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In Dubai, practitioners and facilities are licensed and overseen by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), so a malpractice complaint about Dubai-based care normally goes there first. You can submit a complaint through the DHA's website, smart app, call centre, or patient-complaints channel, describing what happened and attaching your medical records, reports, and any supporting evidence. Under the UAE Medical Liability Law (Federal Law No. 4 of 2016), complaints alleging a medical error are referred to a Medical Liability Committee of specialists, which reviews the file and issues a technical opinion on whether an error occurred and its seriousness. That opinion guides any disciplinary action against the practitioner, as well as any civil-compensation or criminal track. Note that facilities in DIFC or in Dubai's healthcare free zones may have their own additional regulator, so confirm which body licenses the provider. Keep your complaint reference number and copies of all submissions. Because the outcome can hinge on the medical evidence, you can compare verified UAE legal professionals on LEXAI to discuss your options before or after filing.

In the emirate of Abu Dhabi, healthcare facilities and practitioners are regulated by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH), so a negligence complaint about care received there normally starts with DOH. You can lodge a complaint through DOH's official channels, setting out what happened and attaching your medical records, test results, and any other evidence. Under the UAE Medical Liability Law (Federal Law No. 4 of 2016), a complaint alleging a medical error is referred to a Medical Liability Committee of specialists, which examines the file and issues a technical opinion on whether an error occurred and how serious it was. This opinion then informs any disciplinary measures, civil-compensation claim, or criminal proceedings. If the facility is in a specific zone with its own oversight, confirm which body licenses it. Keep copies of everything and note your reference number, since records and timelines matter. Because negligence cases turn on detailed clinical evidence and legal classification, you can compare verified UAE legal professionals on LEXAI to understand how to present your complaint and what may follow.

In Dubai, a rent increase is tied to contract renewal rather than to an automatic annual entitlement. A landlord can only seek to change the rent when the tenancy comes up for renewal, and even then only within the limits of the RERA rental index sliding scale set by Dubai Decree No. 43 of 2013. Crucially, any proposed change must be agreed with the tenant at least 90 days before the contract expires, under the tenancy law (Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008), unless both parties agree otherwise. This means a landlord cannot raise the rent mid-contract, and at each renewal the permitted increase is recalculated against the current market index, so in many years the calculator may return 0% if your rent is already near market. There is no rule entitling a landlord to a guaranteed increase every single year. Run the official RERA calculator on the Dubai Land Department site at each renewal to see what, if anything, is lawful. For disputes over frequency or amount, the Rental Dispute Center decides. Compare verified UAE tenancy lawyers on LEXAI for advice on your renewal.

UAE VAT has two registration levels set by the Federal Tax Authority (FTA): a mandatory registration threshold and a lower voluntary registration threshold, both measured against your taxable supplies and imports over a rolling period. If your taxable turnover exceeds the mandatory threshold, you are legally required to register, charge 5% VAT and file returns. If your turnover (or taxable expenses) exceeds the lower voluntary threshold but not the mandatory one, you may choose to register voluntarily — useful if you want to recover input VAT on your costs. Below the voluntary threshold you generally cannot register. Because the thresholds use a backward- and forward-looking turnover test, you should track your taxable supplies monthly so you register at the right time and avoid penalties for late registration. The exact current threshold figures are published by the FTA and should be confirmed there before you act, as they are the basis for a legal obligation. If you are close to a threshold or run several entities, you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI to confirm your registration duty.

Some UAE free zones are specifically listed as VAT "designated zones," and these have special rules under the VAT framework administered by the Federal Tax Authority (FTA). A designated zone meeting the legal conditions can, for certain supplies of goods, be treated as outside the UAE for VAT purposes, so movements of goods within or between qualifying designated zones may fall outside the scope of VAT. However, this is not a blanket exemption: services are generally treated as supplied inside the UAE and taxed at the standard 5% rate even when performed in a designated zone, and goods consumed within the zone can be treated as taxable. Not every free zone is a designated zone — only those on the FTA's official list qualify, and they must meet conditions on security and customs controls. Real estate within a designated zone follows its own analysis. Because the rules are nuanced and depend on whether you supply goods or services, confirm your zone's status and treatment with the FTA, and you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI for designated-zone structuring.

Not automatically. Although certain goods moving within a VAT designated zone can be treated as outside the scope of UAE VAT, real estate and many services connected to property are analysed differently and are not blanket-exempt by virtue of the zone alone. The designated-zone concept, administered by the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), applies mainly to qualifying supplies of goods; supplies of services — and the standard VAT treatment of commercial versus residential real estate — generally still follow the normal rules. So a commercial property transaction connected to a designated zone may still attract VAT at the standard rate of 5% depending on the nature of the supply and how the property is used. Whether your specific deal benefits from any special treatment turns on the zone's listed status, the type of supply, and the FTA's conditions. Do not assume a free-zone address removes VAT. Confirm the precise treatment of your transaction with the FTA, and for a designated-zone property purchase or lease you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI to verify the position before committing.

It may not be. Under UAE VAT, the transfer of a business (or an independent part of it) as a going concern can, when the legal conditions are met, be treated as outside the scope of VAT — meaning no VAT is charged on that transfer, including property that forms part of the business being sold. The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) sets conditions for this treatment: broadly, the assets transferred must constitute a business capable of being operated on its own, the buyer must be (or become) VAT-registered, and the buyer must intend to continue the same kind of business. If those conditions are not met, the supply — including any commercial property — may instead be a normal taxable supply at the standard rate of 5%. Getting this right matters, because mistreating a transfer can lead to under- or over-charging VAT and later FTA assessments. Document the transaction carefully and confirm whether the going-concern conditions are satisfied with the FTA. For a business or asset sale involving real estate, you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI to structure the transfer correctly.

Generally no. The supply of bare land in the UAE is treated as exempt from VAT, so a sale of genuinely undeveloped land does not carry the standard 5% VAT. "Bare land" means land that has no completed or partially completed buildings or civil engineering works on it. The position changes once the land is covered, in whole or in part, by buildings or infrastructure: such land can fall outside the bare-land exemption and may instead be a taxable supply at 5%, depending on the facts. Because the exemption hinges on the precise physical state of the land at the time of supply, the classification can be finely balanced — a plot with foundations or services already installed may not qualify as bare. The treatment also affects whether the seller can recover input VAT on related costs, since exempt supplies generally carry no recovery right. Confirm the status of your specific plot with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) before completing, and for a land transaction of any size you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI to confirm the VAT treatment.

Short-term and serviced accommodation is generally not treated as ordinary residential leasing for UAE VAT. While leasing an existing residential home is usually exempt, hotel accommodation, serviced apartments and similar short-term, hospitality-style lettings are typically taxable at the standard rate of 5%. The distinction turns on the nature of the supply — a genuine residential tenancy versus a hotel-like service with furnishings and services — rather than just the type of building. That means a holiday-home or serviced-apartment operator may need to register for VAT once turnover reaches the Federal Tax Authority's (FTA) registration thresholds, charge 5% on the nightly or short-stay rate, and account for it through VAT returns, while also being able to recover related input VAT. Because the line between exempt residential rent and taxable hospitality supply depends on the facts, do not assume your short-term let is exempt. Confirm the correct classification and your registration position with the FTA, and if you run short-term rentals as a business you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI to get the treatment right.

A VAT-registered business in the UAE must keep records that let the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) verify how VAT was charged, recovered and reported on its property dealings. In practice this means retaining tax invoices issued and received, sale and lease contracts, evidence of the property's classification (commercial, residential or designated-zone), proof of how the property is used (to support input-tax recovery and any apportionment), VAT return calculations, and credit or debit notes. These records support both the output VAT you charge on commercial sales and leases and the input VAT you reclaim on costs. The FTA can request and inspect them, and missing or inadequate records can undermine a recovery claim or lead to assessments and penalties. Keep documents organised by transaction and retain them for the period required under the VAT record-keeping rules, which you should confirm with the FTA as it is a legal minimum. Because property transactions often involve apportionment and special treatments, maintain a clear audit trail. For setting up compliant record-keeping, you can compare verified UAE legal and tax professionals on LEXAI.