The 12-Month Eviction Notice in Dubai

Yes. The notice does not end the tenancy and does not suspend it. Under Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, a tenancy does not simply end because the landlord no longer wishes to renew; the twelve-month notice tells you the date on which the owner intends to recover the property on one of the four Article 25(2) grounds. Until that date you remain the tenant on the existing terms, with rent payable as usual — and if your contract term expires inside that period, the notice is not itself a refusal to renew that puts you out.

No. The date passing is not itself an eviction and does not transfer possession. A landlord in Dubai cannot change the locks, cut the utilities or force a tenant out; the lawful route is an eviction claim at the Rental Disputes Centre, and where the Centre orders eviction that order is carried out through its Judgment Enforcement (Execution) Directorate. Until that happens you remain in occupation as a tenant — and Article 31 requires the rent to keep being paid while an eviction case runs.

It is the notice a landlord must serve to recover a property when the tenancy expires, on one of the four grounds in Article 25(2). It must reach the tenant at least twelve months before the eviction date and be served through a Notary Public or by registered mail.

No. The 90-day notice under Article 14 is only used to vary the terms of the contract or the rent at renewal; it does not evict anyone. The 12-month notice under Article 25(2) is the instrument that recovers the property on expiry.

They are: personal use by the owner or a first-degree relative; sale of the property; demolition or reconstruction (or new construction preventing use); and comprehensive maintenance that cannot be carried out with the tenant in occupation. No other reason supports eviction on expiry.

It must be served through a Notary Public or by registered mail, and reach the tenant at least twelve months before the eviction date. A notice sent only by email, text message or informal letter is commonly challenged as improperly served.

Only on the separate grounds in Article 25(1), which are breach-based, such as non-payment within thirty days of a formal notice, subletting without written consent, or illegal use. These are different from the on-expiry grounds and follow a different process.

No. Under Article 28 the lease survives the sale and binds the new owner for the remaining term. To recover vacant possession in order to sell, the owner still needs a valid 12-month notice tied to the expiry date.

Article 26 restricts re-letting the property to another tenant for two years for residential property and three years for non-residential property. If the owner breaches this, the evicted tenant may ask the Rental Disputes Centre for fair compensation.

It depends on the facts, and Dubai practice is not uniform on this point. Under Article 28 the lease survives the sale and binds you as the new owner for the remaining term. In some cases a valid Article 25(2) notice already served and tied to the property has been treated as something a buyer can rely on; in others the buyer has been expected to serve a fresh 12-month notice from the date of purchase. Before buying, check whether a properly notarised or registered notice exists and is valid; if it is later found defective, a buyer's recourse is usually against the seller, not the tenant. Because outcomes vary, confirm the position for your specific case before assuming vacant possession.

No. Non-payment is a mid-term breach ground under Article 25(1), not an on-expiry ground. If a tenant fails to pay rent (or part of it) within 30 days of a formal notice to pay, the landlord may seek eviction during the term through the Rental Disputes Centre — there is no 12-month waiting period. The 12-month notice under Article 25(2) is only for recovering the property from a compliant tenant when the contract expires, on the four specified grounds. The two follow different articles and different processes.

A notice that names the wrong ground, is served by an informal channel (email or text only), or gives less than twelve months before the expiry-linked eviction date is open to challenge before the Rental Disputes Centre, and a committee may find it does not support eviction on expiry. That does not automatically 'win' the case for either side — the RDC weighs the facts — but a clean, notarised or registered notice stating a single valid ground is usually decisive. If you received a notice you think is defective, keep the envelope and delivery record and have the file reviewed before the expiry date rather than after.

No. In Dubai a landlord cannot end the relationship at expiry just by declining to renew; recovering the property on expiry requires one of the four grounds in Article 25(2) and a valid 12-month notice. Changing the terms or the rent at renewal is a separate matter handled by a 90-day notice under Article 14, and any rent increase is capped by the RERA rental index under Decree 43 of 2013. If a landlord tries to force a move-out without a lawful ground or proper notice, the tenant may raise it at the Rental Disputes Centre; the outcome depends on the facts and applicable law.