u/Historical-Mobile-70

I run a small contracting company in Dubai. A renovation project was delayed and there were disputes over unfinished works due to unforseen circumstances and that i issued a guarantee cheque of just 3k.

The work value is around 10k and delays happened, its a bathroom renovation, a broken slab of wall tile by my guys when receiving it at the site ( that tile is worth 3k so that time i issued a cheque against it as they will carry the purchase of a new one)

From that the works got delayed as it took as time to order it again and i told my client will finish it.

My client is a lawyer so he is well verse on this and

now I received a formal notice alleging defective workmanship, delays, property damage and safety issues.

And he's like demanding 100,000 aed + worth of damages out of this.

He says he will complain to Dubai Municipality and DET/DED and file a case in Dubai Courts.

He is also threatening personal liability against the registered engineer and has given us 14 days to compensate him.

I have the whatsapp conversations, photos/videos, invoices and other project records.

Has any contractor in Dubai experienced something similar?

Should I reply formally first, ( he sent that through whatsapp) or get a lawyer immediately, or arrange an independent inspection/report?

Also, how serious is the threat ? and Any UAE contractor/lawyer experience would be appreciated.

I run a small contracting company in Dubai. A renovation project was delayed and there were disputes over unfinished works due to unforseen circumstances and that i issued a guarantee cheque of just 3k.

The work value is around 10k and delays happened, its a bathroom renovation, a broken slab of wall tile by my guys when receiving it at the site ( that tile is worth 3k so that time i issued a cheque against it as they will carry the purchase of a new one)

From that the works got delayed as it took as time to order it again and i told my client will finish it.

My client is a lawyer so he is well verse on this and

now I received a formal notice alleging defective workmanship, delays, property damage and safety issues.

And he's like demanding 100,000 aed + worth of damages out of this.

He says he will complain to Dubai Municipality and DET/DED and file a case in Dubai Courts.

He is also threatening personal liability against the registered engineer and has given us 14 days to compensate him.

I have the whatsapp conversations, photos/videos, invoices and other project records.

Has any contractor in Dubai experienced something similar?

Should I reply formally first, ( he sent that through whatsapp) or get a lawyer immediately, or arrange an independent inspection/report?

Also, how serious is the threat ? and Any UAE contractor/lawyer experience would be appreciated.

I've been living in the UAE for a 13 years and over the last few years I've noticed a big shift.

Many people in my circle who used to be financially stable are now dealing with debt, struggling to make ends meet, or living paycheck to paycheck and even when I meet new people here, I hear similar stories.

Maybe changing your environment and the people around you can actually make a difference, or if what I'm seeing is simply affecting almost everyone.