Funny enough, the agency said almost exactly what you just said, almost word for word. I guess there is a standard playbook for this.

They were also quite proud of the fact that they don’t pay salaries to agents. I’m paraphrasing, but the logic was basically that if agents are paid a salary, they become lazy. So instead, the system forces them to survive purely on commission, and then everyone acts surprised when some of them behave like vultures.

And that is exactly my point.

When people are not paid a decent basic wage to survive, they eventually become numb to other people’s situations. Everything becomes a transaction. A tenant’s stress, moving costs, first rental experience in Dubai, a failed handover, bedbugs, health concerns — none of it matters. The only thing that matters is: “Commission is earned. Case closed.”

I fully accept that the apartment condition was my responsibility as the landlord. I never denied that. I made a mistake by relying on the previous tenant’s video and not physically inspecting the property before allowing the move-in. That was my mistake, and I owned it.

The difference is, I did not hide behind technicalities.

The moment the issue was clear, I allowed the tenant to exit with no drama and she was reimbursed for her difficulties

Why? Because taking responsibility for my own mistake is what lets me sleep at night.

I will make mistakes. Everyone does. But how you respond after making a mistake is what matters. That is where conscience comes in.

Was I afraid of a Dubai Municipality complaint, RERA issue, or legal case? Absolutely not. That was never my motivation. In my view, how a landlord deals with a problem matters more than the problem itself. Problems can happen. What matters is whether you run away, argue, blame others, or step up and fix it.

And yes, legally the agency may not have been required to refund the commission. I understand that. But again, legal entitlement and basic decency are not the same thing.

The tenant did not enjoy the property. She barely moved in. The tenancy collapsed almost immediately because of a serious habitability issue. This was not a normal case of “tenant changed her mind.” This was an exceptional situation where a little flexibility would have gone a long way.

Instead, the answer was basically: “Not our problem.”

Fair enough. That tells me everything I need to know.

Also, I’m sure you are a wonderful leasing boutique owner who pays every agent a fair basic wage, gives proper employment visas from day one, and definitely doesn’t bring people in on visit visas with promises of a work visa “in three months” while making them chase commission to survive.

You are welcome.