advise needed

We have been living in a compound of 8 villas for the last 14 months where all the tenants have paid 24 months rent upfront (Qr. 216000 i.e. @ 9000 per month) to the agent of the owner of the compound. Our agreement is with the agent and the same has another contract with the owner.

It has so happened that the agent never paid the owner anything and so that owner filed a case against the agent and subsequently won, thus giving him the right to vacate all the tenants from the compound. After negotiation, the owner has agreed to let us stay on, but with a new contract directly with him for an extended amount, with payments on a monthly basis.

However this is only a small part of the problem. When we went to the agent, he agreed that they have lost the case and we would have to abide to the court notice as our contract with the agent is now void. But when it came to returning the remaining money (Qr. 90000 for 10 remaining months), he said that they will pay is back but cannot pay it upfront and will give it in a “few” installments. When we disputed the concept, the agent’s lawyer told us, “if you don’t trust us, we will not give you anything …file a case against us”.

We are really worried about this now as there is an uneasy feeling that he will not return the money (unless we go to court). Though carrying out a civil case with the agent would be very difficult for us to do, this seems like the only way out.

I just wanted to know what is the solution to this and is it advisable to take the agent to court? How much will it approx cost, what are the chances of winning, and how long will it take. Are there any more similar experiences and how was it resolved?

Any help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks