Filing a Rental Case in Dubai: Documents, Steps and What It Costs
A rental dispute in Dubai is filed as a first-instance lawsuit at the Rental Disputes Centre — the specialised judicial body that decides tenancy matters between landlords and tenants. This guide explains who can file, whether your matter belongs before the Centre, the documents to prepare, the stages a case passes through, and where MANJAZ fits in: reviewing your documents, preparing and organising the file, and providing accurate legal translation. It draws only on the official record and tells you plainly where fees and timeframes are not published.
- Filed at the Rental Disputes Centre, part of Dubai Land Department
- Starts as a first-instance lawsuit built on an Ejari-registered contract
- Conciliation is attempted first, then a First Instance Committee decides
- MANJAZ prepares and follows up your file — never legal representation
- Dubai-based, UAE-wide service
- Arabic & English
- Clear guidance on every document
- Direct request, no middlemen
How do you file a rental dispute in Dubai?
You file a rental dispute in Dubai by bringing a first-instance rental lawsuit at the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC), the specialised judicial body — part of Dubai Land Department — that settles tenancy disputes between landlords and tenants. You register the claim with your Ejari-registered contract and supporting evidence; the Conciliation Department first tries to reach an amicable settlement, and if none is reached a First Instance Committee hears the claim and issues a judgment.
The Centre was established by Decree No. 26 of 2013 and replaced the earlier Rent Committee that had operated under Decree No. 2 of 1993. It applies the substantive tenancy rules in Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, together with Decree No. 43 of 2013 on rent increases. In practical terms, filing means turning a disagreement into a properly framed claim: identifying the parties, the tenancy and the exact remedy you seek — an eviction order, unpaid rent, a deposit refund, a maintenance remedy or compensation — and supporting each request with the right document.
This guide walks through jurisdiction, the documents, the stages and the common mistakes. MANJAZ reviews your documents, prepares and organises the file, provides legal translation, gives legal consultation, acts for you and represents you before the Rental Disputes Centre committees. It is not the Centre and not a court, and it never guarantees an outcome.
Is your matter within the RDC's jurisdiction?
The Rental Disputes Centre has exclusive jurisdiction to determine rental disputes between landlords and tenants of real property situated in the Emirate of Dubai. This covers disputes arising in free zones, subject to the exceptions stated in the governing instruments, along with related counterclaims and requests for provisional or summary measures. Since Law No. 6 of 2019 the Centre also handles certain disputes connected with jointly-owned property.
Because the RDC is the specialised forum, a Dubai tenancy dispute is normally brought here rather than before the ordinary civil courts. Before filing, it is worth confirming three things: that the matter is a landlord-tenant dispute over property in Dubai, that a valid tenancy relationship exists, and that the tenancy is registered on Ejari. If you are unsure whether your situation belongs before the Centre, our team can review the contract and correspondence and tell you how such a matter is usually classified.
The terms you need to file
- First-instance rental lawsuit
- The claim you register at the Centre. It names the parties, describes the tenancy and states the remedy sought, and it is where every rental case begins.
- Claimant and respondent
- The claimant is the party that files the case; the respondent is the party it is brought against. Either a landlord or a tenant can be the claimant.
- Ejari registration
- Registration of the tenancy contract with RERA (Ejari). Article 4 of the tenancy law requires the lease to be registered with RERA, and the Centre asks for a copy of the registered lease when a case is filed — so registration underpins the whole claim.
- Conciliation (Amicable Settlement)
- The first stage, where the Centre evaluates the claim and tries to reach a quick mediated settlement before the case is litigated.
- First Instance Committee
- The committee of judges and members that hears and decides a claim that was not settled at conciliation, and issues a judgment.
- Execution (enforcement)
- Carried out by the Judgment Execution Department, which enforces judgments — including eviction orders and financial claims — once a judgment is enforceable.
Documents usually prepared to file
- The Ejari-registered tenancy contract and any addenda or renewals
- Emirates ID for individuals, or a valid trade licence for companies
- Any notices already served, and proof of how they were served
- Payment records: rent receipts, cheques, and bank transfers
- Evidence specific to the dispute: photos, handover reports, technical reports, and correspondence
- An accurate legal translation into Arabic of any document not already in Arabic
A note on the document list
The official RDC page we relied on does not publish a fixed, statutory list of documents required to file. The items above are those used in practice — an Ejari-registered contract, proof of identity or trade licence, and evidence supporting the claim — not a legally mandated checklist. The exact papers depend on the type of claim, so treat the list as a practical starting point and confirm the current requirements with the Centre.
The stages a rental case passes through
Prepare and register the claim
You set out the parties, the tenancy and the remedy sought, and register the first-instance lawsuit with the Ejari contract and the evidence behind each request. Good preparation here shapes the whole case.
Conciliation / amicable settlement
The Conciliation Department evaluates the claim and seeks a quick mediated settlement. Many matters are resolved here without a full hearing; if no settlement is reached, the file moves forward.
First Instance decision
A First Instance Committee of judges and members hears the unresolved claim, reviews the evidence and issues a judgment. In an eviction case the tenant must keep paying rent until a final award is rendered and executed, under Article 31.
Appeal where available
An Appellate Committee hears appeals in accordance with the decree. The official "About RDC" page confirms an appeal stage exists but does not publish the appeal threshold, the time limit, or which judgments are final rather than appealable.
Execution (enforcement)
The Judgment Execution Department enforces the judgment, covering eviction orders and financial claims. This is the stage that turns a decision on paper into an actual result.
Have a question about your case?
What you can ask for and what governs it
| Remedy sought | What governs it |
|---|---|
| Challenge a rent increase at renewal | Decree No. 43 of 2013, tied to the Dubai rent index |
| Eviction during the term (e.g. non-payment) | Article 25(1), Law 26/2007 (as amended) |
| Eviction on expiry (sale, personal use, works) | Article 25(2), with 12-month notarised notice |
| Return of the security deposit | Article 20 (refundable balance returned on expiry) |
| A maintenance remedy | Article 16 (landlord maintains unless agreed otherwise) |
| Restore disconnected utilities / stop harassment | Article 34 (no self-help disconnection) |
A note on fees and timelines
The RDC publishes its fee schedule on the first-instance registration page: registration is 3.5% of the annual rent or lease value for eviction, renewal, rent, termination and return-after-demolition claims (minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000), and 3.5% of the amount claimed for a purely monetary claim (minimum AED 500, maximum AED 15,000). Fixed charges are added: a knowledge fee of AED 10, an innovation fee of AED 10, process service of AED 100, AED 25 to register a power of attorney, and a Real Estate Services Trustee partner fee of AED 130 plus VAT if you file through a trustee centre; half the basic fee is refunded if the case settles at conciliation. No overall case duration is published: Decree No. 26 of 2013 directs that conciliation be attempted within 15 days and a first-instance decision be issued within 30 days of referral, and the RDC states that registration itself takes one business day, but the real length depends on the type of claim, whether it settles, the evidence, and whether an appeal or execution stage follows. Confirm current figures with the Rental Disputes Centre before you file.
Common mistakes when filing
The mistakeFiling on an unregistered tenancy, assuming the contract alone is enough.
The fixRegister the tenancy on Ejari first: Article 4 requires the lease to be registered with RERA.
The mistakeConfusing the 90-day notice with the 12-month eviction notice.
The fixThe 90-day notice (Article 14) varies terms at renewal; the 12-month notice (Article 25(2)) evicts on expiry and must go through a Notary Public or registered mail.
The mistakeStopping rent payments during an eviction case to apply pressure.
The fixKeep paying: Article 31 requires the tenant to pay rent until a final award is rendered and executed. Stopping can weaken your position.
The mistakeSubmitting documents in another language without translation.
The fixProvide an accurate legal translation into Arabic of any document not already in Arabic, prepared before you file.
The mistakeFraming the claim vaguely, without stating the exact remedy.
The fixState precisely what you seek — eviction, unpaid rent, deposit, maintenance or compensation — and tie each request to a document and a legal ground.
When a dispute arises: worked examples
The tenant has not paid rent, and notice to pay has been served.
What is usually neededThe Ejari contract, the served notice with proof of service, and the payment record; Article 25(1) allows eviction during the term where the tenant fails to pay within thirty days of the landlord's notice.
The landlord demands an increase above the permitted cap at renewal.
What is usually neededThe Ejari contract, the renewal correspondence, and the rent-index position; Decree 43/2013 caps the increase against the average market rent, and a claim can be brought if the demand exceeds it.
At the end of the tenancy the landlord will not return the security deposit.
What is usually neededThe handover evidence and photos, the deposit receipt, and any maintenance records; under Article 20 the landlord returns the balance on expiry after deducting genuine maintenance costs.
The tenant receives a 12-month eviction notice for the owner's sale of the property.
What is usually neededThe notice itself and its method of service; a valid on-expiry eviction requires a correct Article 25(2) ground and service through a Notary Public or registered mail at least twelve months ahead.
What MANJAZ can prepare
MANJAZ is a service provider and publisher. We review your tenancy contract and correspondence, prepare and organise the file a rental case needs, provide accurate legal translation of documents into Arabic, and follow up the procedures so nothing is missed. Our aim is to make an unfamiliar process clear and to save you time on the parts that are administrative rather than adversarial.
What we do not do is equally important. We are not a court or a government body, we are not a law firm, and we do not provide legal representation before the Rental Disputes Centre. We never guarantee an outcome, because no honest provider can. Where a matter needs litigation or formal legal advice, that is the role of a licensed advocate, and we say so plainly rather than blur the line.
After the judgment: appeal and execution
A first-instance judgment is not always the end of the road. Where an appeal is available, an Appellate Committee hears it in accordance with the decree; the official source confirms the appeal stage exists but does not publish the threshold, the time limit, or which judgments are final, so those specifics should be confirmed with the Centre or from the full decree text before you rely on them. Our appeal guide sets out this route and marks where the official record stops.
A judgment only helps once it is enforced. At the Centre, enforcement is carried out by the Judgment Execution Department, covering eviction orders and financial claims alike; under Article 21 of Decree No. 26 of 2013 all final and irrevocable judgments of the First Instance and Appellate Committees are enforced by that department, and the Execution Department at Dubai Courts assists only where the chairman of the Centre asks it to. Article 35 of the tenancy law is still the provision that deals with execution, but its wording predates the Centre: it had eviction awards executed through the Committee formed by Decree No. 2 of 1993 and abolished by Decree No. 26 of 2013, and that body's other awards executed by the Execution Section of Dubai Courts. Article 29(b) of the same Decree repeals any conflicting provision to the extent of the conflict, so that split no longer governs enforcement of the Centre's judgments. If you already hold a judgment, our enforcement guide walks through registering it for execution and following the procedure through to a result.
A contract that was never registered in Ejari is one of the most common reasons a rental file runs into difficulty. If yours is not registered, deal with that before anything else.
Registering a tenancy contract in EjariProceedings before the Centre are in Arabic. A contract, notice or receipt in any other language is filed with a legally recognised Arabic translation.
Legal translation for the filingHave the file checked before you pay the fee
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.
Prefer not to use WhatsApp? +971 54 177 7004manjaz.dubai@gmail.com
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
Frequently asked questions
No rule obliges you to appoint an advocate. A rental claim is registered through the Centre's own channels, and either party may register and follow their own case — which is why many landlords and tenants file themselves. Representation still helps in complex or high-value matters, and MANJAZ provides it: we give legal consultation, act for you and represent you before the Centre committees, alongside reviewing your documents, preparing and organising the file, and providing the certified Arabic legal translation the Centre works from.
You file at the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC), part of Dubai Land Department, which has exclusive jurisdiction over rental disputes for property in Dubai. The claim starts as a first-instance rental lawsuit; it is first evaluated by the Conciliation Department, and if no settlement is reached a First Instance Committee decides it.
Either party can file. The one who brings the case is the claimant and the other is the respondent, so a landlord may sue a tenant (for example over unpaid rent or eviction) and a tenant may sue a landlord (for example over a deposit, maintenance or a rent increase).
In practice you prepare the Ejari-registered tenancy contract, proof of identity (Emirates ID) or a trade licence for companies, any notices served with proof of service, payment records, and evidence specific to the dispute. Documents not in Arabic need an accurate legal translation. The official RDC page does not publish a fixed statutory list, so confirm current requirements with the Centre.
Yes. Article 4 of the tenancy law requires the contract to be registered with RERA (Ejari), and the Centre asks for a copy of the registered lease when a case is filed. Registering the tenancy is therefore a practical prerequisite before you file.
The RDC publishes its registration fee: 3.5% of the annual rent or lease value, minimum AED 500 and maximum AED 20,000 (maximum AED 15,000 for a purely monetary claim), plus small fixed charges — the registration-fee question below sets out the full schedule. No overall case duration is published; it depends on the type of claim, whether it settles at conciliation, the evidence, and whether an appeal or execution stage follows. Check the Centre directly for current figures.
Yes. Under Article 31, filing an eviction claim does not exempt the tenant from paying rent; the tenant must continue paying until a final award is rendered and executed. Stopping payments during a case can weaken your position.
Yes, on Dubai rental disputes. We give legal consultation, act for you and represent you before the Rental Disputes Centre committees. We also review documents, prepare and organise the file, provide legal translation and follow up procedures. What we never do is guarantee an outcome.
You file online through the RDC website by creating an account, entering the Ejari lease and party details, and uploading your documents; the official first-instance page states that all documents are uploaded online and that hard copies are not accepted, and that registration takes one business day. The other official channel is a Real Estate Services Trustee centre, where a partner service fee of AED 130 plus VAT is added to the same basic fee. The documents required are the same whichever channel you use.
Per the RDC's published schedule, the registration fee is 3.5% of the annual rent or lease value, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000. For a purely monetary claim the same 3.5% applies to the claimed amount, capped at AED 15,000. Small ancillary fees apply — plus small ancillary fees (process service, power-of-attorney registration, and knowledge/innovation fees). Your exact total depends on the claim value and case type.
The RDC works in Arabic, so any non-Arabic document — the lease, notices, correspondence or evidence — should be accompanied by a legal (certified) Arabic translation before or at filing. Submitting English-only documents is a common reason first-time filings are delayed or rejected at the threshold. MANJAZ can prepare certified Arabic translations of your tenancy file.
The RDC begins with a conciliation stage, and a portion of the filing fee may be refundable where the matter is resolved amicably rather than by judgment, subject to the RDC's fee rules in force at the time. Because refund treatment can change, confirm the current position on the RDC portal (rdc.gov.ae) or with the Centre when you file.
Official sources
- Rental Disputes Center — About RDC
- Dubai Legislation — Decree No. (26) of 2013 (RDC)
- Dubai Legislation — Law No. (26) of 2007 (tenancy law) — original text; Arts 2, 3, 4, 9, 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, 29, 36 amended by Law 33/2008
- Dubai Legislation — Law No. (33) of 2008 amending Law 26/2007
- Dubai Legislation — Decree No. (43) of 2013 (rent increase)
- Rental Disputes Centre — Register a First Instance Lawsuit (e-service, fee schedule)
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?
Send your case details and the documents you have — tenancy contract, Ejari, notices, correspondence — and MANJAZ will help you identify the right service and step.