United Arab Emirates · property

How to File Offer and Deposit in RDC Dubai

When a Dubai landlord refuses your renewal cheques to pressure you into an unlawful rent increase or a forced exit, you are not powerless. Under United Arab Emirates tenancy regulations, filing an Offer and Deposit motion with the Rental Disputes Center (RDC) places your rent under formal judicial custody and neutralises bad-faith non-payment claims. This practical guide explains how to document your landlord's refusal, submit your petition, and safeguard your tenancy rights.

Dubai Tenancy Law and Landlord Refusal of Rent

In the United Arab Emirates, specifically the Emirate of Dubai, residential and commercial leasing is regulated by 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. Under Article 14 of this law, any landlord seeking to amend contract terms—including rent increases—must provide written notice to the tenant at least 90 days prior to contract expiry. Any rent increase must also comply strictly with the statutory limits determined by the Dubai Land Department's RERA Rental Calculator pursuant to Decree No. 43 of 2013.

A common tactic used by non-compliant landlords is refusing to collect renewal cheques or rejecting standard renewals outright in an attempt to run out the clock. Under Article 25(1)(a) of Law No. 33 of 2008, a landlord can attempt eviction if a tenant fails to pay rent within 30 days of receiving formal notice. When a landlord ignores your calls, refuses your cheques, or demands an exorbitant, unnotified increase, doing nothing exposes you to fabricated claims of lease abandonment or rental default.

What the RDC Offer and Deposit Procedure Achieves

Established under Decree No. 26 of 2013, the Rental Disputes Center (RDC) provides an expedited mechanism known as the Offer and Deposit (Al Ardh wal Idhaa) motion. This procedure allows a tenant to submit a petition before the Provisional and Summary Actions Judge. By lodging your renewal rent cheques—or the property keys upon a lawful vacate—into official RDC custody, you formally fulfill your contractual obligations.

Crucially, RDC rules provide that the tenant is considered to have legally tendered and paid the rent from the date the Summary Actions Judge accepts the motion. This eliminates the landlord's ability to issue a 30-day default notice or claim eviction on grounds of non-payment. The proceeding operates without prejudice to either party's broader rights, meaning it preserves your legal possession of the property while any underlying dispute over rent hikes or contract renewal terms is formally adjudicated.

Procedural Rules, Evidence, and Next Steps

To prevail before the Provisional and Summary Actions Judge, you must establish an evidentiary trail proving that you made a good-faith tender of the rent and that the landlord refused or ignored it. All pleadings, contracts, and supporting correspondence submitted to the RDC must be in Arabic or accompanied by a certified legal Arabic translation. Hard copies are not accepted; everything must be registered digitally through the RDC portal (rdc.gov.ae) or via an authorized Real Estate Services Trustee centre.

The standard statutory fee for an online Offer and Deposit application is AED 70 (comprising an AED 50 application fee, AED 10 Knowledge Fee, and AED 10 Innovation Fee). Trustee centres charge an additional service fee of approximately AED 130 plus VAT. Once an order is issued, any grievance against the decision must be filed within eight days. You can use Caunsel to research relevant RDC precedents, organize your tenancy records and translation bundles within a secure case workspace, or speak directly with an independent UAE-licensed attorney.

Steps

• Assemble and document clear evidence of landlord refusal by sending a written notice (via registered email, courier, or documented electronic message) offering the renewal cheques based on the existing lease terms or RERA index.
• Prepare certified legal Arabic translations for all documents not already in Arabic, including your Emirates ID, the most recent Ejari contract, the proposed renewal contract on identical terms, and all written correspondence.
• Log into the Dubai Rental Disputes Center portal (rdc.gov.ae) or DLD system using UAE Pass, navigate to the 'Register an Offer and Deposit' service, and upload your Arabic petition and document portfolio.
• Pay the statutory filing fee (AED 70 online) and monitor your portal dashboard for the Summary Actions Judge's order, typically issued within one to three business days.
• Upon judicial approval, deposit the rent cheques (or physical keys) as instructed by the RDC cashier and secure the stamped court receipt as legal proof that your payment obligations are satisfied.

Common mistakes

• Withholding rent payments or passively waiting for the tenancy contract to expire, which hands the landlord legal grounds to serve a 30-day default and eviction notice under Law No. 33 of 2008.
• Uploading English-language lease drafts, emails, or bank slips without certified legal Arabic translations, resulting in procedural rejection by the RDC registrar.
• Failing to retain written proof (such as registered email logs or delivery notices) showing you actively attempted to deliver the cheques to the landlord before lodging the motion.
• Assuming that an Offer and Deposit ruling resolves the entire tenancy dispute permanently, rather than functioning as a provisional remedy to protect your occupancy rights.
• Missing the strict eight-day statutory window to lodge a grievance if the Provisional and Summary Actions Judge requests amendments or rejects the initial motion.

Questions people ask

What is the official filing fee for an Offer and Deposit at RDC Dubai?

Filing online via rdc.gov.ae costs AED 70, which includes the AED 50 Offer and Deposit fee, an AED 10 Knowledge fee, and an AED 10 Innovation fee. Using a Real Estate Services Trustee centre incurs an additional service fee of roughly AED 130 plus VAT.

Does filing an Offer and Deposit stop a Dubai landlord from evicting me for non-payment?

Yes. Once accepted by the RDC Summary Actions Judge, the tenant is deemed legally compliant with rent payments from the date of filing, stripping the landlord of the right to claim eviction for default under Article 25 of Law No. 33 of 2008.

Can I use the Offer and Deposit procedure to hand over property keys?

Yes. If your tenancy contract has ended or been legally terminated and the landlord refuses to accept handover, you can petition the RDC judge to deposit the property keys alongside your final utility clearances (DEWA) and rent clearance receipts.

General information only, last updated 2026-10-31. Caunsel is not a law firm and does not practise law. AI answers and this guide are not legal advice. Verify filings, deadlines, and statutes with a licensed lawyer in United Arab Emirates.