Eviction of Tenants in Dubai

A tenancy contract legalizes the relationship between landlords and tenants by allowing the occupants the benefit of using the owners’ property for a particular purpose for a specific time for a certain price. The terms and conditions are clearly outlined and defined in this contract to avert disputes and misunderstandings between the parties. The relationship between tenants and landlords in Dubai and their rights and obligations are regulated by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) under the Dubai Rental Law Number 26 of 2007 (amended by Law Number 33 (2008) (RERA tenancy law).

Valid rental agreements cannot be easily terminated by either the landlord or the tenant during its term. Unilateral termination of such an agreement is permitted if the parties have previously agreed to this under Article 7 of the RERA tenancy law. Following Article 6 of the RERA tenancy law, if a tenant continues to occupy the property after the expiry of the rental agreement with the permission of the landlord, the term of the contract comprising of the same terms and conditions, will be automatically extended to one year or the same period (whichever is less).

The death of the landlord does not lead to the expiration of the tenancy contract in accordance with Article 27 of the RERA tenancy law. In this event, the tenants’ relationship is transferred to the landlord’s heirs resulting in the validity of the contract until the heirs decide to terminate the agreement. A notice of 30 days or till the expiry of the contract (whichever comes first) must be given to the tenants if the heirs wish to terminate the contract under Article 27.

However, a landlord may evict a tenant prior to the expiry of the rental agreement under Article 25 of the RERA tenancy laws. The following procedure must to pursued by landlords to evict a tenant:

The reasons that are valid to issue an eviction before the expiry of the tenancy contract under Article 25 are as follows:

A landlord may also seek eviction upon the expiry of the tenancy contract for the following reasons under Article 25:

For these cases, a written notice with the reason for eviction must be sent to the tenant at least 90 days prior to the expiry of the contract.