Rental Disputes in Dubai: Help for Tenants and Landlords
A rental dispute in Dubai is any disagreement between a landlord and a tenant that arises from a tenancy — the rent and its increase, notices, renewal, maintenance, deposits, subletting or eviction. This hub is where landlords and tenants get oriented: what the law says, which notice period applies to your situation, how the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre decides, and how MANJAZ prepares your documents and file so you act on the correct legal footing.
- Governed by Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008), Decree No. 43 of 2013 and Decree No. 26 of 2013
- The 90-day notice changes terms at renewal; the 12-month notice evicts on expiry — they are not the same
- The Rental Disputes Settlement Centre (RDC), part of Dubai Land Department, decides Dubai rental cases
- MANJAZ reviews documents, prepares your file, handles legal translation, and provides representation before the Centre committees
- Dubai-based, UAE-wide service
- Arabic & English
- Clear guidance on every document
- Direct request, no middlemen
Ministry of Justice accredited — translations prepared for submission to
What is your situation?
Choose whether you are a landlord or a tenant, the issue you face, or the RDC step you are at — and go straight to the right page.
I am a Landlord
- 12-Month Eviction NoticeNotarised notice — grounds and timing
- Eviction for Personal UseWhat the law requires from the owner
- Sale of Rented PropertySelling with a tenant in place
- Non-Payment Eviction30-day notice and the RDC route
- Rent IncreaseRERA index and the 90-day rule
- SublettingWhen it is a breach and what to do
I am a Tenant
Are you a tenant or a landlord?
I am a tenant
What a Dubai rental dispute is
A rental dispute in Dubai is a disagreement between a landlord and a tenant that arises from a tenancy and cannot be settled between them. In practice it covers the rent and any increase at renewal, the notice periods for changing terms or ending the tenancy, maintenance and utilities, the security deposit, subletting, and eviction. Almost every one of these disagreements is governed by the same body of law and decided by the same specialised body.
The governing law is Law No. 26 of 2007 regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants in the Emirate of Dubai, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. Two decrees complete the picture: Decree No. 43 of 2013 sets the ceiling on rent increases, and Decree No. 26 of 2013 established the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre — the RDC — as the judicial body for these cases within Dubai Land Department. Law No. 6 of 2019 later extended the Centre's jurisdiction to certain jointly owned property disputes.
Understanding a dispute usually starts with two facts: which side you are on, and what the disagreement is about. Those two answers point to the article that governs your situation, the notice period that applies, and the evidence you will need if the matter reaches the RDC. This section maps that route for both landlords and tenants and links to the detailed guide for each topic.
Which side are you on, and what is the disagreement about?
I am a tenant
I rent the property
Pick the situation closest to yours. Each one explains what the law gives you, how long you have to act, and what you need to keep.
- I have received an eviction notice
- My landlord wants to raise the rent
- My security deposit has not been returned
- Repairs are not being done, or services were cut
- I need to leave before the contract ends
- The landlord says they need the property themselves
- The property I rent has been sold
- My contract is not registered in Ejari
I am a landlord
I own the property
Pick the situation closest to yours. Each one explains the step the law requires first — and the mistake that most often costs a landlord the case.
- My tenant has stopped paying the rent
- A rent cheque has bounced
- I want the property back when the term ends
- I need the property for myself or a close relative
- I want to change the rent or terms at renewal
- My tenant has sublet without my consent
- I need a formal notice drafted and served
- The property is a shop, office or warehouse
The case is already at the Centre
A case has already started
If a claim has been filed — by you or against you — these are the stages and what each one requires.
- How the Rental Disputes Centre works
- Filing a case: documents and steps
- What it costs and how long it takes
- Do you need a lawyer for this?
- Objecting to or appealing a judgment
- Enforcing a judgment that is being ignored
- The tenancy law, article by article
- Not sure? Prepare a summary of your matter
MANJAZ prepares documents, produces the legally recognised Arabic translation the Centre requires, and assists with submission and follow-up. Legal representation before the Rental Disputes Centre committees is also available. MANJAZ is not a court and not a government body, and never guarantees an outcome.
The instruments and terms that govern a Dubai tenancy
- Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008)
- The primary tenancy statute. It requires a written, registered contract, sets the rules on rent, renewal, notices, maintenance, deposits, subletting and eviction, and defines the grounds on which a tenant may be evicted during the term or on expiry.
- Decree No. 43 of 2013
- Determines the maximum permitted rent increase at renewal as a stepped percentage tied to how far the current rent sits below the average market rent for similar units.
- Decree No. 26 of 2013 (the RDC)
- Establishes the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre as the specialised judicial body for Dubai rental disputes, part of Dubai Land Department. It replaced the former Rent Committee.
- The Smart Rental Index
- Dubai Land Department's AI-based valuation tool, launched on 2 January 2025, that computes the average market rent used in the increase calculation. It updated the index — it did not change the Decree 43 percentage brackets.
- Landlord and tenant
- The two parties to the lease. The landlord owns or lawfully lets the property; the tenant holds it under a contract registered through Ejari. The Centre asks for a copy of the registered lease when a case is filed.
Two sides, two sets of questions
If you are a tenant
- An increase you believe exceeds the Decree 43 cap, or a 90-day notice to change your terms
- A 12-month eviction notice — for the owner's use, a sale, demolition or major works
- Maintenance not carried out, or utilities threatened with disconnection
- A deposit not returned, or deductions you dispute at the end of the term
- A landlord refusing to accept the rent so as to claim non-payment
If you are a landlord
- A tenant who has not paid within 30 days of your notice to pay
- Recovering the property for personal use, or after selling it, on the correct notice
- Illegal subletting or use of the property contrary to the contract
- A tenant who will not vacate after a valid on-expiry notice
- Damage beyond fair wear and tear, or a breach of the lease conditions
How a Dubai rental dispute moves to resolution
Raise it in writing
The party seeking a change, or complaining of a breach, puts it in writing and, where the law requires, serves the proper notice — a 90-day notice to vary terms, a formal notice to pay, or a 12-month eviction notice.
Gather the evidence
The registered tenancy contract (Ejari), Emirates ID or trade licence, payment records, correspondence and any technical reports are assembled. Article 4 requires every lease to be registered, and a registered contract is what settles the terms the Centre works from.
Conciliation at the RDC
A claim filed at the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre is first evaluated by the conciliation (amicable settlement) department, which seeks a quick mediated agreement between the parties.
First Instance
If conciliation fails, the claim goes to the First Instance Committees — composed of judges and members — which hear the parties and issue a judgment.
Appeal
Where the decree allows, the Appellate Committees review a first-instance judgment. The applicable thresholds and time limits are set by the decree and its regulations.
Execution
The Judgment Execution Department enforces the outcome, including eviction orders and financial awards. A tenant must keep paying rent until a final award is executed.
The two notice periods people confuse
The 90-day notice and the 12-month notice do different jobs, and mixing them up is the most common — and most costly — error in a Dubai tenancy. The 90-day notice, under Article 14, is served by whichever party wants to change a term of the lease — most often the rent — at renewal. It must reach the other party at least ninety (90) days before the contract expires, unless both agree otherwise. It is not an eviction notice.
The 12-month notice, under Article 25(2), is served only to evict a tenant on expiry, and only on one of four grounds: the owner's or a first-degree relative's personal use (with no suitable alternative property), sale of the property, demolition and reconstruction, or comprehensive maintenance that cannot be done with the tenant in occupation. It must be served through a Notary Public or by registered mail, at least twelve (12) months before the eviction date.
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The Decree 43 rent-increase ceilings
| How far the current rent sits below the market average | Maximum increase permitted at renewal |
|---|---|
| Up to 10% below the average market rent | No increase (0%) |
| 11% to 20% below | Up to 5% |
| 21% to 30% below | Up to 10% |
| 31% to 40% below | Up to 15% |
| More than 40% below | Up to 20% |
When a dispute typically arises
My landlord wants to raise the rent above what I think is allowed
What is usually neededCheck the current rent against the average for similar units on the Smart Rental Index, apply the Decree 43 bracket, and confirm a valid 90-day notice was served. A gap of 10% or less means no increase is due.
I received a notice to leave because the owner wants to move in
What is usually neededThis is an on-expiry ground under Article 25(2). It requires a 12-month notice served by notary or registered mail, and the owner must have no suitable alternative property. After such an eviction the owner cannot re-let to a new tenant for two years (residential) or three years (non-residential).
My tenant has stopped paying the rent
What is usually neededServe a formal notice to pay. If payment is not made within 30 days, non-payment becomes a ground to seek eviction during the term at the RDC — while the rent continues to accrue.
The landlord will not accept my rent payment
What is usually neededRent that is refused can be formally offered and deposited so the tenant is not treated as in default. Keep every record of the attempt to pay.
The landlord disconnected the electricity to force me out
What is usually neededA landlord may not cut utilities or disturb the tenant's use. The tenant can report it and claim damages before the RDC.
What to have ready before you act
- The tenancy contract registered on Ejari
- Emirates ID (individuals) or trade licence (companies)
- Proof of payments — receipts, bank transfers, cheques
- Every notice served or received, with proof of the method and date of service
- Correspondence with the other party (messages, emails, letters)
- Photographs, inspection notes or a technical report where condition or maintenance is in issue
- The title deed or ownership proof where the landlord relies on personal use or sale
Common mistakes that weaken a case
The mistakeTreating a 90-day notice as an eviction notice, or a 12-month notice as a rent-increase notice.
The fixMatch the notice to its purpose: 90 days (Article 14) changes terms at renewal; 12 months (Article 25(2)) evicts on expiry.
The mistakeServing a 12-month eviction notice by message or email.
The fixOn-expiry eviction notices must be served through a Notary Public or by registered mail to be valid.
The mistakeRelying on a tenancy contract that was never registered on Ejari.
The fixRegister the contract: Article 4 requires it, and without it your rent and terms become contested rather than proven.
The mistakeA tenant withholding rent while an eviction case is running.
The fixRent continues to be due and must be paid until a final award is executed, even during proceedings.
The mistakeAssuming any rent increase is allowed once the market has moved.
The fixThe increase is capped by Decree 43 according to the gap between your rent and the market average — it may be zero.
How MANJAZ helps — and where our role ends
MANJAZ helps landlords and tenants prepare a rental matter properly before it is filed. We review your documents against what the law and the RDC expect, identify the article and notice period that govern your situation, and help you assemble a complete, well-ordered file — the contract, notices, payment records and evidence — so nothing essential is missing.
Where a document must be understood or submitted in Arabic, we provide legal translation of contracts, notices and correspondence, and we help you follow the procedural steps and their deadlines. Our aim is that you arrive at the RDC organised and on the correct legal footing.
MANJAZ is a service provider and the publisher of this explanation, and on Dubai rental disputes it also gives legal consultation, acts for you and represents you before the Rental Disputes Centre committees. It is not a court and not a government body, and it never guarantees an outcome — no honest party can. What we offer is preparation, translation, representation before the committees and clear guidance.
Get your documents ready for the Rental Disputes Centre
What we prepare
Tenancy contracts and addenda, legal notices for notarisation and service, statements of claim and their annexes, evidence bundles, payment and cheque records, and judgment and execution papers.
Arabic is not optional
Proceedings before the Centre are in Arabic. A contract, notice or receipt in any other language is filed with a legally recognised Arabic translation — which is the work MANJAZ is accredited to do.
Free review, free quote
Reviewing your file and quoting for the work are both free. The Centre charges a registration fee of 3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000 — that fee is paid to the Centre, not to MANJAZ. Our own quote is given once we have seen the file.
The language your documents are in
Arabic and English are the core pair, with 21 documented languages in all — so a tenancy contract, notice or receipt in any of them can be put into the Arabic the Centre requires.
Handled remotely
Documents are sent, reviewed and returned electronically — there is no counter to attend and no appointment to keep for the preparation and translation work. Where a step genuinely requires you in person, such as a notary attendance, we say so and tell you what to bring.
Before you file
Most rental cases are lost on the paperwork, not the merits — a notice served the wrong way, a contract that was never registered in Ejari, a deadline that had already run. We check those first, because they cannot be fixed afterwards.
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Reviewing your file and telling you what it needs costs nothing and commits you to nothing. MANJAZ Corporate & Translation Services L.L.C. — a Dubai practice that prepares documents and provides legal translation under UAE Ministry of Justice accreditation. On Dubai rental disputes we also give legal consultation, act for you, and represent you before the Rental Disputes Centre committees. MANJAZ is not a court and not a government body, and never guarantees an outcome.
How to verify a translator is registered with the Ministry of Justice
Need a rental notice drafted, notarised and served? We assess the position first, then handle the path — with a remote notary session where the service conditions are met.
The rental legal notice serviceRental disputes in Dubai: quick answers
A rental dispute is any disagreement between a landlord and a tenant arising from a tenancy that they cannot resolve between themselves. It typically concerns rent and its increase, notices, renewal, maintenance, deposits, subletting or eviction, and it is decided by the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre.
Rental disputes in Dubai are decided by the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre (RDC), part of Dubai Land Department. It was established by Decree No. 26 of 2013 and handles conciliation, first-instance judgments, appeals and execution.
The 90-day notice changes the terms of the lease at renewal, while the 12-month notice evicts the tenant on expiry. The 90-day notice falls under Article 14; the 12-month notice falls under Article 25(2) and must be served by notary or registered mail on one of four grounds.
The maximum increase is set by Decree No. 43 of 2013 and depends on how far the current rent sits below the average market rent. If the rent is within 10% of the average no increase is allowed; the cap then rises in steps to 20% where the rent is more than 40% below the average.
Yes. A tenant must continue paying rent throughout an eviction case, until a final award is issued and executed. Filing or defending a claim does not suspend the obligation to pay.
No. A landlord may not disconnect utilities or otherwise disturb the tenant's use of the property. A tenant facing this can report it and claim damages before the RDC.
Yes, on Dubai rental disputes. MANJAZ prepares your documents, organises the file, provides the certified Arabic translation, gives legal consultation and represents you before the Rental Disputes Centre committees. What it never does is guarantee an outcome.
The main filing fee is 3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a cap of AED 20,000 for rent-value claims (AED 15,000 for purely monetary claims), plus small fixed charges: a AED 10 knowledge fee, a AED 10 innovation fee and AED 100 for process service. Where a case settles at conciliation, half of the court fee is refunded, and the winning party may have its fees charged to the other side. Our cost-and-timeline guide breaks the fees down stage by stage.
Dubai's tenancy law does not set a fixed early-exit penalty or a "two-month" rule; that figure is a contract term, not law. If the contract contains an early-termination clause, that clause governs. If it does not, the landlord may claim compensation for the proven loss of rent while the unit is re-let, quantified by agreement or by the Rental Disputes Centre. Our early-termination guide sets out both paths.
Since January 2022, issuing a cheque without sufficient funds is by default a civil matter — a reform introduced by Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2020 (in force 2 January 2022) and now consolidated in Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2022, not automatically a crime; a criminal case now generally requires proven bad faith. The landlord as beneficiary can present the returned cheque directly for an executory order, and the bank must make a mandatory partial payment of any available funds. Our bounced-cheque guide separates this from a non-payment eviction.
Yes. The Centre's jurisdiction covers commercial and retail tenancies, not only residential ones, and Dubai's tenancy law applies to mainland commercial leases. A registered Ejari contract is generally a precondition to filing, and purely commercial disputes that fall outside the landlord-tenant relationship are heard elsewhere. Our commercial-lease guide frames the business-tenant angle.
Under Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned property, the owner is liable for the service charges by default, unless the tenancy contract expressly shifts a defined charge to the tenant. Those charges must be approved by RERA, and disputes over them fall within the Rental Disputes Centre's remit. Read the lease closely, because a vague "utilities" clause is not the same as a service-charge transfer.
Not freely. A Dubai tenancy does not end simply because the landlord wants it to: under Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008) the contract renews on its terms unless the landlord relies on one of the limited grounds for eviction at expiry — the owner's own use, sale of the property, demolition or major reconstruction, or comprehensive works — served by a 12-month notice through the notary public or registered mail. The landlord may instead propose new terms or a capped rent increase with 90 days' notice before renewal. A bare refusal to renew, without a lawful ground, is not the same as a valid eviction, and where the parties disagree either side may go to the Rental Disputes Centre.
A dispute at the Rental Disputes Centre turns on what you can prove. Keep the signed tenancy contract and its Ejari registration, proof of every payment (cheques, receipts, bank transfers), and a copy of every notice sent or received with its date and method of service. Add written communication — emails and messages — photographs of the property's condition at move-in and move-out, and any utility or maintenance records relevant to the issue. Documents in a language other than Arabic generally need a legal translation before they are filed.
Explore the rental disputes section
Official sources
- Dubai Legislation portal — Law No. 26 of 2007 — original text; Arts 2, 3, 4, 9, 13, 14, 15, 25, 26, 29, 36 amended by Law 33/2008
- Dubai Legislation portal — Law No. 33 of 2008 (amending Law 26/2007)
- Dubai Legislation portal — Decree No. 43 of 2013 (rent increase)
- Dubai Legislation portal — Decree No. 26 of 2013 (the RDC)
- Rental Disputes Centre — About the RDC
- Dubai Land Department — Smart Rental Index (2025)
- Rental Disputes Centre — Register a First Instance Lawsuit (e-service, fee schedule)
This content is for general information and awareness. It is based on the legislation and official sources available at the time of the last review, and procedures may differ according to the facts of each case and updates issued by the competent authorities. It is not legal advice, and MANJAZ is the publisher of this explanation, not the authority that issued the legislation.
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