Article 19 of Dubai Tenancy Law: Paying Rent and Preserving the Property
If Articles 15 and 16 set out what the landlord owes the tenant, Article 19 of Law No. 26 of 2007 sets out the heart of what the tenant owes in return. It is a short provision with two continuing duties: the tenant must pay the rent on its due dates, and must look after the property in the same way an ordinary, careful person would look after his own. Both run for the whole term, and a serious failure in either can hand the landlord a ground to seek eviction. This page explains what Article 19 says, what each duty means in practice, how it looks from the landlord's and the tenant's side, and what to do when a payment or condition dispute arises.
- The tenant must pay the rent on its due dates — the dates and method fixed in the tenancy contract
- The tenant must preserve the property as an ordinary, careful person would look after his own
- A serious breach can become an eviction ground under Article 25(1) — non-payment or deliberate/negligent damage
- Day-to-day care is the tenant's; major maintenance and defects stay with the landlord under Article 16 unless otherwise agreed
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What does Article 19 require?
Under Article 19 of Dubai's tenancy law, the tenant has two core duties: to pay the rent on its due dates, and to maintain the property in the same way an ordinary person would maintain his own. Both are continuing obligations that run for the whole term, and a serious failure in either can give the landlord a ground to seek eviction.
The relationship between landlords and tenants in Dubai is governed by Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. Article 19 is one of the shortest provisions in the law, but it sits at the centre of the tenant's side of the bargain. The earlier articles load the landlord: hand over the property in good condition (Article 15) and keep it maintained during the term (Article 16). Article 19 is the counterweight — the tenant pays and preserves.
The two phrases carry all the weight. "On its due dates" means on the payment schedule agreed in the contract, not whenever is convenient. "As an ordinary person would maintain his own property" sets the standard of care: not perfection, but the ordinary diligence a reasonable owner shows toward his own home or premises. Understanding those two phrases is understanding Article 19.
What Article 19 actually says
In plain terms, Article 19 provides that the tenant must pay the rent on its due dates and must maintain the property in such a manner as an ordinary person would maintain his own property. That is the first sentence — two duties. The article then adds a third limb: without prejudice to the restorations the tenant has agreed to carry out or that custom places on tenants, the tenant may not make any changes or carry out any restoration or maintenance works to the property unless the landlord permits it and the required licences are obtained from the competent official entities. The first duty is financial and precise; the second is a standard of behaviour, measured against how a reasonable owner treats his own place; the third is a restraint — no alterations or works without permission.
Article 19 reads best next to its neighbours. Article 16 keeps default maintenance with the landlord, so the tenant's duty to preserve is a duty of ordinary care, not a duty to carry major repairs. Article 20 lets the landlord hold a deposit to secure that maintenance, and Article 21 requires the property to be returned in the condition it was received, apart from fair wear and tear. On the payment side, Article 31 keeps rent running even during an eviction case, and Article 25(1) turns a serious default — non-payment or deliberate or negligent damage — into a ground to evict during the term.
Two duties, worked out day to day
On the money side, "due dates" means the schedule written into the contract — a single annual cheque, four quarterly cheques, or monthly instalments, however the parties agreed under Article 4. Paying on time, keeping receipts, and honouring post-dated cheques are the practical face of the duty. If the tenant stops paying, the landlord can serve a written notice to pay; if the rent is still unpaid thirty days after that notice, non-payment becomes a ground to seek eviction during the term under Article 25(1).
On the condition side, the tenant's duty is ordinary care, not major repair. Keeping the unit clean and ventilated, using appliances properly, reporting a leak early, and not letting a small fault turn into damage all fall within Article 19. Structural problems and defects that affect use remain the landlord's under Article 16 unless the lease clearly shifts them. Where the line matters most is at the end of the term: Article 21 asks for the property back in its received condition, fair wear and tear excepted, and Article 20 lets the landlord deduct genuine maintenance costs from the deposit — so the difference between neglect and normal ageing decides who pays.
How Article 19 looks from each side
The landlord
- Is entitled to be paid the agreed rent on its due dates, without having to chase or renegotiate mid-term
- Can expect the property to be used with ordinary care and kept from deliberate or negligent damage
- May serve a 30-day notice to pay and, if unpaid, seek eviction for non-payment under Article 25(1)
- Keeps the deposit as security for maintenance (Article 20) and the return duty (Article 21)
- Still carries default maintenance and defects under Article 16 — Article 19 does not shift those to the tenant
The tenant
- Must pay the rent on the dates and by the method the contract fixes, and keep proof of every payment
- Must look after the property as a careful owner would — sensible use, no neglect, early reporting of faults
- Is not responsible for major repairs or defects that fall on the landlord under Article 16 by default
- Should keep paying the existing rent during any dispute; Article 31 does not pause the duty
- Can rebut a damage claim by proving fair wear and tear or a cause beyond his control (Article 21)
The words Article 19 turns on
- Rent on its due dates
- The agreed rent paid on the schedule and by the method set in the tenancy contract under Article 4 — annual, quarterly or monthly, by cheque or transfer. Timing is part of the obligation, not just the amount.
- The ordinary-person standard
- The measure of the tenant's care: the reasonable diligence a sensible owner shows toward his own property. It excuses honest, ordinary use but not neglect, misuse or deliberate harm.
- Preserve / maintain (day-to-day care)
- Ordinary upkeep: cleaning, ventilation, correct use of fittings, and prompt reporting of problems. It is distinct from the major maintenance and repair of defects that Article 16 leaves with the landlord.
- Fair wear and tear
- The ordinary ageing that any occupied property shows over time. Article 21 excepts it from the tenant's return duty, so it should not be charged as damage against the deposit.
- Boundary with Article 16
- The dividing line between the two sides' duties. By default the landlord maintains and repairs defects affecting use (Article 16); the tenant's Article 19 duty is ordinary care — unless the lease clearly reallocates a specific item.
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When Article 19 applies — worked examples
The tenant pays the annual cheque a few weeks late every year.
What is usually neededLate payment breaches the "on its due dates" limb of Article 19. A one-off short delay may be tolerated in practice, but the landlord is entitled to timely payment and, after serving a 30-day notice to pay that goes unmet, may pursue eviction for non-payment under Article 25(1). The tenant's safeguard is simple: pay on the contract date and keep the receipt.
The tenant thinks a renewal increase is unfair and stops paying altogether.
What is usually neededContesting the amount of an increase is legitimate, but withholding all rent is not the way to do it. Article 19 requires the existing rent to be paid, and Article 31 confirms it keeps running during a case. The tenant should keep paying the current contractual rent on time and challenge the proposed increase separately under Decree 43 of 2013 through the Rental Disputes Centre.
A water heater fails and floods the apartment.
What is usually neededA failed fixture is a defect affecting use, so repairing it is generally the landlord's under Article 16 unless the lease says otherwise. Article 19 still asks the tenant to act as a careful owner would: report the fault promptly and limit the damage. If the tenant knew and ignored it, letting harm spread, that neglect can shift responsibility for the extra damage back onto the tenant.
The tenant returns the property with broken tiles, holes in the walls and stained carpets.
What is usually neededThis goes beyond fair wear and tear and breaches the duty to preserve. Under Articles 19 and 21 the tenant must return the property in its received condition apart from ordinary ageing, and Article 20 lets the landlord deduct genuine repair costs from the deposit. A move-in condition record and dated photos are what decide, at exit, which marks are damage and which are simply age.
The path when a payment or condition dispute arises
Identify the breach and the article
Separate a payment default from a condition or damage complaint, and match it to the article — non-payment sits under Article 25(1), damage and neglect under the duty to preserve in Article 19 read with Article 21.
Serve the correct notice
For non-payment, the landlord serves a written notice to pay; the tenant then has thirty days to settle before it becomes an eviction ground. For a condition issue, put the complaint and any request to remedy in writing.
Gather the evidence
Assemble the Ejari contract, the payment ledger and receipts, the move-in condition record, dated photographs, and any correspondence — this is what proves who kept, or broke, the duty in Article 19.
File at the Rental Disputes Centre
If it is not resolved, either party can lodge a claim with the RDC, part of Dubai Land Department, which first assesses it for an amicable settlement before it goes to a committee.
Decision and enforcement
If mediation fails, a First Instance Committee decides the claim, with an appeal route, and the Centre's execution department enforces the outcome — whether payment of arrears or an eviction order.
What an Article 19 file needs
- The Ejari-registered tenancy contract showing the rent and the agreed payment schedule
- Proof of every payment — receipts, bank transfers, and a record of cheques presented
- A move-in condition record with dated photographs or a signed inventory
- Any written notice to pay and proof of how and when it was served
- Maintenance correspondence separating the landlord's Article 16 duties from the tenant's day-to-day care
- Certified translation of any document not already in the language the Centre requires
Common mistakes on both sides
The mistakeA tenant withholds rent to force the landlord to carry out a repair.
The fixArticle 19 requires the rent to be paid regardless. Keep paying and pursue the repair through a written request and, if needed, the RDC — do not convert a maintenance complaint into a non-payment default.
The mistakeA tenant stops paying while contesting a renewal increase.
The fixKeep paying the existing contractual rent on time; Article 31 confirms the duty runs during a case. Challenge the increase separately under Decree 43 of 2013 rather than by withholding rent.
The mistakeA landlord charges the tenant for fair wear and tear at move-out.
The fixArticle 21 excepts ordinary wear and tear from the tenant's duty. Only genuine damage or neglect can be deducted from the deposit under Article 20; ordinary ageing cannot.
The mistakeA landlord bills the tenant for major repairs or structural defects.
The fixBy default those sit with the landlord under Article 16. The tenant's Article 19 duty is ordinary care, not major maintenance, unless the lease clearly and specifically reallocates an item.
The mistakeNeither side records the property's condition when the tenant moves in.
The fixMake a dated move-in record with photographs at the start. Without it, the exit argument over damage versus wear and tear becomes one word against another and the deposit is the casualty.
Article 19: questions and answers
Article 19 requires the tenant to do two things: pay the rent on its due dates, and maintain the property in the same way an ordinary person would maintain his own. It is the tenant's core continuing duty under Law 26/2007 — the counterpart to the landlord's duties to deliver and maintain the property in Articles 15 and 16.
No — that is a risky move. Article 19 makes paying the rent a standalone duty, so withholding it can itself become a non-payment ground for eviction even if your repair complaint is valid. The safer route is to keep paying, put the repair request in writing, and raise it with the Rental Disputes Centre if the landlord still does not act.
It is the reasonable-person standard of care. The tenant is expected to use the property sensibly, keep it clean and ventilated, use fittings properly, and report faults promptly — the ordinary diligence a careful owner shows toward his own home. It does not demand perfection, and it does not make the tenant responsible for major repairs.
No. By default Article 16 keeps maintenance and the repair of defects that affect use with the landlord. The tenant's duty under Article 19 is ordinary day-to-day care, not major maintenance. The position can change only if the tenancy contract clearly and specifically shifts a particular item to the tenant.
Yes. Article 31 makes clear that filing or facing a case does not pause the rent, and Article 19 requires the agreed rent to be paid throughout. Keep paying the existing contractual rent on time; stopping only adds a non-payment default on top of whatever you were already disputing.
It can lead there. Non-payment is a ground to seek eviction during the term under Article 25(1), but the landlord must first serve a written notice to pay and give the tenant thirty days to settle. Paying within that window normally resolves it; ignoring the notice is what opens the door to an eviction claim.
Fair wear and tear is the ordinary ageing any lived-in property shows — faded paint, minor scuffs, worn seals. Damage is harm beyond that: broken fixtures, holes, stains from neglect or misuse. Article 21 excepts wear and tear from the return duty, so only genuine damage can be deducted from the deposit under Article 20. A dated move-in record is what settles the line at exit.
Where MANJAZ fits in
MANJAZ is a publisher and service provider, not a court and not a law firm, and it never guarantees a particular result. What we do is practical: read the tenancy contract and its payment and maintenance clauses against Article 19 and the articles around it, help a party organise a payment ledger or a move-in and move-out condition record, prepare and arrange the documents a claim or defence needs, and provide certified and legal translation where papers must move between Arabic and other languages.
Whether you are a tenant defending a damage claim you believe is really fair wear and tear, or a landlord facing a tenant who has stopped paying, the value is the same: match the facts to the right article, keep the existing rent paid so a payment argument does not swallow the real dispute, and follow the lawful route through the Rental Disputes Centre. Getting those details right early is what most often shapes how a dispute ends.
Official sources
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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