered by RDC include:
- Issuance of ‘Whom It May Concern’ certificate
- Request to add an attorney
- Request for exemption from lawsuit fees
Rental Good Conduct Certificate
The Rental Good Conduct Certificate enables tenants and landlords to request their rental history with each other’s consent. Any current or previous rental cases against the landlord or the tenant are clearly shown in the rental history.
This service by RDC promotes mutual trust and understanding between the landlord and the tenant. The RGC Certificate service can be availed for the following reasons.
- Report an issue regarding rent.
- Keep a record of eviction-related cases.
- Ask about a prospective landlord.
- Ask about a prospective tenant.
- To discover more about Dubai’s real estate laws.
Smart Judge
The Smart Judge service is a contemporary tool which helps the stakeholders in a rental contract to be aware of their legal rights. It directs the stakeholders towards the procedures and potential of being involved in lawsuits before initiating litigation proceedings.
This service by RDC is free of cost and provides instant legal advice which is also downloadable.
Track Your Case
You can avail the ‘Track Your Case’ service by RDC to keep track of the status of your rental cases. You can access this service through the DLD’s website, RDC’s website or the Dubai REST App. All you need to do is submit your mobile number or case number and click on ‘Inquire’ to view the required information.
RDC Contact Details
You can report your rental issues and reach out to the RDC at:
- Location: Dubai Land Department, Baniyas Road, Deira, Dubai, Makani Number: 30404 94991
- Contact: +971 800 4488
- Email: info@dubailand.gov.ae
- Timings: Monday to Thursday from 07:30 AM till 03:30 PM, Friday from 7:30 AM till 12:00 PM.
Moreover, customer service is also available through phone, email and chat from 7:30 AM till 4:30 PM (Monday to Friday).
That is all about the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre and its initiatives. RDC’s excellence and professionalism, which enabled Dubai’s government to create a streamlined method for resolving rental disputes with high accuracy, are reflected through its accomplishments, initiatives and statistics.
You can avail RDC’s services to put in your request for any rental issue you face if you live in a villa or a rental apartment in Dubai.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading property blog for information on services by DLD and other related entities.
