Q: Hi, I recently purchased a home and it is currently rented but I want to move on. The law says that 1-year eviction notice is needed, but the tenancy contract states that the landlord has the right not to renew the tenancy contract by writing a notice 90 days earlier. But this contract was signed by the previous owner so will this be applicable or do I have to give him a 1-year eviction notice? The tenancy contract finishes in January. Please advise! Thanks!

Q: Hello, I had taken an apartment for rent expecting to live there for 4-5 years. Considering it, I had spent a lot of money on moving in arrangements for the apartment. After 3 months of moving in, the owner said he sold the property to someone else. Then the new landlord comes and shared all details of the takeover, and sent me a legal notice to evict the property exactly one year later because the new landlord is coming to stay there. What can be done to protect the situation? As I know this is quite within the legal grounds, so cannot complain, right? But in the future, how can I protect my situation? Maybe by a multiple-year contract? Is it valid? What can I do to protect my existing situation, etc? Could you please help?

Q: Hi, I am buying a property that is already rented and an eviction notice has been given by the existing owner in the last week of Jan 2023, where the tenancy contract is going to end in August. I am buying this property for my personal use, so in this regard, I have the following questions: 1. Once the property is transferred to my name (most likely by mid-March 2023), do I need to sign a new tenancy contract? And if yes, what will be the end date? Will it be 12 months from starting the new tenancy contract or August 2023 2. Do I also need to issue an eviction notice as a new owner or the previous eviction notice will be valid (issued by the previous owner)?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My previous landlord in Dubai had given me a 12-month notarized notice to vacate the property as he intended to sell it. However, the property was sold within 3 months and the new landlord is now trying to enforce the previous notice. I have heard that, as per a recent RERA ruling, the notice to vacate cannot be transferred from the old landlord to the new one. Could you please confirm if this is correct, and if so, what should be my next steps?

Q: I bought a home in September 2022. The previous owner has given an eviction notice to the tenant in July 2022. The eviction notice mentions the date of 31st July 2023 for eviction. After I bought it, I did not give any fresh notice to the tenant. There was a verbal agreement that the tenant will leave the place by 31st July 2023. Now the tenant is mentioning that he believes a fresh notice needs to be given with another 12 months' notice. I want to understand the below: 1) Do I need to give fresh notice of 12 months to my tenant? 2) Is the eviction notice sent by the previous owner still valid?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I bought a property that was transferred to my name a few days ago. The previous owner had served a legal notice to vacate (reason: sale) and renewed the lease agreement for 9 more months three months after serving the notice, to align with the notice to vacate. After the transfer, I was able to access Ejari via the Dubai Rest app and saw that Ejari was renewed for 12 months instead of 9 months. Does this mean that the tenant has the right to stay until the end of the Ejari date or the date on the legal notice and lease agreement? FYI: The date on the notice served via the Dubai Court is January 31, 2024. The lease agreement is January 31, 2024, but Ejari is April 30, 2024. My wife and children are moving to Dubai by February 2024, and I need the house for myself. Please help!

Q: Dear All, I'm in the process of purchasing a property in Dubai, which is currently rented. The rent expires on 29th Feb 2024. I'm hoping to serve a notice as soon as the property is transferred into our name. Assuming we complete a transfer on 30th October, can we issue a notice immediately with the intention that it will be vacated on 30th Oct 2024? Are there any options to evict the tenant earlier and move in ASAP? We are planning to live in the property, as this would be our main family home.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I bought an apartment in July, and the previous owner gave a legal notice in November, stating that he is selling the apartment. The contract ended in September. Is the legal notice still valid for the new owner? The tenant refuses to leave, and I rejected the security deposit check because I want to move in at the end of the notice period. Should I give him another notice?

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: 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.

An interview-format article covering the topic of residential retail properties pertaining to the liability for property maintenance and the repercussions of defaulting on rent payments in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

The relationship between tenants and landlords is regulated in Dubai by Law No. 33 of 2008 Concerning the Relationship Between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai. The arising rental disputes are referred to Rental Disputes Settlement Centre (“RDSC”) created by Decree No. 26 of 2013 to reconcile between the parties and reach an amicable settlement or seek a final judgment issued and enforced by the RDSC.

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. 

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.

This Decree establishes a specialised judicial system to hear rent disputes and develops the procedure for determination of such disputes through an expeditious and simple process for the purpose of realising social and economic stability for all persons involved with the real property rental and other related sectors.