Property disputes in Dubai can take complex turns if not attended to with utmost sophistication and expertise. You will be losing your money and living in stress, while missing out on the opportunities that the booming real estate market brings to the table. 

Breach of contract, rental agreement mismatch, delay in handover, monetary commitment fails, and other such issues are what give rise to real estate disputes. Therefore, seeking legal assistance is the only right way to solve them! 

Now, solving a property dispute depends on two major things: the quality of your case and your choice of legal consultants in Dubai. The right lawyers will help you shorten the timeline of your property dispute, while the right filing can take your case in the winning direction. 

In this article, you will learn about how you can easily solve and address your property disputes while seeking help from proficient lawyers in Dubai. 

Understanding Property or Real Estate Disputes in Dubai

Prior to guiding you on the detailed steps on how to adopt legal remedies for property disputes in Dubai, it is important that you know about all the specialized bodies appointed in the region for dealing with such conflicts:

• Rental Dispute Centers

The Rental Dispute Centre is one of the exclusive authorities for resolving landlord-tenant disputes in Dubai. RDSC provides a party with the capability of reviewing the rental history of the other, prior to drawing the lease contract. Not just that, but it also helps with property dispute resolution in Dubai, between the judiciary authorities in the Emirate of Dubai and the DIFC Courts. 

• Dubai Courts

When the administrative bodies fail to resolve the property disputes, or there comes some unavoidable complexity, your real estate lawyer in Dubai might help you escalate the matter to the Dubai Courts for a favorable judgment. 

• Dubai Land Department

DLD, or Dubai Land Department, is responsible for handling title deeds, service charge regulations, developer obligations, sales approvals, and property registration. 

• RERA

RERA is the authority that oversees all the real estate activities in Dubai, followed by project registration, buyer rights, developer compliance, and more. Most of the simple developer-buyer real estate legal disputes in Dubai are resolved by RERA. 

Step-by-Step Guide on Solving Property Disputes in Dubai

The first thing you need to do when you encounter a property dispute is to search for the best law firms in Dubai. Hiring the top lawyers to take on your case will help you increase the winning. However, even with the best legal assistance, you must be aware of how to approach your property dispute resolution in Dubai. So, here are the steps that you must adhere to in the process:

    1.Review the Property Documents and Contracts

Before you go ahead and hire law consultants in Dubai to take necessary action on your dispute case, you ought to review the property contracts and documents thoroughly. The documents include:

• Sales & Purchase Agreements
• Developer Receipts
• Payment Plans & Bank Statements
• Photographic Evidence
• Email Communications & Notices
• Title Deed
• Ejari Certificate for Rental Disputes
• Maintenance Reports

Most of the property disputes in Dubai are directly linked to the contract obligations. Therefore, you ought to understand your rights when raising a dispute, which can assist your real estate lawyer in Dubai to strongly present your case. 

   2.Try Mediation & Arbitration to Solve the Dispute

UAE law advises all parties to try and resolve their disputes outside the court, before moving ahead with filing legal complaints. Such of settlement helps everyone save time, legal costs, and preserve relationships. 

RH and HALE, being one of the best law firms in Dubai, can help you with mediation and arbitration for solving real estate disputes. Our lawyers can act as mediators to help both parties reach an amicable settlement or help you choose arbitrators to issue legally enforceable awards by assessing all the evidence. 

It is always advised to bring a lawyer on your behalf to do the negotiation outside of court, which increases the chances of a positive outcome. In case the settlement fails, you can then go ahead with filing a formal case. 

   3.Register the Case with a Legal Body in Dubai

Depending on your case or type of property dispute in Dubai, you can register your case with one of the legal bodies:

• For any rental dispute in Dubai, you must file your case in RDSC (Rental Dispute Centre). Issues like sudden rent hikes, deposit conflicts, eviction notices, and others can be addressed by RDSC. 
• For any developer-buyer disputes, you can register your case with RERA, Dubai Courts, or DLD. Initially, you must seek mediation by RERA, and if that fails, you can escalate the matter to the Dubai Courts. 
• For any title issue or property ownership dispute in Dubai, you must register your case with the Dubai Courts, as they issue binding judgements on such matters. 

For rental cases, the fee for registering the case might be 3.5% of the annual rent. However, the court cases can cost around 5-7% of the total claim value. 

At RH and HALE, we offer a comprehensive suite of real estate legal services in the UAE, with proficiency in dealing with both simple as well as complex dispute cases. You can let our lawyers step in and help you register your case formally across the legal bodies. 

   4.Court Proceedings and Judgement Enforcement

Once your real estate dispute case is accepted in the respective legal body, you will then be given a hearing date. Your lawyer will be handling most of the tasks in the process and will also be presenting your case before the judiciary authority. 

Depending on the complexity of the case, it might take around 30 to 90 days for a property dispute resolution in Dubai. You and your real estate lawyer will be presenting the case, submitting the evidence, and arguing for your winning position. 

If you win your case, and the other party still fails to comply with the court’s decision, the judicial authority can enforce legal bans or freezes. However, if you lose and believe the judgment was unfair to your case, you have your right to appeal within the next 15 days. 

Parting Words

Every property dispute in Dubai doesn’t have to end up in court, as that hampers professional or personal relationships and brings unwanted mental stress. There are alternatives to extreme legal solutions, and partnering with proficient real estate lawyers in Dubai can help open up all your dispute resolution options. 

From simple mediation and arbitration outside the court to registering and presenting your case before legal bodies, RH and HALE offers you complete assistance with your property dispute resolution in Dubai. We are one of the best law firms in Dubai with a strong team of advocates having in-depth insight into the growing real estate law in UAE.