Tenant Lawyer in Dubai

At least 90 days before the tenancy expires, unless the parties agreed a different period in the contract (Article 14 of Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended). This notice period applies to amending terms for the renewal. It is not the notice period for eviction on expiry, which is 12 months, and it is not the notice period for non-payment or breach during the term, which is 30 days to remedy.

Only on one of the grounds in Article 25(2) — demolition or reconstruction, comprehensive maintenance that cannot be done with the tenant in place, use by the owner or a first-degree relative, or sale — and with 12 months’ notice served through a Notary Public or by registered mail. Without a valid ground and valid notice, a tenant who stays on renews under Article 6 on the same terms, for the same period or one year, whichever is shorter.

Create a record that payment was offered, and do it promptly. Depending on how rent was being paid, that may mean tendering a cheque and keeping proof it was refused, attempting a transfer, putting the offer in writing, or depositing the rent through the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre. The reason to move quickly is that unpaid rent is a ground for eviction under Article 25(1), and the record you build now is what answers that.

Check four things: which ground it relies on, whether that ground is a during-the-term ground or an on-expiry ground, how the notice was served, and what date it gives. Some grounds give you 30 days to remedy the problem. On-expiry grounds need 12 months’ notice through a Notary Public or registered mail. A notice does not end the tenancy by itself, and ignoring one is the most expensive response available.

Article 20 requires the deposit to be returned at the end of the tenancy; Article 21 requires the property to be handed back as received, fair wear and tear excepted. Disputes turn on which deductions are justified. Ask for the basis of each deduction — invoice, quote, photograph — and compare it with the condition recorded when you moved in. Where the deduction cannot be supported, the balance can be claimed at the Centre.

Under Article 16 the landlord is responsible for maintenance and for repairing defects during the term unless the contract says otherwise — and many Dubai tenancy contracts do shift minor repairs up to a stated value to the tenant. So the contract is read first. Article 19 requires the tenant to look after the property and not to alter it without consent.

At the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre, which has exclusive jurisdiction under Article 6 of Decree No. 26 of 2013 over rent disputes for property in the Emirate, including in free zones. The same Article excludes rent disputes in free zones that have their own tribunals or special courts, disputes under lease finance contracts, and disputes under long-term leases governed by Law No. 7 of 2006. Where your tenancy might fall into one of those, the forum is checked before filing.

Filing or defending a claim does not by itself end your right to occupy. Possession changes when there is an enforceable eviction judgment. Your obligations continue in the meantime — rent still falls due, and failing to pay it while a case is running tends to create a second problem alongside the first.

Yes. A power of attorney, notarised and legalised for use in the UAE and translated into Arabic, allows a matter to be run without you travelling. The wording has to cover the specific steps involved, including filing, settlement and enforcement, so it is worth drafting for the purpose rather than reusing a general form.

For the statutory notices, no. Article 25 requires service through a Notary Public or by registered mail. Messages and emails are useful evidence of what was said and when, but they do not perform service, and a notice served only that way is open to challenge.

Yes. Article 4 of Law No. 26 of 2007 requires lease contracts to be registered, and registration matters when a claim is filed. If your tenancy is not registered, that is something to address before filing rather than during the case.

Ordinary commercial tenancies of property in Dubai fall under the same tenancy law and the same forum, subject to the exclusions in Article 6 of Decree No. 26 of 2013. What differs is that commercial disputes turn far more on the lease wording — fit-out, service charges, permitted activity, assignment and reinstatement are contract-led, and commercial premises carry an additional eviction ground for being left unoccupied without valid reason for the periods the law specifies.