Law of settlement of home construction disputes ensures the completion of “Al -Omar House”

Citizens affirmed that the issuance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God bless him, the law of settling disputes arising from the implementation of the construction contracts of citizens in the Emirate of Dubai, represents a leading model in consolidating the values of justice and ensuring rights, and reflects his keenness to facilitate the journey of building a “home of life” for citizens, and providing a quick and fair legal framework to address potential differences with contractors And consultants.

They explained that the law constitutes a practical response to previous demands with a large segment of them, and provides an alternative and rapid mechanism to break the differences, ensuring the completion of the housing project on time, and preserving their rights.

They said that the new law is an important step that addresses repeated conflicts that directly affect the lives of citizens, as it contributes to accelerating the settlement of disputes, through specialized judges and experts who have technical and technical knowledge of this type of dispute, and they also indicated that this type of disputes was burdened by citizens, especially young people who are coming to build their first homes, who often lack the legal experience to formulate contracts or knowledge Their rights.

The «Emirates Today» published, at the end of last year 2024, a press investigation that conveyed the demands of citizens of the need for a supervisory body that supervises the projects of building residential houses, “The Life House”, and the provision of channels to file complaints before resorting to the courts.

In detail, the citizen Saeed Al -Muhairi said that he faced multiple problems with the contractors and consultant during the construction of his house, as they made amendments to the design without his knowledge, and he did not discover it until after the completion of the construction, especially in the corners, extensions and inaccurate spaces, indicating that these errors often appear after finishing, and then it is difficult to repair or require additional costs that the citizen bore.

He added that many citizens avoid submitting complaints, given the intolerance of additional financial burdens, indicating that he personally faced a problem in lighting fixtures, and upon requesting the amendment he was asked to pay an additional cost, stressing that the new law will provide a fair and rapid mechanism to resolve disputes away from the courts and delay in completion.

Citizen Fouad Al -Suwaidi said that the project of building his house took four years instead of 20 months according to the contract, indicating that he lost more than half a million dirhams out of the total cost of the project of two million and 250 thousand dirhams, as a result of differences between the contractor and the consultant, which reached the extent of the exchange of lawsuits, while he remained the only victim.

He explained that the absence of a unified contract, and the presence of complex items that the ordinary citizen does not understand, opened the door for manipulation, stressing that the decision represents real protection for citizens from such abuses, and ensures the control of the relationship between contractors and consultants.

As for Majid Al -Manea, he affirmed that many citizens face a delay in handing over projects and not adhering to the specifications, which causes judicial disputes that confuse the completion of the business, describing the law as a precursor step that enhances the confidence of citizens, and the parties’ commitment of contract provisions, and the establishment of justice and transparency in the building environment.

He pointed out that the establishment of a branch of the friendly settlement center to consider these disputes will represent a qualitative shift, as it contributes to accelerating solutions away from the courts, and ensures the stability of residential projects for citizens.

(S.M.) said that she faced financial and technical challenges with the contractor, after the consultant was nominated for her, the most prominent of which was the inclusion of 50 thousand dirhams to design a small space inside the house, although it is listed within the contract, and calculated the cost of installing the “GRC” without actually implementing it, adding that the invoice was not adjustable despite its mistakes, and was asked to pay it within two weeks to avoid stopping the work.

She added that she had to change the contractor and complete the construction at its expense, expressing her appreciation for the wise leadership, and the new law that contributes to protecting citizens, accelerating the achievement and resolving disputes without resorting to the judiciary.

The director of a contracting company, Mustafa Al -Zarouni, said that most citizens lack experience in the field of construction, and the contracting with the contractor or the consultant is often the first experience for them, which makes them not aware of sufficient aspects of contractual aspects, and they later collide with high prices and financial terms that were not clear when signing the contract.

He pointed out that some contractors take advantage of this deficiency in knowledge, and provide unrealistic pricing, as the citizen overlooks important details related to the quality of the materials used in electrical or health works, which leads to technical problems, indicating that some of the consultants have exceeded their roles, and undertake the work of the contractor, by taking advantage of some items in their interest, and this is what the new law will address in determining the roles of each of them.

He stressed that the new law will contribute to protecting the rights of citizens, and controlling the relationship between the parties concerned, through a rapid and fair settlement mechanism, away from bearing the costs of judicial cases, lawyers and experts, as the contractors will be obligated to complete the business within the period specified in the contract, and will solve the problem of the citizens ’projects that have remained suspended for years due to conflicts.

Saeed Al -Muhairi:

• I was surprised to make adjustments in a home design without my knowledge, and I did not discover them until after the completion of the construction, and the citizen avoids submitting complaints to not withstand additional financial burdens, and the law will accelerate the resolution of disputes away from the courts.

Citizenship:

• I faced financial and technical challenges with the contractor, most notably the inclusion of 50 thousand dirhams to design a small space inside the house, despite its inclusion in the contract, and the calculation of the cost of installing the GRC without actually implementing it.