REALWorld Law

Commercial leases

Rent Arrears

What options are available to the landlord?

United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi

The options available to the landlord will depend on whether the premises are located within Abu Dhabi but outside the Abu Dhabi Global Market free zone, or within the Abu Dhabi Global Market free zone, and on the remedies set out in the lease.

(a) Within Abu Dhabi and outside the Abu Dhabi Global Market free zone

Termination / recovery of possession: For property located in Abu Dhabi but outside the Abu Dhabi Global Market free zone, Abu Dhabi law gives the lessor a statutory basis to seek termination / eviction where the lessee fails to pay rent within the applicable payment period. For commercial, industrial or vocational premises, this is generally 30 days from the due date agreed in writing, unless the parties have agreed otherwise. The lessor would need to pursue the relevant claim before the Rental Disputes Settlement Committee. The Committee may give the lessee a period of respite before it is required to vacate, up to a maximum of six months.

Debt recovery: The landlord may also bring a claim to recover unpaid rent and any other sums due under the lease, together with any contractual interest, penalties or costs where recoverable under the lease and applicable law. In practice, this may be pursued alongside, or instead of, a claim for termination / recovery of possession, depending on whether the landlord’s priority is to recover the arrears, regain possession of the premises, or both.

Enforcement of security: If the landlord holds a rent deposit, bank guarantee, post-dated cheques or other form of contractual security, it may be able to apply, call on or otherwise enforce that security to recover the arrears, subject to the terms of the lease, the relevant security document and applicable law. The landlord should consider whether doing so may affect any other remedies it wishes to pursue, particularly where it also intends to terminate the lease or recover possession.

Pursue guarantor or other contractual obligor: If the tenant’s obligations are supported by a parent company guarantee, corporate guarantee, personal guarantee or other contractual support, the landlord may be able to pursue the guarantor or relevant obligor for the unpaid sums, subject to the terms of that arrangement.

(b) Within the Abu Dhabi Global Market free zone

For registered leases, the ADGM Real Property Regulations 2024 address the registration consequences of lease expiry and termination. Section 48 provides that the registration of the termination of a lease following lessee default does not release the lessee from liability for breach of any express or implied covenant under the lease. Accordingly, where non-payment of rent or another tenant default amounts to a breach of covenant under the lease, termination and registration of that termination should not, of itself, prevent the landlord from pursuing accrued claims against the lessee, subject to the lease terms, applicable law and any available court relief.

A tenant may also seek relief from forfeiture from the ADGM Courts, including where forfeiture is sought for non-payment of rent or breach of another lease term.  The Court may suspend forfeiture pending determination, grant relief on appropriate terms, or refuse relief. 

For short-term residential leases, the ADGM Real Property Regulations 2024 are more prescriptive.  A lessor may apply to the ADGM Court for an order terminating the lease before expiry where the lessee has: (i) failed to pay rent when due and not remedied the breach within 21 calendar days of written notice from the lessor; (ii) materially breached the lease and not remedied the breach within 30 calendar days of written notice from the lessor; and/or (iii) assigned or sub-let the property contrary to the lease terms and not remedied the breach within 10 calendar days of written notice from the lessor.  Accordingly, for short-term residential leases, the landlord must generally issue the relevant written notice and allow the applicable cure period to expire before applying to the Court for early termination.