Q: My landlord is requesting me to leave the apartment at the end of tenancy period which is in 3 months. He hasn't requested this formally, I mean he only sent an email. Can this be counted? I do not want to leave as I know the reason he wants me to evict is that he wants to increase the rent on the new tenant since I have been for quite some time.

Q: Please, can you advise. Our landlord is demanding a months rent penalty for not notifying him 2 months in advance of our intention to vacate the premises. However, our contract does not request us to give notification. It has one clause which states: "IF the tenant wants to leave the apartment BEFORE the expiration date of the contract, he/she shall give 2 months written notice and pay 1 months penalty." We are leaving on the expiration date, so how can we be in breach of the contract? There are no other clauses or statements in the contract which refer to leaving notice required, and the contract itself has a clause which deems it null and void after the 1-year expiry date.

Q: My contract ends on 20th Feb 2020 and I have informed the landlord on the 24th of December to amend the rent or allow us to vacate on the mentioned date. They have replied that the contract will be automatically renewed as we have not given 60 days notice (technically it is 59 days given) and that if we wish to vacate he is asking us to pay two months rent as a penalty. Kindly advise.

Q: In my tenancy contract I have this clause: "If the tenant intends to vacate or renew the tenancy on the expiry date, he/she agrees to give the landlord at least ninety (90) days written notice. a) Renewal should be signed and the rental cheque has to be paid 1 month before expiry, otherwise, the landlord has the right to find a new tenant." I gave the landlord notice 60 days prior to the expiry date. Now he is asking for a penalty of one month from me or extending the contract for 1 month with an additional one-month payment. However, in the clause, I don't see any reference to such a penalty. The only written sub-clause is that renewal should be signed one month before expiry, otherwise, he can find another tenant. I want to leave the last day of the contract, therefore I don't have any issue with him finding another tenant afterwards. Based on the above, is he eligible to get a penalty? Kind Regards, D. D.

س: السلام عليكم ورحمة الله، عندي مؤجِّر منذ عشر سنوات بإيجار بسيط. أريد أن يُخلي المستأجر البيت لحاجتي إليه. علمًا بأن العقد بدأ في شهر ٧/٢٠١٤ وانتهى في شهر ٧/٢٠١٥ ولم يُجدَّد. ما الطريقة؟

Q: I rented out my flat in Dubai in Jan 2021. I live outside of Dubai and have decided to sell my unit and had notified the tenant 5 months before the expiry of the contract that I'm not going to renew. The tenant has sent me an email stating that as per Dubai law, I have to give him a 12 months notice. This was not stated in the contract and the rental agent did not mention this to me. Is there any way I can end the tenancy on the date the contract expires (Jan 2022)?

س: مرحبًا، لدي شقة في دبي رمرام مؤجَّرة. أنذرت المستأجر عبر الإيميل والرسائل النصية والواتس قبل نهاية العقد بثلاثة أشهر أنني لا أرغب في تجديد العقد معه لسنة جديدة. هل هذا الإجراء صحيح؟ وماذا يترتب على رفض المستأجر إخلاء الشقة عند نهاية العقد؟

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I need to give a 12 months eviction notice to my tenant but I don't live in the UAE. How can I do so online? Thank you

Q: Dear sir/madam, I have confirmed to renew my apartment tenancy contract with my apartment's management team three months before the expiration date (as per the contract) via email, after which no renewal contract was signed. Now, one and a half months before the expiration date, can I decide not to renew the contract without any penalty? Is the written confirmation via email previously taken as legal in Dubai?

Q: Where does the law stand on a tenant giving a non-renewal notice and retracting it at a later stage? Does the owner of the leasehold have the right to refuse and ask for vacating the apartment? Can the owner ask for additional compensation and legal compensation for lack of compliance until such time that the apartment is vacated and cleared?

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.

I believe that there is a similarity between medicine and law, and just as there is a way to ask a question to a doctor to get the most accurate and correct answers from him, which ultimately helps you receive the correct diagnosis, and therefore the correct treatment, there is a way to ask a lawyer.

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.