Property disputes and proceedings
Power of Attorney for a Property Dispute in Dubai
A property dispute needs an agent who can act in the proceedings and, often, deal with the property itself. Those are two different authorities, and Article 870 does not let one general wording carry both.
- Two authorities, one document
- Arabic legal translation
- We attend the notary
Do I need one document or two?
One document can carry both, but only if it names each act separately. Article 870 treats pleading before the court and settlement as different acts, so an agent who can argue your case cannot necessarily end it.
Type you need
A special agency, act by act
The act people forget
Settlement, named in Article 870
Which forum applies
Established first, then the wording is settled
Where a property dispute differs from a property sale
A property dispute is not one job. The agent may have to appear in proceedings about the unit, and may also have to deal with the unit itself while the dispute runs, by signing a tenancy, releasing keys or agreeing terms with the other side. Article 870 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 treats those as separate acts, and a document that names only one of them stops there.
We draft the instrument, arrange the Arabic legal translation, check the documents against what will be asked for and attend the appointment with you. Ratification is done before a notary public. An advocate is a separate instruction: if the matter needs someone to argue it, you appoint that advocate yourself and we write the power around them.
Acting in the case is not the same as settling it
This is the most expensive misunderstanding on the subject. Article 870 does not hand an agent a block of litigation authority. It names acts, and settlement is on the list in its own right, next to pleading before the court and arbitration. An agent who can argue the dispute may reach the day an offer is made and have no authority to accept it.
Settlement and arbitration are named separately
Any act that is not an act of management and preservation requires a special agency specifying the type of act and the dispositions it entails, particularly in donations, sale, settlement, mortgage, acknowledgment, arbitration, administering and accepting an oath, and pleading before the court.
The powers a property dispute document has to spell out
Article 870 requires the special agency to specify the type of act and the dispositions it entails. Ask for the lines your matter needs and leave out the rest.
- The property, identified by title deed number or Oqood reference
- Pleading before the court in the dispute over that property
- Settlement, stated as its own power, with any cap you want
- Arbitration, if the contract sends the dispute to it
- Whether the agent may let, hand over or hold the property meanwhile
- Whether a sale or transfer of that property is included, or excluded
The two powers people assume are one
One is authority over the proceedings. The other is authority over the asset. They are granted separately and they can be given to different people.
Power over the dispute
Authority in the proceedings
Pleading, settlement, arbitration and any oath. Article 870 names each of these, so the wording names them back, one line at a time.
Power over the property
Authority over the asset
Selling, mortgaging, gifting or letting the unit. Sale, mortgage and donation sit on the same Article 870 list, so each has to be named. Say what the agent may do about letting as well, rather than leaving it to the general words.
How the wording gets settled
The forum has to be established before the wording is. What the agent may do depends on where the matter is heard and on what the property side of it needs.
1
Establish where the dispute sits
We start with what the dispute is about and which forum it belongs to. That is settled first, because the powers are written around it, not the other way round.
2
Separate the two powers
We list what the agent needs in the proceedings and what they need over the property, then write each act out under Article 870 rather than leaving it to a general phrase.
3
Draft in Arabic and translate
Under Dubai Law 4/2013 the instrument is in Arabic, and a foreign language version is accepted only with a certified translation, both versions signed by the parties.
4
Attend the ratification
Ratification is before a notary public. Identity is checked from an Emirates ID, passport or other official State document, capacity and consent are checked, and the content is read out.
Papers to have ready before the appointment
Three groups. Identity is verified from an Emirates ID, a passport or another official document issued by the State, so that is where every list starts.
The property side
What ties the document to the unit
- Title deed for the property in dispute
- Oqood or sale contract if the unit is off plan
- Tenancy contract where the dispute is with a tenant
- Emirates ID or passport of the owner signing
The dispute side
What the powers are written around
- What the dispute is about, in your own words
- Who the other side is
- Any claim or file reference already issued
- The name of the advocate, once you have instructed one
If you are signing abroad
No apostille route into the UAE
- The foreign ministry of the issuing country
- The UAE embassy or consulate in that country
- The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs once it arrives
- Arabic legal translation, and the document must not be laminated
The gap between what you meant and what you signed
Article 871 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. The left column is what falls outside that. The right column is what we check before you sign.
- Accepting or signing a settlement of the dispute
- Selling or mortgaging the property the dispute is about
- Referring the matter to arbitration under the contract
- Each act written out, not implied by a general phrase
- The property identified by deed or Oqood, not by address
- The forum established before the powers are fixed
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often on this one.
My agent is already running the case. Can they accept a settlement offer?
Only if the document says so. Article 870 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 lists settlement as an act that needs a special agency, separately from pleading before the court. Authority to argue the dispute does not carry authority to end it. If you want a limit on what they may accept, write the limit in.
Which forum will my property dispute go to?
That depends on what the dispute is and who it is between, and it has to be established before the wording is settled. It is worth noting that the Ministry of Justice digital power of attorney service treats legal cases, real estate and rental disputes as separate domains, so the subject you pick changes the document.
Does one document cover both the dispute and a sale of the unit afterwards?
Only if both are written into it. Sale sits on the Article 870 list alongside settlement and pleading before the court, so it is a third act, not a consequence of the first two. Many people want the dispute powers now and the sale powers held back. Say which you want and the document can be written either way.
My property manager collects the rent. Does that cover a dispute with the tenant?
No. Article 871 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 says an agency expressed in general terms, without specifying what is intended, grants only acts of management. Collecting rent is management. Pleading before the court is not, and Article 870 puts it in the group that needs a special agency naming the act.
Can I appoint a family member for the property and an advocate for the proceedings?
Yes. The two powers are separate, so they can go to separate people, in one instrument or in two. An advocate is instructed separately from this work in any case. We draft the instrument, arrange the Arabic translation and attend the ratification. We do not act in the proceedings ourselves.
If I dismiss the agent mid dispute, does the lawyer they appointed lose their authority too?
Yes. Article 903(2) of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 says that where the principal agency is revoked, every sub agency taken from it is revoked by law. Article 902 adds that a litigation agent who acts after learning of their dismissal is liable, while anything they did before they knew stays effective.
What happens to the document if the principal dies while the dispute is running?
It ends. Article 897 of Federal Decree-Law 25/2025 extinguishes an agency on completion of the work, on expiry of the term specified for it, or on the death or loss of legal capacity of either the principal or the agent. The dispute does not end with it, but the authority to act in it does.
Is an old power of attorney still usable if the dispute involves transferring the property?
Check the date before you rely on it. Law firm commentary on Dubai Land Department Circular 29/R/2025, issued on 16 July 2025, reports that a power of attorney used in a real estate disposition must have been issued within the preceding two years. We could not read the circular text on an official page, so treat that as reported rather than quoted.
Start here
Tell us what the dispute is about
Send us one line on what the dispute is about, the title deed or tenancy contract for the property, and the name of the person you want to appoint. We will establish which forum the matter belongs to, write each power out under Article 870, arrange the Arabic legal translation and attend the appointment with you. The ratification is done by the notary public.
Tell us what the document has to do
Say who will receive it and what you need it to allow, and you will get a straight answer on the wording, the government fees and what to bring. You can also send it through the contact form.
Call us
Speak to the person who will handle your file and get an answer on the same call.
Send photographs of your passport, your Emirates ID and anything the matter attaches to.
Best for a company matter, or anything that runs to several documents.
Visit the office
Jebel Ali area, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai. Come in, or have it handled remotely and only turn up to sign.
Opening hours. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 to 18:00. Friday, 9:00 to 12:00. Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00. Sunday, closed.