Can you cancel a signed Dubai rental contract before handover

Dubai's Rental Disputes Center has ruled that a signed rental contract can be cancelled before handover if deception is proven under the UAE Civil Transactions Law. Either a landlord or a tenant can bring the petition.

The case, reported by Gulf News, involved an owner who had agreed to rent a property to a company planning to sublet it. Before handing over the keys, the owner found the company faced court judgments for unpaid rent and previous rental disputes. Its manager was also subject to arrest and bring-in orders tied to bounced cheques.

The first instance judges rejected the owner's request to cancel. On appeal, the General Authority of the Rental Disputes Center overturned that and annulled the contract, returning both parties to their positions before signing.

Two conditions apply: the handover must not have happened, and deception must be legally established with evidence. A history of past disputes alone does not prove it. Chairman Judge Abdulqader Mousa Mohammed said the principle protects against bad-faith agreements while preserving contractual stability.

Read the full article on Doment: Can you cancel a signed Dubai rental contract before handover

Originally published on Doment, Dubai property intelligence.

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