Dubai's tenant gets Dhs700,000 in compensation for illegal eviction

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Rental Dispute Settlement Centre in Dubai (RDS) has issued a judicial ruling obliging a landlord to pay material and moral compensation to a tenant in the amount of Dhs700,000, equivalent to three times the rental value, after it was proved that the landlord had misused the law and illegally evicted the tenant.

The case dates back to the time when a European national rented a villa from a compatriot, and paid the full rental value for the year 2023-2024, but the owner sold the villa, and filed a lawsuit against the tenant, accusing him of not paying the rent and demanding that he vacate the villa.

The new owner also registered an incorrect email address for the tenant when filing the lawsuit, which prevented him from receiving the legal notifications, so he did not attend the court sessions, and an absentee judgment was issued against him, ordering him to vacate the villa and pay the rent.

The eviction judgment was indeed executed, and the new owner requested the judge to take coercive measures against the tenant, including arrest and detention, travel ban, and seizure of his accounts.

Upon returning from his annual vacation, the tenant found that the villa's locks had been changed, but he was able to enter to find that the villa was completely empty of furniture, forcing him and his family to stay in a hotel.

After searching, he discovered that a judicial ruling had been issued against him, and he also discovered that the villa's owner had registered an incorrect email address for him when filing the lawsuit. The tenant appealed the ruling and was able to prove that the eviction was not valid and that the landlord had misled the court.

After verifying the tenant's claims, the RDC cancelled the eviction ruling and all the enforcement procedures taken against him.

He also filed a lawsuit against the landlord, demanding compensation for the material and moral damages he incurred due to the misuse of the right to litigation and the submission of incorrect data to obtain an eviction judgment illegally.

The RDC conducted a detailed investigation into the case and subsequently issued a ruling obliging the landlord to pay the tenant compensation of Dhs700,000, equivalent to three times the annual rental value of the villa, as compensation for the material and moral damages he incurred.

The landlord was also obliged to return the tenant to the villa.