Commercial and Retail Lease Disputes in Dubai
Business tenants in Dubai often assume that because their lease funds a shop, a showroom, a warehouse or an office, a dispute over it belongs in the commercial courts. For most mainland leases it does not. The Rental Disputes Centre — the Emirate's dedicated rental judiciary — hears commercial and retail tenancy disputes just as it hears residential ones, and the same tenancy law governs both. This guide sets out where a commercial-lease dispute goes, which law applies, what the Centre will refuse to hear, and the one registration step that decides whether your case is heard at all. It is general information to help a business tenant or landlord prepare, not legal advice on a specific matter.
- The Rental Disputes Centre hears commercial and retail tenancy disputes, not only residential
- Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, governs mainland commercial leases
- Finance leases, long-term leases, and disputes inside free zones with their own judiciary fall outside the Centre
- A tenancy contract registered in Ejari is a precondition to being heard at all
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Does the RDC handle commercial disputes? Yes.
The Rental Disputes Centre in Dubai handles commercial and retail lease disputes. It was established by Decree No. 26 of 2013 with exclusive jurisdiction over rental disputes between landlords and tenants in the Emirate, and that jurisdiction is not limited to homes — it covers shops, offices, showrooms, warehouses and other commercial premises let on a mainland tenancy. The substantive law it applies to the relationship is Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, which regulates the landlord–tenant relationship for residential and commercial property alike. So a business tenant in a rent, eviction, renewal or deposit dispute with its landlord is, as a starting point, in the Centre's forum, not the ordinary commercial court.
There are real exceptions, and they matter for a business. The Centre does not hear disputes arising from finance-lease contracts, disputes arising from long-term lease contracts, or rental disputes inside a free zone that has its own competent judicial committee or court. It also does not hear a dispute that is really about a business or a services arrangement rather than about a lease of property. And whatever the merits, a tenancy that is not registered in Ejari generally cannot be litigated. The rest of this guide takes each of those points in turn.
One tenancy law, one rental court — for commercial too
Two instruments do the work. The first is substantive: Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. This is the law that sets out the rights and obligations of the parties — renewal, rent adjustment, the grounds and notice for eviction, maintenance and the return of the property — and it applies to leased property in the Emirate whether the use is residential or commercial. A retail unit and an apartment are governed by the same code; the difference is in the commercial facts, not in a separate law.
The second is procedural: Decree No. 26 of 2013 concerning the Rent Disputes Settlement Centre. It created a single specialised body to hear rental disputes quickly, and gave it exclusive jurisdiction over disputes between landlords and tenants in Dubai and its free zones — subject to the carve-outs below. Together they mean a commercial-lease dispute has a clear home: the substantive answer comes from the 2007 law as amended, and the forum that applies it is the Centre. What changes with a commercial lease is the texture — longer terms, fit-out and reinstatement obligations, the link between the premises and a trade licence, and higher sums — not the legal framework.
One qualifier a business should hold in mind: the special financial-centre zones are their own legal world. The DIFC, in particular, operates under its own laws and courts, and rental disputes arising inside such a zone with its own judiciary are heard there, not at the Centre. So the first question for a commercial tenant is not only "is this a lease?" but "where does the premises sit?"
The terms that decide a commercial-lease dispute
- Rental Disputes Centre (RDC)
- The Dubai body created by Decree 26 of 2013 with exclusive jurisdiction over landlord–tenant rental disputes in the Emirate and its free zones, save for defined exceptions. It hears commercial as well as residential tenancies.
- Commercial tenancy
- A lease of premises used to carry on a business — retail shop, office, showroom, warehouse, clinic. It is governed by the same tenancy law as a home; the commercial use does not move it to a different court.
- Ejari registration
- The registration of a tenancy contract in the Dubai Land Department's Ejari system. For commercial and industrial leases as well as residential, it is the record that gives a lease standing before the authorities — and a precondition to litigating over it.
- Finance / long-term lease
- Two categories the Decree carves out of the Centre's jurisdiction. A finance-lease dispute and a long-term lease dispute are heard by the Dubai Courts, not the Centre, even where the subject is commercial premises.
What a commercial-lease case needs before it is filed
- A tenancy contract registered in Ejari — the threshold requirement for the dispute to be heard
- The written lease itself, with its commercial terms: use, term, rent, renewal and any fit-out or reinstatement clauses
- Trade-licence and corporate documents identifying the tenant entity and the person authorised to act for it
- Proof of the rent position — payments made, cheques, statements — and of any deposit or security held
- The notices exchanged, served correctly, since eviction and non-renewal turn on proper notice
- A calculation of what is claimed, and confirmation the premises sit under mainland jurisdiction, not a self-governing free zone
Which commercial disputes the Centre hears — and which it does not
| The dispute | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Rent, renewal, eviction or deposit on a mainland commercial lease | The Rental Disputes Centre — its core jurisdiction under Decree 26/2013. |
| A retail shop or showroom rent-increase disagreement | The Centre, applying Law 26/2007 as amended and the rent-cap framework. |
| A dispute arising from a finance-lease contract | The Dubai Courts — expressly outside the Centre under the Decree. |
| A dispute arising from a long-term lease contract | The Dubai Courts — carved out of the Centre's jurisdiction. |
| A lease inside a free zone with its own courts (e.g. DIFC) | That zone's own judicial committee or court, not the Centre. |
| A pure business, partnership or services-agreement dispute | The commercial courts — it is not a landlord–tenant lease dispute. |
A lease dispute is not a business dispute
A lease dispute (the Centre)
- Turns on the tenancy — rent, renewal, eviction, the return of the premises
- Between a landlord and a tenant of property
- Governed by Law 26/2007 as amended by Law 33/2008
- Needs an Ejari-registered contract to be heard
- Filed at the Rental Disputes Centre
A business dispute (the courts)
- Turns on a commercial deal — a sale, a franchise, a service, a partnership
- Between commercial parties, not landlord and tenant
- Governed by the Commercial and Civil Transactions laws
- Does not depend on a tenancy registration
- Filed in the ordinary or commercial court, not the Centre
Have a question about your case?
Situations a business tenant meets
Your landlord wants a rent increase above what you think the law allows on your shop.
What is usually neededA rent-dispute claim at the Centre under Law 26/2007 as amended, tested against the rent-cap framework, on an Ejari-registered lease.
You are served notice to vacate your commercial unit before your term ends.
What is usually neededTo test the ground and the notice against the tenancy law's eviction provisions — the Centre, not the commercial court, decides it.
Your premises are in the DIFC and the landlord is withholding your deposit.
What is usually neededThat zone's own courts, not the Rental Disputes Centre, because the lease sits inside a free zone with its own judiciary.
The disagreement is really about a supply contract signed at the same premises.
What is usually neededThe commercial court — a business or services dispute is not a landlord–tenant lease dispute, even if a lease is nearby.
Mistakes that trip up commercial tenants
The mistakeAssuming a commercial lease means the commercial court, and filing there.
The fixFor a mainland tenancy, start at the Rental Disputes Centre — its jurisdiction covers commercial leases.
The mistakeNever registering the lease in Ejari because the business was busy operating.
The fixRegister the tenancy — an unregistered commercial lease generally cannot be litigated at all.
The mistakeTreating a finance lease or a long-term lease as an ordinary tenancy for the Centre.
The fixThese are carved out of the Centre by the Decree and belong to the Dubai Courts — check the category first.
The mistakeOverlooking that the premises are inside a self-governing free zone.
The fixConfirm the zone; a lease inside one with its own courts is heard there, not at the Centre.
The mistakeFiling paperwork in English on the assumption the Centre will translate it.
The fixArabic is the language of the proceedings — supporting documents need a certified Arabic legal translation.
Preparing a commercial-lease case well
Work in a fixed order. First, place the premises: mainland Dubai or a self-governing free zone. That single fact decides whether the Centre is even the right forum. Second, classify the lease: an ordinary tenancy, or a finance or long-term lease that the Decree sends to the Dubai Courts. Third, confirm the Ejari registration, because a claim on an unregistered lease is likely to fail at the threshold whatever its merits. Only once those three are settled is it worth building the substance of the claim.
Then assemble the file to the standard the Centre works to. Because the proceedings run in Arabic, the lease, the notices, the trade licence and the correspondence you rely on should be prepared with a certified Arabic legal translation where they are not already in Arabic — this is where a business tenant most often loses time. Keep the commercial specifics tidy: the exact use permitted, the fit-out and reinstatement obligations, and any link between the premises and the trade licence, because those are the facts that make a commercial dispute different from a residential one even under the same law. When in doubt about the forum or the category, confirm with the Centre or a Dubai-licensed advocate before filing rather than after.
If a commercial-lease dispute is heading to the Rental Disputes Centre and the lease, notices and supporting documents need certified Arabic translation, tell us the documents and the language direction.
Prepare a filingJurisdiction is decided case by case
This guide describes the general framework: the Centre hears commercial tenancies, Law 26/2007 as amended governs them, and finance leases, long-term leases and self-governing free zones fall outside. But the Centre's own committees decide, on the facts, whether a given dispute is within its jurisdiction, and the classification of a lease can be contested. Ejari and language requirements can also be updated over time. Treat this as orientation and confirm the current position with the Centre or a Dubai-licensed advocate for your specific lease. It is general information, not legal advice.
Commercial leases in Dubai are often drafted in English. Before the Centre they are filed with a legally recognised Arabic translation.
Legal translation for a commercial leaseShop, office or warehouse leases
What we prepare
Tenancy contracts and addenda, legal notices for notarisation and service, statements of claim and their annexes, evidence bundles, payment and cheque records, and judgment and execution papers.
Arabic is not optional
Proceedings before the Centre are in Arabic. A contract, notice or receipt in any other language is filed with a legally recognised Arabic translation — which is the work MANJAZ is accredited to do.
Free review, free quote
Reviewing your file and quoting for the work are both free. The Centre charges a registration fee of 3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000 — that fee is paid to the Centre, not to MANJAZ. Our own quote is given once we have seen the file.
The language your documents are in
Arabic and English are the core pair, with 21 documented languages in all — so a tenancy contract, notice or receipt in any of them can be put into the Arabic the Centre requires.
Handled remotely
Documents are sent, reviewed and returned electronically — there is no counter to attend and no appointment to keep for the preparation and translation work. Where a step genuinely requires you in person, such as a notary attendance, we say so and tell you what to bring.
Before you file
Most rental cases are lost on the paperwork, not the merits — a notice served the wrong way, a contract that was never registered in Ejari, a deadline that had already run. We check those first, because they cannot be fixed afterwards.
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Reviewing your file and telling you what it needs costs nothing and commits you to nothing. MANJAZ Corporate & Translation Services L.L.C. — a Dubai practice that prepares documents and provides legal translation under UAE Ministry of Justice accreditation. On Dubai rental disputes we also give legal consultation, act for you, and represent you before the Rental Disputes Centre committees. MANJAZ is not a court and not a government body, and never guarantees an outcome.
How to verify a translator is registered with the Ministry of Justice
Questions about commercial lease disputes in Dubai
Yes. The Centre was established by Decree No. 26 of 2013 with exclusive jurisdiction over rental disputes between landlords and tenants in Dubai and its free zones, and that jurisdiction covers commercial and retail tenancies — shops, offices, showrooms, warehouses — not only residential ones. The exceptions are disputes arising from finance-lease contracts, disputes arising from long-term lease contracts, and leases inside a free zone that has its own competent judicial body.
Yes. Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, regulates the relationship between landlords and tenants for property in the Emirate, and it applies to commercial premises as it does to homes. A retail shop, an office and an apartment are governed by the same tenancy code; the commercial character of the lease changes the facts of a dispute, not the law that decides it.
Three categories, chiefly. Disputes arising from finance-lease contracts and from long-term lease contracts are carved out by Decree 26 of 2013 and heard by the Dubai Courts. Rental disputes inside a free zone that operates its own judicial committee or court — the DIFC being the clearest example — are heard by that forum. And a dispute that is really about a business, a partnership or a services agreement, rather than a landlord–tenant lease of property, is a commercial-court matter, not a rental one.
As a rule, yes. A tenancy contract must be registered in the Dubai Land Department's Ejari system, and this applies to commercial and industrial leases as well as residential. An unregistered lease generally has no standing before the authorities, so a claim on it is likely to fail at the threshold. Register the tenancy before you rely on it in a dispute; a narrow exception may exist where the tenant is complaining precisely that the landlord refused to register.
It is decided under the same framework. Rent increases on Dubai leases are governed by the tenancy law as amended and by the rent-cap regime, and a business tenant who considers an increase excessive brings the disagreement to the Rental Disputes Centre, exactly as a residential tenant would. The commercial facts — the term, the use, the fit-out — sit within that same legal test rather than outside it.
Yes, where they are not already in Arabic. Proceedings before the Centre run in Arabic, so a commercial lease, the notices exchanged, the trade licence and any correspondence relied on should be prepared with a certified Arabic legal translation. Preparing that early keeps a case from stalling on form, which is where business tenants most often lose time.
Official sources
- Dubai Legislation — Decree No. 26 of 2013 concerning the Rent Disputes Settlement Centre (establishment, exclusive jurisdiction, exclusions: finance-lease, long-term lease, free-zone committees)
- Dubai Legislation — Law No. 33 of 2008 amending Law No. 26 of 2007 regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants in the Emirate of Dubai
- Rental Disputes Center (rdc.gov.ae) — About the Centre and its jurisdiction
- u.ae — The Official Platform of the UAE Government: justice, safety and the law (Ejari registration and litigation)
This content is for general information and awareness. It is based on the legislation and official sources available at the time of the last review, and procedures may differ according to the facts of each case and updates issued by the competent authorities. It is not legal advice, and MANJAZ is the publisher of this explanation, not the authority that issued the legislation.
Have a rental dispute in Dubai?
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