To file a case at Dubai's Rental Disputes Center (RDC), register on rdc.gov.ae or visit a Real Estate Services Trustee centre, upload your Ejari tenancy contract, Emirates ID, an IBAN letter and your evidence, all in Arabic or legally translated, and pay the fee: 3.5% of the annual rent, at least AED 500 and at most AED 20,000. Claims for a sum of money, such as an unreturned deposit, cost 3.5% of the amount claimed, between AED 500 and AED 15,000. Before a tribunal hears a rental dispute, the RDC's conciliation team tries to settle it, and if it settles there, half the claim fee is refunded.
- Online from start to finish: registration within one business day, hearings by video, judgments on the website and by email.
- Fixed fees on top: AED 100 to serve the papers plus AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees; AED 130 plus VAT more at a trustee centre.
- Appeals: within 15 days. Judgments on claims under AED 100,000 are final, except evictions and a few procedural grounds.
What is the Rental Disputes Center?
The Rental Disputes Center is Dubai's special judicial body for landlord and tenant disputes. Decree No. 26 of 2013 set it up within the Dubai Land Department (DLD), taking over from the old rent tribunal, with exclusive jurisdiction over rental disputes in the emirate, including free zones. It conciliates, judges, hears appeals and enforces judgments under one roof.
Free zones with their own tribunals or courts, lease finance contracts and long-term leases covered by Law No. 7 of 2006 fall outside it. Since 2019 it has also heard jointly owned property disputes, and Law No. 4 of 2026 gives it exclusive jurisdiction over shared housing disputes. It sits in the DLD building on Baniyas Road; its contact page lists 800 4484 and hours of 7:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Thursday and to 12 noon on Friday.
How do you file a rental dispute in Dubai?
Create an account on the RDC website, enter the tenancy contract details, add the parties and what you are asking for, upload the documents, and pay once the system has checked the claim. Registration takes up to one business day. You can also file at a Real Estate Services Trustee centre, where staff enter the claim for an extra AED 130 plus VAT.
- Check the basics: a lease registered in Ejari and, for an eviction, a notice served the way the law requires (see the table below).
- Know your position: the RDC's free Virtual Judge service explains your rights before you sue.
- Translate anything not already in Arabic, through a legal translator.
- Register and pay on rdc.gov.ae, by Noqodi or card (cash at trustee centres).
- Attend conciliation and the hearing by video, using the RDC's link. Upload documents before the hearing date; nothing can be added once a case is reserved for judgment.
- Track the case with Track Your Case in the Dubai REST app or on the RDC website, using your mobile number or the case number.
What documents does the RDC need?
The RDC asks for the latest Ejari contract; the Emirates ID of an individual, or a company's trade licence and its manager's ID; a bank letter or statement showing the claimant's IBAN; and, for an eviction, the notarised notice with the notification officer's report or the registered-post notice with its acknowledgement. Everything must be in Arabic or legally translated, and uploaded: hard copies aren't accepted.
Add whatever supports the claim: a power of attorney or management contract, notices, correspondence, cheques and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) bills. The RDC says WhatsApp messages and emails can count as evidence once the parties have been questioned about them and acknowledged them in the case record.
How much does it cost to file at the Rental Disputes Center?
For eviction, renewal, rent claims, ending a lease that is still running and returning to a rebuilt property, the fee is 3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000. Other money claims cost 3.5% of the amount claimed, from AED 500 to AED 15,000. Every claim then adds AED 120 in fixed fees.
| Case | 3.5% of | Claim fee | Total filed online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eviction, annual rent AED 10,000 | Annual rent: AED 350 | AED 500 (minimum) | AED 620 |
| Rent claim, annual rent AED 60,000 | Annual rent: AED 2,100 | AED 2,100 | AED 2,220 |
| Renewal dispute, annual rent AED 120,000 | Annual rent: AED 4,200 | AED 4,200 | AED 4,320 |
| Eviction, annual rent AED 700,000 | Annual rent: AED 24,500 | AED 20,000 (maximum) | AED 20,120 |
| Deposit claim of AED 8,000 | Amount claimed: AED 280 | AED 500 (minimum) | AED 620 |
| Money claim of AED 500,000 | Amount claimed: AED 17,500 | AED 15,000 (maximum) | AED 15,120 |
Totals add the AED 100 service fee and AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees (our arithmetic, from the RDC's schedule). Add AED 25 to register a power of attorney, and AED 136.50 (AED 130 plus VAT) at a trustee centre. If the case settles in conciliation, half the fee for the basic claim comes back: by our reading of the RDC’s wording, AED 2,100 in the renewal example. Confirm the amount with the RDC when you settle. The RDC also takes requests to waive or postpone fees.
| Other RDC service | What it does | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Execution, cheques | Enforces a bounced rent cheque, with the bank's return memo | AED 100 + AED 20 |
| Writ of payment | Orders payment of a debt that is due, five days after a notice goes unpaid | 3.5% of the amount (AED 500 to AED 15,000) + AED 120 |
| Petition order | Urgent orders, such as restoring electricity and water or reactivating access cards | AED 20 |
| Offer and deposit | Lets a tenant offer the rent or the keys to the owner through a judge | AED 50 + AED 20 |
| Execution of an eviction | Enforces an eviction judgment | 1% of annual rent (maximum AED 5,000) + AED 120 |
Is there a settlement step before a hearing?
Yes. Decree No. 26 of 2013 created a mediation and conciliation directorate, and the RDC says claims pass through it before they reach a first instance tribunal. It should try to settle within 15 days of the parties appearing, which the supervising judge can extend. A settlement signed by both sides and the conciliator and approved by the judge is enforceable like a judgment.
You can also start there directly with the Dispute Lawsuit (Amicable Settlement) service, at the same fee. Conciliators work by video and phone, in languages including Arabic, English, Persian and Urdu, and legal time limits are suspended while they handle the dispute. Urgent and interim requests skip this step.
How long does a rental case take?
The RDC doesn't publish an average. The law sets targets instead: conciliation should try to settle within 15 days of the parties appearing, and a tribunal must decide a claim within 30 days of receiving the file, a period that can be extended. Registration takes up to one business day, and appeals and enforcement add their own deadlines.
Enforcement can start 15 days after a judgment (from the day after it, or from notification for an absent party), and the execution judge can approve instalments for money owed.
Can you appeal an RDC judgment?
Usually, within 15 days: from the day after the judgment if you attended, or from notification if you didn't. Judgments on claims under AED 100,000 are final, except eviction judgments and a few procedural grounds. To appeal a money judgment, the party ordered to pay deposits half the amount awarded, which is refundable. Appellate Division judgments are final.
Those grounds, in Article 17 of the decree, include a breach of jurisdiction, a judgment beyond or short of what was asked, improper service, and false or concealed evidence. An appeal costs AED 100 plus AED 20. For a contested eviction, take a lawyer's advice before the 15 days run out.
Common disputes, the law and what to bring
| Dispute | What the law says | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid rent (landlord) | Eviction if rent isn't paid within 30 days of a notice to pay by notary public or registered post (Article 25(1)) | Ejari, the notice and proof of service, bounced cheques and return memos |
| Eviction at the end of the lease | Only for sale, own or first-degree relative's use, demolition, or restoration needing the home empty, with 12 months' notice by notary public or registered post (Article 25(2)) | The notice with the officer's report or postal acknowledgement, and evidence of the reason |
| Rent at renewal | Either side can seek a change; without agreement the RDC sets a fair rent (Article 13), after 90 days' notice (Article 14) | The notice and its date, and a dated Rental Index result |
| Deposit not returned (tenant) | Refund of the deposit or its balance at the end (Article 20); home returned as received, wear and tear excepted (Article 21) | Deposit receipt, move-in and move-out reports, photos, key handover note |
| Services cut or access blocked | DLD says a landlord may not cut services or stop the tenant using the home | Ejari, photos and any police report, for a petition order |
Notices decide eviction cases The RDC asks for eviction notices served by notary public with the officer's report, or by registered post with the acknowledgement. A notice sent another way, or one that doesn't allow the full 30-day or 12-month period, can mean starting again.
Articles refer to Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. Our guides cover the background: non-payment of rent, tenancy laws and evictions, rent increases, tenanted property and Ejari cancellation and deposits. Instalments under DLD's Flexi Rent initiative are part of the rent, so a missed one is unpaid rent under Article 25.
Avoiding a rental dispute in the first place
Most cases turn on paperwork: a registered contract, notices served properly, payment records and condition reports. Before signing, either side can check the other's case history with the RDC's Rental Good Conduct Certificate. Our guide to tenant complaints and disputes covers the informal stage.
This guide is practical information, not legal advice. Our property management team keeps notices, Ejari and payment records in order for landlords, which is most of what a case needs if one ever comes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to file a rental case in Dubai?
3.5% of the annual rent for eviction, renewal and rent claims (minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000), or 3.5% of the amount for other money claims (AED 500 to AED 15,000), plus AED 120 in fixed fees.
Do my documents have to be in Arabic?
Yes. Every document must be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic, and uploaded to the RDC system; hard copies aren't accepted.
Do I get money back if we settle?
Yes. If the dispute settles at the conciliation stage, half the fee paid for the basic claim is refunded, and the signed settlement is enforceable like a judgment.
How do I check my RDC case status?
Use Track Your Case in the Dubai REST app or on the RDC website, with your mobile number or the case number. The result is instant.
Can I appeal a Rental Disputes Center judgment?
Within 15 days, for claims of AED 100,000 or more and for any eviction judgment. Smaller claims are final except on a few procedural grounds, and appealing a money judgment needs a refundable deposit of half the amount awarded.
Where is the Rental Disputes Center?
In the Dubai Land Department building on Baniyas Road. Its contact page lists 800 4484 and hours of 7:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Thursday and to 12 noon on Friday, though filing and hearings are online.
Sources
- Rental Disputes Center: Register First Instance Lawsuit (Rental): documents, Arabic rule, fees, registration time
- RDC: Amicable Settlement, Appeal (Rental) and Execution (Rental): half-fee refund, appeal deadline and deposit, enforcement fees
- RDC: Execution of Cheques, Writ of Payment, Petition Order and Offer and Deposit: fees and conditions
- RDC: Frequently asked questions: appeal limit, enforcement timing, WhatsApp evidence, languages
- RDC: Track Your Case, Virtual Judge, Rental Good Conduct Certificate, About and Contact us
- Real estate legislation compilation (PDF): Decree No. 26 of 2013, Articles 6, 10, 16, 17 and 18; Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended, Articles 13, 14, 20, 21 and 25
- Dubai Media Office: Law No. 4 of 2026 on shared housing, 11 March 2026: RDC jurisdiction
- Dubai Land Department: Frequently asked questions: landlords may not cut services
Checked on 29 October 2026.
