A claim states one version of the relationship. Whether it holds is settled by comparing what it says against the documents that actually exist — the contract, the notice, the delivery affidavit, the payments and the correspondence.
What We Check in the File
- The tenancy contract
- The notice and the delivery affidavit
- The eviction ground relied on and the period the landlord built it on
- The amounts claimed
- The cheques, receipts and bank transfers
- The correspondence between the parties
What the Response Is Built On
From that review come the points the file can actually carry: payment, renewal, the validity of service, or the size of the amount claimed. We prepare the reply and its exhibits, order the documents so the facts can be followed, and prepare the answer to what the other side files. The aim is a reply resting on documents and provable facts, not on assertions.
If You Are Ready to Pay and the Landlord Refuses
A rent claim brought against a tenant who tried to pay and was refused reads very differently once that attempt is on record. The offer and deposit request registers the rental value, or the keys, before the RDC urgent-matters judge without prejudice to the tenancy rights of either side — and it is the step that turns "I tried to pay" from a statement into a document.
The Deadlines Run Whether or Not You Reply
Where an appeal is available, the RDC deadline is 15 days, counted from the day after a judgment given in presence, or from service of a judgment given in absentia. Appealability itself depends on the type and value of the case: the RDC currently states that a purely financial claim must be AED 100,000 or more, while an eviction defendant may appeal regardless of the amount. A grievance against a petition-order or offer-and-deposit decision is available for 8 days from issuance. If a judgment becomes enforceable, the successful party may open an execution file; execution does not start automatically.
Filing Without an Emirates ID
Being the respondent does not change the identity requirement: the RDC works from the Emirates ID for individuals. Where you hold only a passport, the reply is filed through a notarized POA to someone who holds an Emirates ID. Arranging it is a step worth taking early, because the appeal and grievance windows are short and they do not pause for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where an appeal is available, the deadline is 15 days from the day after a judgment given in presence, or from service of a judgment given in absentia. The RDC currently states that a purely financial claim must be AED 100,000 or more to be appealed, while an eviction defendant may appeal regardless of the amount. Petition-order and offer-and-deposit decisions are challenged by grievance within 8 days, not by a 15-day appeal.
The RDC requires the notarized notice together with the affidavit of the notification delegate or the registered-mail result as a document for eviction requests. How service was carried out is therefore one of the things checked in the file before the reply is prepared.
Through the cheques, receipts and bank transfers in the file, read against the amounts claimed. Payments made but never documented are the gap that most often turns a defensible position into an indefensible one, so that reconciliation is done before anything is filed.
Start Your File
Send the documents you have and we review the file.