Two Arabs leave the country after damaging a rented Range Rover

The Civil Court of First Instance in Dubai ruled to oblige two people of Arab nationality to pay about 29 thousand dirhams to a car rental company, after they committed a traffic accident with their car and left it on a street, and then left the country, causing damage and losses that the company was forced to bear, in addition to their failure to pay the value of the rental period, which was limited to four days only.

In detail, a car rental company filed a lawsuit in which it requested that two people of Arab nationality be obligated to pay 28 thousand and 905 dirhams, in addition to legal fees, attorney fees, and the interest determined from the due date until collection.

She said in her statement of claim that the details of the case go back to September 2024, when she concluded a contract with the defendants to rent a Range Rover car for four days only, with a daily rental value specified in the contract. Like similar rental contracts, it included clear obligations, most notably returning the vehicle in the condition in which they received it, and bearing full responsibility for any damages resulting from misuse or accidents.

She added that she was surprised after the end of the rental period that the vehicle was not returned to the company’s headquarters, and that she did not receive any notification of an accident or emergency.

After days of searching, the car was found abandoned on a street, with obvious damage to its front, which prompted the company to immediately go to the police to file a case report.

According to the lawsuit papers, the absence of an official traffic accident report resulted in the insurance company refusing to cover the damages, which obligated the rental company to bear the full cost of repair, according to official invoices amounting to approximately 15 thousand dirhams, in addition to rental arrears, the contract fine, fees for crossing the Salik gates, and fees for returning the vehicle with an empty fuel tank.

With the inability to reach the tenants, the company resorted to the court, demanding that they be obliged to pay the full amounts owed. The dispute was referred to the case management office, and the court then decided to seek the assistance of a specialized accounting expert to determine the truth of the debt and its value.

After examining the contract, documents, official reports, and repair invoices, the expert concluded that there is a valid contractual relationship governing the two parties, and that the damage to the vehicle is fixed according to the police report, and that the responsibility for repairing it falls on the tenants in accordance with the terms of the contract and the provisions of the Civil Transactions Law. The report also concluded that the total financial obligations incurred amounted to about 29 thousand dirhams, after deducting an amount previously paid.

For its part, the court stated in the merits of its ruling that the contract is the law of the contracting parties, and that its implementation must be carried out in good faith, and is not limited to what is stated in its texts only, but also includes what is considered one of its requirements in accordance with the law, custom, and the nature of the transaction. It also stressed that evaluating the work of expertise is at the core of its authority once it is reassured of its integrity and consistency with the lawsuit papers.

The court explained that the defendants’ failure to appear does not undermine the integrity of the procedures, as long as they were legally notified, and that the ruling against them is considered an appearance in accordance with the Civil Procedure Code.

The court ended up obliging the tenants to jointly pay the amount due along with the legal interest from the date of filing the lawsuit until full payment, in addition to fees, expenses, and attorney fees.