Article 6 of Dubai Tenancy Law: Automatic Renewal When the Tenant Stays On
A Dubai tenancy does not simply vanish the day its term ends. Article 6 of the tenancy law sets the default for what happens next: if the tenant stays in the property after the contract expires and the landlord raises no objection, the lease renews on its own — for the same term or for one year, whichever is shorter, and on the same conditions as before. It is the law's safety net against a legal vacuum at expiry, and it protects the tenant's occupation without any new signature. What it does not do is freeze everything against the parties' will: a landlord who wants a different rent must have served the 90-day notice, and a landlord who wants the property back on one of the four eviction grounds must have served the 12-month notarised notice. This page explains, for landlords and tenants alike, exactly when Article 6 renews a contract, how long the renewal lasts, on what terms, and where it gives way to the notice routes.
- Renewal is the default: stay on with no objection and the lease renews by law
- It renews for the same term or one year — whichever is shorter
- It renews on the same conditions unless a valid 90-day notice varied them
- It does not defeat a lawful eviction served by 12-month notarised notice
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What Article 6 actually means
Article 6 of Dubai's tenancy law means that when a lease reaches the end of its term and the tenant carries on occupying the property without the landlord objecting, the contract renews automatically — for the same term or for one year, whichever is shorter, and on the same conditions as before.
The relationship between landlords and tenants in Dubai is governed by Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. A common worry at the end of a lease is what the tenant's position becomes the moment the term runs out: is the tenant suddenly there without a contract, a kind of trespasser the landlord can remove at will? Article 6 answers that question, and its answer is the opposite. The default at expiry is not eviction and not a legal vacuum — it is renewal. If the tenant stays and the landlord does not object, the tenancy simply continues.
The rule has three moving parts. The trigger is a combination: the term expires, the tenant continues to occupy, and the landlord raises no objection. The length is capped: the renewed period is the same term as before or one year, whichever is shorter — so a long lease does not renew for another long stretch, but for a year at most. And the terms carry over: the renewal is on the same conditions as the previous contract, including the same rent, unless a party lawfully changed them beforehand.
What Article 6 is not is just as important. It is not a bar to changing the rent: a landlord who wants a different figure at renewal must have served the 90-day notice under Article 14 before expiry, or the contract renews at the old rent. And it is not a shield against a lawful eviction: where the landlord served the 12-month notarised notice on one of the four Article 25(2) grounds, the tenancy ends on expiry instead of renewing. Automatic renewal is precisely what happens when neither of those steps was taken.
What Article 6 says, in plain terms
In substance, Article 6 provides that where the term of a lease contract expires but the tenant continues to occupy the property without any objection by the landlord, the contract will be renewed for the same term or for a term of one year, whichever is shorter, and under the same terms as the previous contract. That single sentence carries the whole rule, and each phrase in it does work.
Three conditions must line up for the automatic renewal to bite. First, the term must have expired — the rule speaks to the end of the contract, not its middle. Second, the tenant must actually continue to occupy the property; renewal follows real, continued possession, not a mere wish to stay. Third, the landlord must raise no objection: silence is what triggers the renewal, and an objection made through the lawful routes is what takes the case out of Article 6 and into the notice rules instead. When all three align, no fresh signature is needed — the law renews the contract for the parties.
What Article 6 means in practice
- The default is renewal, not eviction
- When a term ends and nobody acts, the tenancy renews rather than lapses. The tenant is not left as a trespasser at the moment the paper expires; the contract simply continues.
- The renewal lasts one year at most
- The renewed period is the previous term or one year, whichever is shorter. A one-year lease renews for a year; a two- or three-year lease renews for one year, not for its original longer term.
- It renews on the same rent and terms
- Unless a party lawfully varied them first, the renewed contract carries the same conditions — including the same rent. Automatic renewal is renewal of the old deal, not a chance to reset it.
- "Without objection" means the landlord did nothing
- Renewal is triggered by the landlord's silence. To take the case out of Article 6, the landlord must object through a lawful route — a 90-day notice to change terms, or a 12-month notice to evict on expiry.
- It does not override a valid eviction notice
- Automatic renewal fills the gap left by inaction. Where the landlord validly served the 12-month notarised notice on an Article 25(2) ground, the tenancy ends on expiry and Article 6 does not force it to renew.
- Still register the renewal on Ejari
- Even though the renewal happens by law, the parties should still record the continuing tenancy on Ejari so the current term and rent are documented and recognised in any dispute.
"Same term or one year, whichever is shorter" — worked out
| Original agreed term of the lease | Length of the automatic renewal under Article 6 |
|---|---|
| Three-year lease | One year (one year is shorter than the term) |
| Two-year lease | One year (one year is shorter than the term) |
| One-year lease | One year (the term equals one year) |
| Six-month lease | Six months (the term is shorter than one year) |
The same rule, seen from both sides
For the landlord
- If you do nothing, the tenancy renews automatically on the same terms — silence is not a reset
- You cannot treat a tenant who stays on as a trespasser or demand immediate vacant possession
- To raise the rent you must serve the 90-day notice before expiry; otherwise it renews at the old rent
- To recover the property on expiry you need the 12-month notarised notice on an Article 25(2) ground
For the tenant
- Your right to stay is protected: the lease does not lapse just because the paper expired
- The renewal is on the same rent and terms unless a valid 90-day notice varied them
- The renewed period lasts at most one year, then the same rule applies again
- Automatic renewal does not shield you from a lawful 12-month eviction — keep your Ejari current
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Automatic renewal is what happens when nobody acts
It helps to picture the three ways a tenancy can meet its expiry date. In the first, neither party does anything: the tenant stays, the landlord is silent, and Article 6 renews the contract on the same conditions for the same term or one year, whichever is shorter. In the second, a party has served the 90-day notice under Article 14 to change a term or the rent: the tenancy still renews, but on the varied conditions, and any rent rise stays within the Decree 43/2013 ceiling. In the third, the landlord has served the 12-month notarised notice on one of the four Article 25(2) grounds — the owner's personal use, sale, demolition and reconstruction, or comprehensive maintenance impossible with the tenant in place: here the tenancy ends on expiry rather than renewing. Article 6 governs only the first path. It does not override a valid variation and it does not defeat a valid eviction; it simply fills the space that inaction would otherwise leave empty.
When Article 6 applies: worked examples
A one-year lease expires, the tenant stays, and the landlord says nothing.
What is usually neededArticle 6 renews the contract for one year on the same conditions, including the same rent. No new signature is required; the parties should still record the new term on Ejari.
A two-year lease ends, the tenant remains, and no notice was ever served.
What is usually neededThe renewal runs for one year, not another two — one year is the shorter period. All other terms carry over unchanged until the next expiry, when the same rule applies again.
A landlord wanted a higher rent but never served a 90-day notice; the tenant stays on.
What is usually neededThe contract renews automatically at the old rent. Because the variation route under Article 14 was missed, the increase cannot bind this term; the landlord must wait for the next renewal and give notice in time.
A landlord treats the stay-on tenant as a trespasser and demands they leave at once.
What is usually neededArticle 6 says the contract renewed by law, so the tenant is not a holdover trespasser. The landlord must use a lawful route to recover the property; if pressed, the tenant can raise the matter at the Rental Disputes Centre.
Before expiry the landlord served a valid 12-month notarised notice to sell the property.
What is usually neededArticle 6 does not force renewal here. Because the landlord objected through a lawful Article 25(2) route, the tenancy ends on the expiry date instead of renewing, and the dispute (if any) turns on whether the notice met the legal conditions.
What a renewal file usually contains
- The current Ejari-registered tenancy contract, showing the term and rent that carry over
- Evidence the tenant continued in occupation after the end date — rent payments, utility bills
- Any 90-day notice (Article 14) or 12-month notice (Article 25(2)) served, with proof of service
- Correspondence showing whether the landlord objected, and when
- Emirates ID or trade licence matching the parties named on the contract
- The renewed Ejari registration recording the new term
Common mistakes on both sides
The mistakeA landlord assuming that silence lets them impose a higher rent at renewal.
The fixWithout a valid 90-day notice under Article 14, Article 6 renews the contract at the old rent — the increase waits for the next renewal.
The mistakeTreating a tenant who stays after expiry as a holdover trespasser.
The fixIf the landlord did not object, the contract renewed by law; the tenant occupies under a valid tenancy, and the landlord must use a lawful route to recover the property.
The mistakeA tenant assuming automatic renewal blocks any eviction.
The fixA valid 12-month notarised notice on an Article 25(2) ground still ends the tenancy on expiry; Article 6 only fills the gap when no such notice was served.
The mistakeAssuming a two- or three-year lease auto-renews for the same long term.
The fixThe renewal is the previous term or one year, whichever is shorter — so a long lease renews for one year at most, not for another long stretch.
The mistakeLeaving Ejari unrenewed because "the contract renewed anyway".
The fixThe renewal happens by law, but recording it on Ejari keeps the current term and rent documented and recognised in any dispute or official dealing.
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 a tenancy file against Article 6 and its neighbours, check whether a 90-day or 12-month notice was validly served and in time, and work out whether a contract renewed on its old terms or was lawfully varied or ended. Where a renewal needs to be recorded, we help with the Ejari step; where the file must move between Arabic and another language, we arrange certified and legal translation; and we can follow up procedures at the Rental Disputes Centre.
Whether you are a landlord who let a renewal happen and now wants to plan the next one properly, or a tenant unsure whether your stay-on tenancy is protected or exposed to a notice, the value is in getting the details right early: which path the tenancy took at expiry, on what rent and terms, and what — if anything — must still be recorded. The small points at the renewal stage are what most often decide the outcome later, and they are the easiest to put right in advance.
Questions and answers
Article 6 says that where a lease term expires but the tenant continues to occupy the property without any objection by the landlord, the contract renews for the same term or for one year, whichever is shorter, on the same conditions as before. It is the automatic-renewal rule that keeps a tenancy from lapsing into a legal vacuum at expiry.
Yes. Article 6 renews the contract on the same conditions, including the same rent, unless a party served a valid 90-day notice under Article 14 to change it before expiry. If the notice route was not used, the tenancy renews at the old rent; any future increase must still stay within the Decree 43/2013 ceiling.
For the same term or one year, whichever is shorter. A one-year lease renews for a year, and a two- or three-year lease renews for one year, not for its original longer term. A lease shorter than a year renews for its own shorter period.
Yes, but only on a lawful ground. Automatic renewal does not defeat a valid on-expiry eviction where the landlord served the 12-month notarised notice on one of the four Article 25(2) grounds — personal use, sale, demolition and reconstruction, or comprehensive maintenance. Article 6 only renews the tenancy when no such lawful objection was made.
No. Under Article 6, if the landlord raises no objection, the tenant's continued occupation renews the contract by operation of law. The tenant is not a holdover trespasser but a tenant under a renewed, valid tenancy, and cannot be removed except through a lawful route.
Yes. Although the renewal happens automatically by law, the parties should still register or renew the tenancy on Ejari so the current term and rent are recorded. A documented Ejari registration is what is recognised in a dispute and in official dealings.
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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