Dubai's Rental Disputes Center has ruled that either party to a tenancy contract, landlord or tenant, can seek to annul the agreement if they can prove the other side deceived them before signing. The ruling rests on Articles 170, 171 and 173 of the UAE's Civil Transactions Law. deception covers withholding material information or supplying misleading information to the other party. The case behind the ruling involved a landlord who, after signing, discovered that the tenant company had a history of unpaid rental claims and court judgments against it, that multiple arrest warrants had been issued against its manager, and that it had a record of bounced cheques and delayed payments. After reviewing the evidence, the Center's General Authority annulled the contract and restored both sides to their position before signing.

The practical effect is that proof of deception, even discovered after a lease is signed, can be grounds to void it entirely, releasing both parties from any remaining obligations under the agreement.

To help tenants and landlords avoid such disputes in the first place, Dubai authorities are pointing people to the free Rental Good Conduct Certificate available through the Dubai REST app, which lets either side check a prospective counterpart's rental history and any judicial record before signing. The ruling lands as Dubai has issued several other directives in recent months aimed at tightening transparency between landlords and tenants and cutting down on property disputes.