Getting Your Security Deposit Back in Dubai

Both, within limits. Article 20 lets the landlord hold the deposit to secure the upkeep of the property, so the real, invoiced cost of repairing damage the tenant was responsible for may be deducted from it — but not the ordinary wear and tear of living in the home, which a landlord cannot charge to the tenant. Where the deposit does not cover the amount, the shortfall is not lost: it is a claim brought at the Rental Disputes Centre like any other, supported by the tenancy contract, the handover condition record and the invoices. Unpaid utility bills are treated the same way, with the account statement as the evidence.

You will see those figures quoted widely — 5% of the annual rent for an unfurnished property, 10% for a furnished one — but they do not come from the tenancy law. Article 20 of Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, permits a landlord to take a deposit to secure maintenance of the property and says nothing about how large it may be. The percentages are market convention, and what is actually written in your tenancy contract governs. What the law does constrain is the other end: the landlord must return the deposit, or the balance of it, when the contract expires, and may keep only the cost of maintenance the tenant was responsible for. If you believe a contract term or a deduction is unreasonable, that is a question for the Rental Disputes Centre, and MANJAZ is not a law firm and does not advise on it.

Yes. Under Article 20 of Law No. 26 of 2007 the landlord must return the deposit when the contract expires — the whole amount, or the balance after deducting the cost of maintenance the tenant was responsible for. The deposit is the tenant's money held as security, not the landlord's to keep.

Only the real cost of repairing damage the tenant caused beyond fair wear and tear. Article 20 allows deducting maintenance costs incurred, and Article 21 excepts ordinary wear and tear, so faded paint or normal ageing cannot be charged, while burns, breakages or unrestored alterations can be.

Fair wear and tear is the ordinary deterioration that comes from using the property normally over time — faded paint, lightly worn carpets, small fixing holes, and the general ageing of fittings. Article 21 expressly excepts it from the tenant's duty to return the property in its received condition, so it cannot be charged to the deposit.

The law does not set a fixed number of days. Article 20 requires the refund on expiry, and in practice it is settled once the property is inspected, any lawful deduction is quantified and the utility account is closed. If a landlord withholds the money without a genuine, evidenced deduction, the tenant can demand an itemised account and file at the Rental Disputes Centre.

No. The deposit secures the condition of the property, not the payment of rent. Rent remains due separately until the tenancy ends, and setting the deposit off against rent can leave you exposed both on the rent and on any end-of-tenancy repair.

Put a written demand to the landlord asking for an itemised statement of any deduction with supporting invoices, attaching your move-in and move-out records. If there is no lawful deduction and no refund, you can file a claim at the Rental Disputes Centre, which decides deposit disputes on the evidence.

The strongest file has the Ejari-registered contract and deposit receipt, dated move-in and move-out photographs with a written inventory, receipts for any maintenance you paid, the final DEWA and cooling clearance, and the landlord's own itemised deduction. Together these turn a disagreement into a case that can be decided on evidence.

Usually not. In Dubai rental practice, comprehensive interior repainting and deep cleaning at the end of a tenancy is customarily treated as the landlord's cost, not the tenant's — because it flows from ordinary use rather than tenant fault. A landlord may only charge for repainting where the tenant caused damage beyond fair wear and tear (Article 21), such as unapproved colour changes or wall damage, and even then must show real, invoiced cost. A blanket 'repainting fee' deducted as a matter of course may be challenged at the Rental Disputes Centre. This is general information, not legal advice, and the outcome depends on the facts and the tenancy contract.

Where a landlord withholds the deposit without a genuine, evidenced deduction, a tenant can file at the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) — the competent body established by Decree No. 26 of 2013. A refund claim is filed at the RDC as a claim for the defined sum the landlord owes, supported by the Ejari contract, the deposit receipt, move-in/move-out records and utility clearances. The matter typically begins with conciliation, and a favourable decision can be enforced through execution. Filing carries an official fee set by the RDC schedule (a percentage of the claimed value, subject to a floor and cap). The right route depends on the facts, so consider confirming the current procedure with the RDC.

Possibly, but it is harder. Deposit disputes are decided on evidence, so the absence of a dated move-in inventory shifts the argument to whatever else you can show — move-out photographs, the tenancy and Ejari, prior maintenance receipts, and any written communication with the landlord about the property's condition. The burden of proving a lawful deduction rests on the landlord, who must produce an itemised statement and real invoices; unsupported assertions carry little weight. Building the strongest possible file, even after the fact, is what turns a disagreement into a decidable case. Outcomes depend on the facts and are subject to the applicable law.