Q: In my landlord-tenant dispute scenario I have received conflicting answers from lawyers, so I want to know if you have any real judicial judgments from the RDC on this: The property was tenanted and the tenant received a court-stamped 12-month eviction notice due to the landlord wanting to sell the property. The property was sold to a new owner prior to the end of the 12-month period. The tenant claimed that the previous eviction notice was invalidated due to a change of ownership and refused to vacate. The new landlord sent a subsequent court-stamped notice, referencing the date of the previous eviction notice and instructing the tenant to leave as the landlord desires to move in himself. The tenant claims that the subsequent notice has no legal basis, neither in reinforcing the original notice nor as a new 12-month eviction notice. The original 12-month eviction period will expire on June 8 and the new landlord will raise an RDC case on June 9 to evict the tenant.

Q: Hi I bought a residential property on 31-Oct-2023. It has already been on lease to tenants by the seller. The seller has already served a 1-year legal eviction notice from Dubai Courts on 25 August 2023. The tenancy contract expiry will be the 30th of June 2024, and the new owner/buyer wants to stay in the said apartment after the expiry of the contract and ensure that the property is vacated on time and does not get extended beyond 24 August 2024. (Q1) Kindly confirm if it is required by law that a new 1-year legal notice has to be issued by the buyer or if the old legal notice issued by the seller is still valid. (Q2) The tenant company has kept 6 bachelor boys from their company in the flat, which I heard was illegal for the JLT area to have bachelors and even more than 4 boys. Please confirm if anything can be done about that. (Q3) Due to 6 bachelor boys, the 5-year-old flat is not being well maintained and the condition worsening. Kindly advise on the action to take. Thanks

Q: Hi, If I buy a building, do I have the right to file a case against a tenant who has outstanding rent due from the old owner?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am interested in buying a property that is currently tenanted. The agent has insisted that the tenant will vacate the property in two months; however, the current owner has not served any notice to the tenant. Is there an agreement we can ask the tenant to sign before we agree to buy the property, such as an undertaking in front of a magistrate? Can we include this in the MoU so that if the property is not vacated by a certain date, the MoU stands nullified?

Q: Should the seller in Dubai hand over their tenant's security deposit to the buyer upon completing a sale? Who is responsible for managing this process? At the time of the exchange, the broker said he would follow up with the seller and collect the deposit. He hasn’t, and the seller has not handed over the deposit.

Q: Hello, I recently bought a property in Dubai with a "Vacant on Transfer" agreement, but the seller is still living in it after the transfer. What legal steps can I take to enforce eviction and claim compensation?

Q: I bought an investment property last year on the condition that the landlord serve the 12-month notice specifically for the purpose of selling the unit and gave the tenant the notice. The landlord sent a court notice of 12 months for selling the property which was sold to me. Plus at the time of renewing the lease with the new landlord (myself) during these 12 months. It was mentioned in the contract that the landlord will not renew. It was also mentioned that the validity of the contract is until the date of court notice. The landlord sold the property as per the notice. The tenant got their 12 months. Now the tenant is refusing.

The provisions of this Law apply to real property leased out in the Emirate of Dubai, including vacant and agricultural lands, but excluding hotel establishments and real property provided by natural or legal persons as accommodation to their employees at no charge.

Provisions of this Law supersede articles (2), (3), (4), (9), (13), (14), (15), (25), (26), (29), and (36) of Law No. (26) of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai. 

This Decree determines the maximum percentage of rent increase for real property in the Emirate of Dubai when renewing lease contracts.