H.H. Sheikh Mohammed amends law on lost and abandoned property

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has amended the law on the handling of lost and abandoned property in the Emirate.

It puts Dubai Police in charge of the entire process, from maintaining records, to gathering reports of lost or abandoned property through an electronic system, to determining the costs of managing and reclaiming property.

Failure to comply with the law will result in fines from AED500 to AED100,000, doubling for repeated violations within a year, up to AED200,000.

According to the law, any person who finds a lost or abandoned property must report it on the electronic system within 24 hours and hand it over to the Dubai Police within 48 hours. They will not be allowed to use, keep or claim the property unless the "legal owner" does not come forward within a year of it being reported. However, if the owner later claims the property, the finder must return it.

Finder will be rewarded with a certificate of appreciation or 10 per cent of the property’s value, up to AED50,000, determined by the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.

According to the legal definition, lost property can be money or movable items that can be legally owned and have value and lost by the owner without intention, while abandoned properties refers to money or movable items acquired by law but "intentionally or implicitly" deserted by the owners.

Under the law, the owner can reclaim the property before Dubai Police disposes it, or claim its value within three years of its sale. In case the property is given away or disposed of without compensation, the owner has the right to recover it from those who possess it. If multiple people claim ownership, the property or its value is given to the person confirmed by a final court ruling.

No claim may be made without a valid reason after three years from the date the property is found. The owner must cover storage and announcement costs to reclaim the property or its value.

The law is effective from the day of its publication in the Official Gazette.