Launch of the New Rental Good Conduct Certificate Service
On 8 October, the Rental Disputes Centre in Dubai launched the Rental Good Conduct Certificate service. This service is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the world.
We set out below what the service will provide and how to access it.
• The service will allow:
o a tenant to inquire whether or not a rental case has been filed against them;
o a landlord to inquire about a potential tenant, and whether a rental case has been filed against them in the past; and/or
o a tenant to inquire about the landlord and whether they are known to cause legal problems with tenants.
• It is hoped that the new service will reduce the number of rental disputes by providing both the tenant and landlord with accurate information on each other. This in turn will allow the parties to make an informed decision on whether or not they want to sign the tenancy contract.
• The data will be provided by the Rental Disputes Centre, which has stated that it will do so without violating the laws of confidentiality in Dubai.
• The service can be obtained by phoning the Rental Disputes Centre or by downloading the Rental Disputes Centre app from the Apple Store or Play Store.
Launch of “remote litigation” by the Rental Disputes Centre
On 4 October, the Rental Disputes Center in Dubai launched the Remote Litigation service. The service will allow parties to rental disputes, or their representatives, to attend the hearing before the judge electronically.
The new mechanism will work as follows:
• A claimant can choose the option of “remote litigation” at the time of registering its rental dispute case.
• A date and time will be fixed for the hearing of the case electronically.
• On the hearing date, a link will be sent via email to the parties. The parties will use this link for attending the hearing electronically along with the judge.
• The judge will then fix a date for the judgment, after which the judgment will be available to the parties electronically.
It is hoped that this new mechanism will reduce the time for settling rental disputes in Dubai.
Travel Ban in Rental Disputes
In June 2108, the Rental Dispute Centre announced a new mechanism for an automatic travel ban to apply to defendants in certain rental disputes. Under this mechanism, a travel ban will be issued automatically to defendants in rental disputes which involve monetary claims at the time of registration of the dispute.
The mechanism is required as the Rental Disputes Centre is facing a number of cases where defendants have left Dubai in order to avoid the execution of judgments against them.
The Rental Disputes Centre has announced that the travel ban can be lifted within five minutes if the defendant pays the claimed amount or provides acceptable security for the claim amount. The defendant can make an application to lift the travel ban electronically. The application can be made, and the lifting service is available, even on the weekends and holidays. If an application to lift a travel ban is successful, the relevant order from the judge to lift the travel ban will be communicated electronically to Dubai police to execute it. ■