Quick answer: Dubai's Rental Disputes Center handles rental conflicts via mediation and judicial review. Filing costs 3.5% of annual rent (min AED 500, max AED 20,000). Expect rulings within 30-45 days.
If you're stuck in a fight with your landlord or tenant over rent, eviction, or a contract breach, committee rental dispute resolution is probably where you'll end up. In Dubai, that means the Rental Disputes Center (RDC) — a judicial tribunal attached to Dubai Courts. Here's what actually happens.
Committee rental dispute resolution in Dubai is handled by the Rental Disputes Center (RDC), established under Decree No. 26 of 2013. You file a case at the RDC in Deira (or online via the Dubai Courts portal), pay a fee of 3.5% of the annual rent (minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000), and a judge issues a first-instance ruling — typically within 30 to 45 days. Appeals go to the RDC Appeal Tribunal within 15 days. Mediation is attempted first. Most rent and eviction disputes in Dubai go through this exact channel. [1][2]
In Dubai, there's no longer a separate "rental committee" — Decree No. 26 of 2013 replaced the old committee structure with the Rental Disputes Center, a specialised judicial body. So when people say "rental committee" today, they usually mean the RDC. [1]
You file in one of three ways:
You'll need: the tenancy contract, a valid Ejari registration certificate (the official tenancy registration system run by RERA, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency), Emirates ID, proof of payments or notices, and any eviction notice served through a notary public or registered mail.
No Ejari, no case. Honestly, this is where half the disputes die before they start — tenants assume a signed contract is enough. It isn't.
Outside Dubai, the system differs. Abu Dhabi runs its rental disputes through the Rental Disputes Settlement Committee under the Department of Municipalities and Transport, and Sharjah uses its own committee at the Sharjah Municipality. The principles are similar, but fees and timelines vary.
Once you file, committee rental dispute resolution follows a fairly predictable path:
The whole thing — filing to final ruling — typically runs 45 to 90 days. Execution can add another 30 to 60.
Watch out: Eviction notices for non-renewal must be served 12 months in advance through notary public or registered mail, per Article 25(2) of Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008). Email and WhatsApp notices have been rejected repeatedly. [3]
The court fee is 3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000. Add roughly AED 100–300 for translation if your contract isn't in Arabic — all submissions must be Arabic or accompanied by a certified translation. [2]
Evidence that actually wins cases:
Where people slip up: thinking a verbal agreement modifies a written contract (it doesn't), assuming the security deposit covers unpaid rent automatically (it doesn't — you have to claim it), and serving eviction notices by SMS (the RDC will throw it out).
One more thing. Rent increases are capped by the RERA Rental Index, and any increase must follow the percentages in Decree No. 43 of 2013 — 0% if rent is within 10% of market, scaling up to 20% if rent is more than 40% below market. Landlords who try to push beyond that lose at the RDC almost every time. [4]
Not every property fight belongs at the RDC. Skip it if:
For most residential and commercial tenancy fights in mainland Dubai, though, the RDC is your only road. Mediation works in maybe a third of cases. The rest get decided by a judge, and the judge will follow Law No. 26 of 2007, the RERA index, and the contract — in that order.
If the dispute involves unpaid rent and the tenant has already left the country, you can still file and get a judgment in absentia, but enforcement gets messy fast.
[1] Dubai Government, Decree No. 26 of 2013 Concerning the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre in the Emirate of Dubai. https://dld.gov.ae/ [2] Rental Disputes Center, Dubai — Fees and Services. https://www.dc.gov.ae/PublicServices/RDCFees.aspx [3] 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. https://dld.gov.ae/ [4] Decree No. 43 of 2013 Determining Rent Increase Rates for Real Property in the Emirate of Dubai. https://dld.gov.ae/
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This is general legal information, not legal advice. For advice tailored to your specific situation, consult a UAE-licensed lawyer.
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