The Abu Dhabi Commercial Court of First Instance ordered a woman to pay Dh407,137 to a car rental company for unpaid rental fees, bounced cheques, traffic fines, road tolls, vehicle repairs and other charges stipulated in the contract.

The car rental company filed a lawsuit seeking Dh407,137 from the woman, along with interest for late payment. It also sought Dh5,000 for the cost of an expert report, in addition to court costs and legal fees.

To support its claim, the company submitted a vehicle rental agreement dated January 24, 2025, and the vehicle registration documents.

In its ruling, the court said a lease is a contract under which an owner grants a tenant the right to use a specified asset for a fixed period in return for an agreed sum.

According to an accounting expert’s report, the two parties had entered into an agreement to rent the vehicle for Dh20,000 a month.

The court found that the car rental company had fulfilled its contractual obligations, while the defendant had failed to meet her financial commitments. In addition to failing to pay the agreed rental fees, the woman issued eight cheques totalling Dh160,000, all of which bounced. Fees related to the returned cheques totalled Dh16,000.

The defendant was also held liable for traffic fines, road tolls, vehicle repair costs, excess mileage charges, maintenance expenses, the cost of issuing a replacement key and rental fees for seven days after the contract expired.

These amounts were included in the final settlement between the two parties.

The court said the expert report put the woman’s total contractual debt at Dh407,137. It found that the calculations were based on sound technical and accounting principles and matched the statement of account submitted by the company.

The court ultimately ordered the woman to pay Dh407,137, plus annual interest of 5 per cent until the debt is settled in full, provided that the total interest does not exceed the principal amount.

She was also ordered to pay Dh5,000 for the expert report, court costs and Dh200 in legal fees. The company’s remaining claims were dismissed.