Dubai RDC security-deposit claim: amount, fee and filing receipt
Lida MoghaddamDisclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only. It is based on cited public data and published under Lida Moghaddam's RERA-licensed masthead. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. Dubai's property market moves quickly, so figures, yields, and rules may change or become outdated by the time you read this. Verify current information with the relevant authority or a qualified professional before acting. Read the full disclaimer.
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For a Dubai security-deposit money claim, the Rental Disputes Center's current FAQ points to a Payment Writ, while the service page prices the filing at 3.5% of the claimed amount, subject to an AED 500 minimum and AED 15,000 maximum. The amount sought, proof that it is due, notice record, fee payment and filing output are separate parts of the file, and none of them decides the merits by itself (RDC FAQ and Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
The RDC names a Payment Writ for a deposit refund request
The current RDC FAQ answers its security-deposit return question by naming a Payment Writ and a refund request. A Payment Writ is the RDC service for asking the Summary Actions Judge to issue a payment order for an amount presented as due. That is the official classification published for this reader job, not a finding that any particular deduction is or is not justified (RDC FAQ and Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
The service terms make the due-amount record central. RDC lists written proof of a specified debt that is immediately due, proof of the debtor's domicile, proof of a notice requiring payment and proof that the debtor acknowledged receipt of that payment obligation. The page says the notice is sent through a Notary Public or by registered mail, followed by five days before a Writ of Payment Motion is filed if payment has not been made (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
This is narrower than a general deposit history. The tenancy-contract guide explains the lease record, while the deposit evidence checklist covers payment, condition and move-out evidence. The Payment Writ file begins where those records can support a specified amount presented as due.
Keep the claimed principal separate from the filing cost
The claimed principal is the security-deposit amount sought in the petition. The base filing fee is 3.5% of that claimed amount, adjusted to the official AED 500 minimum or AED 15,000 maximum. These are different money records and should remain separate in any calculation or receipt file (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
RDC also lists AED 100 for process service, AED 10 as a knowledge fee and AED 10 as an innovation fee. Together those listed fixed charges are AED 120. Registration of a Power of Attorney, if applicable, is AED 25. Filing through a Real Estate Services Trustees Centre adds AED 130 plus VAT as a partner service fee. The table excludes the optional AED 25 and the trustee-centre charge so that the same online subtotal can be compared across the cases.
*The subtotal adds the base fee, process service, knowledge fee and innovation fee. It excludes Power of Attorney registration and the AED 130 plus VAT trustee-centre partner charge. Calculations reproduce the fee schedule published by RDC and accessed 2 October 2026.
The AED 5,000 case tests the minimum because 3.5% is AED 175. The AED 50,000 case uses the percentage unchanged. The AED 500,000 case tests the maximum because 3.5% is AED 17,500, above the AED 15,000 cap. The filing cost does not change the amount claimed, and neither figure states what the judge may decide.
Match every evidence item to the fact it proves
The Payment Writ page labels ten lines as required documents. That list is more specific than a general move-out folder: it asks for the latest Ejari lease, a specified due-debt record, domicile evidence, the payment-obligation notice and receipt proof, identity material, IBAN evidence and supporting documents. RDC also says documents must be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic and uploaded through the website (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
RDC's published list also includes a cheque-return memo from the relevant bank, a declaration on the validity of the supplied information with an indemnity undertaking, and documents for a representative or corporate applicant. The authority page lists these under required documents. It does not explain on the public page how the electronic verifier handles a deposit file in which a particular listed document does not match the payment method.
The cleanest distinction is between payment proof and filing proof. A deposit receipt or bank record can establish that money was paid under the tenancy. The payment-obligation notice can establish what refund was requested and when the recipient received the demand. The RDC payment receipt can establish a fee transaction. The Payment Writ Decision is the service's named issued document. One record cannot silently take the place of another.
The filing route determines which receipt the page names
The RDC publishes website and trustee-centre routes. Both begin with the service selection and document review, but only the trustee-centre procedure expressly says the customer pays the fees and gets a receipt of payment. For the website route, the page says payment follows electronic verification; it does not name the electronic acknowledgment or list the fields it contains (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
Fix the amount record
The specified sum in the proof of debt, the amount in the payment-obligation notice and the amount entered as the claim need to be readable as separate fields. The RDC page establishes the required categories, while the underlying documents supply the figures.
Keep notice and delivery together
The service terms name Notary Public or registered-mail notification and a five-day period if the debt remains unpaid. The demand and the record of receipt belong together because they establish different events.
Separate the fee calculation
The fee worksheet shows the raw 3.5%, the floor or cap applied, and the fixed listed charges. Optional representation and trustee-centre charges stay on their own lines.
Retain each RDC output by name
The payment receipt, any website acknowledgment and the later Payment Writ Decision are separate records. The official page confirms the trustee payment receipt and names the decision, but does not publish the fields of an online filing acknowledgment.
RDC states one business day as the duration to complete registration. That is a registration measure, not a published time for the judge's decision or for payment of the claimed deposit (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
The public service page leaves some questions open
The authority pages establish the route name, fee mechanics, document categories, notice term, channels and issued decision. They do not decide whether a particular deduction is justified, whether a submitted record proves the debt, or whether the petition will be accepted on its facts.
They also do not publish the field layout of the website's filing confirmation. That gap matters when naming evidence: the trustee-centre payment receipt is explicit, while an online acknowledgment should be described by the label and identifiers the system actually produces, not by an assumed document name.
FAQs, checked 2 October 2026
Can a Dubai tenant use the RDC for a security-deposit refund?
The RDC FAQ names a Payment Writ and a refund request for the return of a rental security deposit. The Payment Writ page separately publishes the service terms and document requirements, which still have to fit the particular file (RDC, accessed 2 October 2026).
How is the RDC Payment Writ fee calculated?
The base fee is 3.5% of the claimed amount, with an AED 500 minimum and AED 15,000 maximum. RDC also lists AED 100 process service, AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation charges, with other charges applying in stated circumstances (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
What proof does the Payment Writ page list?
The page lists the Ejari lease, proof of a specified debt due, debtor domicile, the payment-obligation notice and receipt proof, identity records, IBAN evidence, a declaration, a cheque-return memo and supporting claim documents. It requires Arabic documents or legal Arabic translations (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
How long does an RDC Payment Writ registration take?
RDC states one business day to complete registration. The page does not present that as the time for a decision or payment (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
What filing receipt should be kept?
The trustee-centre procedure expressly says the customer gets a receipt of payment. The website procedure states a payment step after electronic verification but does not name the acknowledgment fields, so the exact system output needs to be read by its displayed label (RDC Payment Writ service, accessed 2 October 2026).
Lida MoghaddamArchitect-turned-real-estate-specialist based in Dubai. She helps buyers, sellers, and investors read property with a designer's eye — structure, location, and long-term value.
