Filing a rental case in Dubai costs 3.5% of your annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000, before administrative charges, translation costs, or the time the process requires. A structured resolution attempt costs AED 2,499 plus VAT, fixed. Once annual rent exceeds roughly AED 71,000, attempting resolution is cheaper than paying the filing fee alone.

Every rental dispute has two costs. The first is the cost of trying to resolve it: reviewing the position, checking the evidence, issuing one structured letter, and allowing time for a response. The second is the cost of litigation: the Rental Dispute Centre filing fee, certified Arabic translations where required, and weeks or months spent managing the case.

The numbers are strai ...