When a Landlord Refuses the Rent: Offer and Deposit in Dubai
A landlord who refuses to take the rent is usually not being careless — he is trying to build a case. If none of the rent can be shown to have arrived, the file starts to look like non-payment, and non-payment is one of the few grounds that lets a landlord evict a tenant during the term. Dubai law answers this with a clean, official move: you formally offer the rent and, when it is refused, deposit it through the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre, so the payment is on the record and treated as made on time. This page explains why landlords refuse the rent, how the Offer and Deposit service works step by step, what the Centre asks for, and how the deposit locks together with Article 31 to keep you fully paid up and out of default.
- If the landlord refuses the rent, you offer and deposit it through the RDC
- A deposit on the record closes the 30-day non-payment ground under Article 25(1)
- Article 31 keeps the rent running through any dispute — so you keep paying, into the Centre
- Not a way to pay less — a way to pay exactly what is due when no one will take it
- Dubai-based, UAE-wide service
- Arabic & English
- Clear guidance on every document
- Direct request, no middlemen
If your landlord will not take the rent, you offer it and deposit it at the Centre
If a landlord in Dubai refuses to accept the rent, the tenant does not simply wait and fall into arrears — the law lets you formally offer the rent and, when it is refused, deposit it through the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre so that you are recorded as having paid on time. This is the Offer and Deposit service: you petition a Provisional and Summary Actions Judge at the Centre for an order that lets you tender the rent to the owner without giving up any of your rights under the lease, and you place the money with the Centre rather than in the landlord's hands. The moment the rent is deposited, the obligation for that period is treated as performed, and a landlord can no longer claim that you failed to pay.
That protection matters because non-payment is one of the few grounds on which a landlord can evict a tenant during the term of a running contract. Under Article 25(1) of Law No. 26 of 2007, if a tenant does not pay the rent within thirty days of a formal notice to pay, the landlord may ask the Centre to order eviction. A landlord who quietly refuses cheques, then serves a notice to pay and waits for the clock to run, is trying to manufacture exactly that default. Offering and depositing the rent takes the ground away: you have paid, on the record, into an official channel.
This page explains the mechanism from the ground up — why a landlord would refuse the rent in the first place, how the Offer and Deposit service works step by step, what documents the Centre asks for, and how the deposit interlocks with Article 31, which keeps the rent running throughout any dispute. It is written so that a tenant facing a refused payment, or a landlord being offered rent on terms in dispute, can see exactly where the law places each side.
Why a landlord would refuse to take the rent
On the surface it looks strange for a landlord to turn down money that is owed. In practice a refusal is almost always tactical. The most common reason is to build a non-payment case: if the landlord can avoid accepting the rent and then show that nothing arrived within the thirty-day window after a notice to pay, the file starts to look like an Article 25(1) eviction for arrears — even though the tenant was ready and willing to pay the whole time.
Other refusals are about leverage at renewal. A landlord who wants an increase above what Decree No. 43 of 2013 allows, or who wants the tenant out so the unit can be re-let at a higher rent, may reject the renewal cheques and treat the contract as if it had lapsed. Some refusals are structural rather than strategic: the property has changed hands and the new owner has not given bank details, a post-dated cheque bounced over a technicality, or the landlord has simply left the country and cannot be reached. In each of these the tenant is willing to pay but has no one who will lawfully accept the payment.
Whatever the reason, the tenant's answer is the same, and it is not to keep the money in a personal account and hope. Keeping rent aside privately proves nothing; it can even be read later as an admission that the rent was never actually paid. The lawful move is to convert your readiness to pay into an official, dated record by offering the rent and depositing it at the Centre. That single step neutralises almost every refusal, whatever motivated it.
The words this mechanism is built on
- Offer and deposit
- The Centre service by which a tenant petitions a Provisional and Summary Actions Judge for an order to tender the rent to the owner and place it with the Centre, without affecting the tenant's rights under the lease. It is used when the landlord refuses to receive the rent.
- The rent
- The agreed consideration for the use of the property. Under Article 12 it is paid on the dates the parties agree; where there is no agreement, it is paid annually in four equal instalments in advance. Knowing when the rent is due is what tells you whether you are early, on time, or late.
- Security deposit (Article 20)
- A separate sum the landlord may hold to secure maintenance, refundable at the end of the term after any repair costs. Do not confuse it with depositing the rent — the security deposit protects the property; depositing the rent discharges your payment obligation.
- Provisional and Summary Actions Judge
- The judge at the Centre who hears urgent, provisional matters and issues the order that permits the offer and deposit. The Centre routes the request to this judge rather than to a full trial.
- Notice to pay
- The formal demand a landlord serves before seeking eviction for arrears. Under Article 25(1) the tenant then has thirty days to pay before the landlord can ask for eviction — the window the Offer and Deposit service is designed to close.
- Ejari registration
- Registration of the tenancy with RERA through Ejari. The Centre asks for a copy of the registered lease when a case is filed, so registration underpins any offer, deposit or defence you bring to the Centre.
How offering and depositing the rent keeps you out of default
The Offer and Deposit service works because it changes the facts a landlord would otherwise rely on. An eviction for arrears under Article 25(1) needs one thing above all: proof that the rent was not paid within thirty days of a notice to pay. When you deposit the rent at the Centre, that proof disappears. There is now an official record, dated inside the window, showing the rent was tendered and placed with the Centre. The landlord's refusal to take it directly becomes irrelevant, because payment into the Centre stands in place of payment into the landlord's account.
The service also fits the rule that you must never stop paying. Article 31 provides that filing an eviction claim does not exempt the tenant from paying the rent for the whole period the claim is considered, and until an award is rendered and executed. In other words, a dispute does not pause the rent — it keeps running. Depositing the rent is precisely how a tenant keeps performing when there is no one willing to accept the money: you continue to pay, on time, but into the Centre instead of to a landlord who is refusing or unreachable.
There is a discipline to it. The Centre expects the offer to match what is actually owed — the same terms as the existing lease, the correct instalments, the cheques prepared. It is not a way to pay less or to rewrite the bargain; it is a way to pay exactly what is due when the other side will not take it. Used properly, it leaves a tenant standing on the strongest possible ground: fully paid up, on the record, with the disagreement about renewal or increase kept separate from any question of arrears. That separation is where a service provider like MANJAZ can help — reviewing the lease, translating the papers into Arabic, and assembling a clean file for the Centre.
Registering an offer and deposit, step by step
Try to pay, and keep the proof
Approach the landlord in writing with the rent due and keep every message, email or cheque-delivery record. Correspondence showing that you tried to pay, and that it was refused or ignored, is part of what the Centre wants to see.
Prepare the offer and the documents
Draw up the Offer and Deposit motion and gather the file: your Emirates ID (or the manager's ID and commercial licence for a company), the last signed lease and a copy of the new lease on the same terms, the cheques to be deposited, and any correspondence between the parties. Every document must be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic.
Submit through the Centre
File the request online through the Centre portal, or in person at a Real Estate Services Trustees Centre where staff verify the documents and enter the transaction. The Centre states that registering the request is completed within one business day.
Obtain the judge's order
The Provisional and Summary Actions Judge reviews the motion and issues an order allowing you to offer the rent and deposit it without prejudice to your rights under the lease. The decision is delivered through the portal.
Deposit the rent as ordered
Pay the rent into the Centre as the order directs. This is the step that discharges the obligation for that period and creates the record you can rely on.
Keep the order and the receipt
Hold on to the judge's order and the deposit receipt. Together they are your proof that the rent was paid on time, and they answer any later claim that you were in arrears.
Have a question about your case?
Documents the Centre asks for
- The Offer and Deposit motion setting out the request to tender and deposit the rent.
- A copy of the tenant's Emirates ID, or for a company the manager's Emirates ID with the latest commercial licence.
- A copy of the last signed lease and a copy of the new lease on the same terms and conditions.
- A copy of the cheques to be deposited, submitted with the new lease.
- A copy of any correspondence between the tenant and the landlord.
- Arabic versions of every document — originals in Arabic, or legal translations into Arabic.
The lawful route and the trap: depositing the rent vs holding it back
Offer and deposit (the lawful route)
- You tender the rent and place it with the Centre, so the payment is on the record and treated as made on time.
- It closes the thirty-day non-payment window under Article 25(1); the landlord cannot show arrears.
- It keeps the renewal or increase disagreement separate from any question of whether you paid.
Withholding or keeping rent aside (the trap)
- Money kept in your own account is not a payment; the law can treat the rent as unpaid however sincere your intention.
- It hands the landlord the very default an arrears eviction needs, and can weaken the case you are trying to protect.
- It mixes two things that should stay apart — your duty to pay, and your disagreement about terms.
Five situations where offer and deposit is the answer
The landlord refuses your renewal cheques to push you to leave
What is usually neededOffer and deposit the rent on the same terms. Refusing the cheques does not end the tenancy or make you a defaulter; depositing the rent at the Centre keeps you paid up and takes away the leverage.
The landlord demands an increase above the Decree 43 cap and rejects your cheque
What is usually neededDeposit the lawful rent and dispute the increase separately. You pay what is properly due on the existing terms through the Centre, while the disagreement over the new figure goes to the Centre on its own footing under Article 9.
The property was sold and the new owner has not given you payment details
What is usually neededOffer and deposit the rent. A sale does not end your lease under Article 28, and the new owner steps into it — depositing the rent protects you until the new banking arrangements are clear.
The landlord has left the country and cannot be reached
What is usually neededUse the Centre instead of a person. When there is no one to accept the money, the deposit is the payment; your obligation is met by placing the rent with the Centre.
The landlord has already served a notice to pay, counting on the thirty days running out
What is usually neededOffer and deposit before the window closes. Depositing the rent inside the thirty days defeats the arrears ground the notice was setting up, because the rent is paid on the record in time.
Whatever happens, keep paying — into the Centre if you must
A refusal by the landlord, or a dispute at the Centre, never suspends your duty to pay. Article 31 keeps the rent running for the whole period a claim is considered, until an award is rendered and executed. If the landlord will not take the money, that is exactly what the Offer and Deposit service is for: you keep performing by depositing the rent, rather than letting it lapse and handing the other side an arrears argument.
Has a landlord refused your rent, or served a notice to pay while turning down your cheques? Send us the lease and the correspondence — we will help you assemble the file, translate it into Arabic, and prepare the offer-and-deposit request for the Centre.
Get help preparing an offer and depositWhere a refused-rent situation goes wrong
The mistakeKeeping the rent in your own account because the landlord will not take it.
The fixDeposit it at the Centre instead; only an official deposit counts as payment and creates a record you can rely on.
The mistakeMissing the payment date because you were waiting for the landlord to respond.
The fixNote when the rent falls due — on the agreed dates, or four equal advance instalments under Article 12 — and offer and deposit before you are late.
The mistakeTreating the security deposit and the rent deposit as the same thing.
The fixKeep them apart: the Article 20 security deposit secures maintenance; depositing the rent discharges your payment obligation.
The mistakeSubmitting documents only in English or another language.
The fixProvide everything in Arabic, original or legally translated, as the Centre requires.
The mistakeIgnoring a notice to pay in the hope it goes away.
The fixAct inside the thirty-day window — offering and depositing the rent is what closes the Article 25(1) arrears ground.
The mistakeWithholding rent to pressure a landlord during a renewal dispute.
The fixPay in full through the Centre and argue the terms separately; withholding tends to weaken the very case it is meant to support.
When the landlord will not take the rent
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.
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Refused rent and offer-and-deposit — frequently asked questions
Offer the rent and deposit it through the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre. You petition a Provisional and Summary Actions Judge for an order that lets you tender the rent to the owner and place it with the Centre without affecting your lease rights; once it is deposited, the rent is treated as paid on time even though the landlord refused to take it.
Not if you offer and deposit the rent. An eviction for arrears under Article 25(1) needs proof that the rent was not paid within thirty days of a notice to pay; depositing the rent at the Centre inside that window is a payment on the record, so the arrears ground falls away.
They are two different things. The security deposit under Article 20 is a sum the landlord may hold to secure maintenance, refundable at the end of the term; depositing the rent is paying your rent into the Centre when the landlord will not accept it, and it discharges your payment obligation for that period.
Yes. Article 31 says that filing an eviction claim does not exempt you from paying the rent for the whole time the claim is considered, until an award is rendered and executed. If the landlord refuses to take the money, you keep paying by depositing the rent at the Centre.
Under Article 12, where there is no agreement on payment dates the rent is paid annually in four equal instalments in advance. Knowing the due date tells you whether you are on time, which matters when you need to offer and deposit before a payment is treated as late.
The Centre asks for the Offer and Deposit motion, your Emirates ID (or a company manager's ID and commercial licence), the last signed lease and a copy of the new lease on the same terms, the cheques to be deposited, and any correspondence between the parties — all in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic.
Offer and deposit the rent. A sale does not end your lease under Article 28; the new owner takes it over, and depositing the rent at the Centre keeps you paid up until the new payment arrangements are settled.
You register online through the Centre portal or in person at a Real Estate Services Trustees Centre, and the Centre states that registering the request is completed within one business day, with the judge's decision delivered through the portal. The Centre lists set fees for this service — an AED 50 offer-and-deposit fee, an AED 10 knowledge fee and an AED 10 innovation fee, plus an AED 130 + VAT partner fee if you file at a Real Estate Services Trustees Centre — so confirm the current figures on the official channel before you file.
Official sources
- Rental Disputes Centre — Register an Offer and Deposit (service)
- Rental Disputes Centre — About the Centre
- Dubai Legislation Portal — Law 26 of 2007 (Articles 12, 20, 31) — original text; Arts 2, 3, 4, 9, 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, 29, 36 amended by Law 33/2008
- Dubai Legislation Portal — Law 33 of 2008 amending Law 26 of 2007 (Article 25)
- Dubai Legislation Portal — Decree 26 of 2013 (the RDC)
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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