# Cancelling lease early



## Mangerhanagment

I've tried searching but can't seem to find any up to date info on early termination of an apartment lease in abu dhabi. If anyone has done this or knows someone who has, then I'd appreciate some help please. 

Anyway, my contract has an early termination clause of 2 months notice and 1 months rent payment as compensation. I pay in 2 cheques, with the next cheque getting cashed in January for my rent until July. If I give my notice now then should I be refunded for the payment from February to July? I would assume that this would be taken for granted but as it doesn't specifically state anything about a refund in the contract and after reading about uncooperative landlords, is this a loophole that he can use to avoid refunding me the unused rent? 

I can't ask my landlord just now as he's out the country for another few weeks but trying to consider my options so any input would be much appreciated. Thanks


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## busybee2

i suspect they will cash the cheque and then refund if you are lucky once you give back the keys etc. are you asking that if you give notice now that you will only need to pay 2 months notice and 1 months compensation and not the whole amount?


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## Mangerhanagment

Thanks for the reply. I don't mind him cashing the cheque if I get the rest of the money back. Sorry if my post was rambling but was asking if I pay 3 months payments, do I actually get the remaining back. Ie I hand my notice in now then I move out in January but also pay February as compensation so do I get the remaining 5 months or whatever back.


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## busybee2

well in theory yes you should but who knows..... and it may take an age. normally you pay the year, wether its divided into 1 2 or 3 payments etc.. you are liable for the whole lot, if you have a clause in there which isnt that common still then they should abide by that clause, but it really depends on the landlord or if there is a mortgage the bank will be the one dealing with it..... etc nobody will be able to tell you for certain as each tenancy contract/landord will be different.


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## Mangerhanagment

Thanks again. I'll wait and see what the landlord says then. I've never met him or spoken to him so far so hopefully he's more reasonable than some of the ones I've read about on the dubai forum


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## busybee2

Mangerhanagment said:


> Thanks again. I'll wait and see what the landlord says then. I've never met him or spoken to him so far so hopefully he's more reasonable than some of the ones I've read about on the dubai forum


usually the auh ones are worse.


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## Jumeirah Jim

I had a bad experience with this in Dubai before I moved down here. Landlord claimed he didn't have the money to pay me back for the rent paid in advance. Realistically there was very little I could do (I'm a lawyer so researched it). I was only terminating to save money - it was the crash and rents were plummeting - so I bit the bullet and stayed the year. 

In AD I expect it's more of a problem getting money back if you live somewhere with a foreign owner. If renting from a company/developer most of the big ones are 'fairly' reputable, well at least compared to Dubai standards (which I know doesn't sat much)....


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## busybee2

Jumeirah Jim said:


> I had a bad experience with this in Dubai before I moved down here. Landlord claimed he didn't have the money to pay me back for the rent paid in advance. Realistically there was very little I could do (I'm a lawyer so researched it). I was only terminating to save money - it was the crash and rents were plummeting - so I bit the bullet and stayed the year.
> 
> In AD I expect it's more of a problem getting money back if you live somewhere with a foreign owner. If renting from a company/developer most of the big ones are 'fairly' reputable, well at least compared to Dubai standards (which I know doesn't sat much)....


hmmm most landlords in ad are local landlords only if you rent in the "allowed" areas for expats to purchase such as reem, raha, reef, hydra etc otherwise they will be locally owned... and sometimes they are very difficult to get any money back. and i would say that some of the developers are just as bad!


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## AlexDhabi

To be honest in my 14 years in Abu Dhabi I never heard of anyone getting rent refunded.


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## busybee2

AlexDhabi said:


> To be honest in my 14 years in Abu Dhabi I never heard of anyone getting rent refunded.


they do now but just hearing that they are scrapping the 5% cap


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## cmajewsk

AlexDhabi said:


> To be honest in my 14 years in Abu Dhabi I never heard of anyone getting rent refunded.


I've gotten my unused rent refunded back in 2011,along with my deposit. So it does happen.


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