Muscat – The Ministry of Interior has issued a ministerial decision introducing regulations for the electronic adjudication of rental disputes, marking a new step towards streamlining dispute resolution and expanding digital government services.

Ministerial Decision No 115/2025 sets out a formal framework for handling disputes between landlords and tenants of residential, commercial and industrial premises through an electronic system. The decision is based on existing laws governing landlord-tenant relations, civil and commercial procedures, evidence and electronic transactions.

Under the new controls, applications for adjudicating rental disputes may be submitted electronically to the Rental Disputes Adjudication Committee, along with supporting documents required by law. Applicants must also provide contact details of all parties, including phone numbers and email addresses, and proof of payment of the prescribed fee.

The regulation states that all procedures related to rental disputes, including the exchange of documents and memoranda, will be registered and handled electronically. Case documents may not be accessed, circulated or copied without the permission of the committee chairman, and proceedings will be recorded in electronic minutes without the need for signatures from the parties.

According to the decision, the committee secretary is required to register applications in an electronic register and refer these to the committee chairman within seven days of submission to schedule a hearing. Parties will be notified of hearing dates electronically, with alternative legal notification methods used if electronic notice is not possible.

While the default process is electronic, the committee chairman retains the authority to require the personal attendance of parties where necessary. Parties may also request in-person attendance through the electronic system, with the committee required to decide on such requests within seven working days.

The decision confirms that electronic documents submitted by disputing parties, as well as decisions issued by the committee, will have the same legal evidentiary value as official and customary documents, provided these comply with the Electronic Transactions Law.

The regulation also stresses compliance with approved technical and cybersecurity standards and safeguards the right of defence and procedural fairness, in line with the Civil and Commercial Procedures Law.

The decision comes into effect on Monday, reinforcing Oman’s wider push towards digital transformation and more efficient dispute resolution mechanisms.