Q: My landlord sent me a notary notice to vacate the property saying he will ‘sell’ the property. He previously asked me to leave so that his family can stay there. We are almost certain that he wants to lease the property to new tenants to take advantage of the rent hikes in the area. We have signed a contract till the eviction date. Do I have any option to remain in the property after the eviction date taking into account that I have been in the property for 4 years?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Can I stay in the property after the eviction period of 12 months? The landlord's reason is to sell, but I know he wants to rent it as a holiday home.

Q: I am staying in a rented house in JLT, Dubai. My lease agreement is due for renewal today on 1st Sep'23. The landlord had sent me a notice 3 months earlier asking for a rent increase of 15%. I responded to him the same day and showed him that the RERA rent calculator showed no increase. He agreed through his agent (verbally) to keep the rent the same as last year. Today he sent me a notice that he wants me to allow viewings of the property to third parties as he wishes to sell the property. Can he force me to vacate the house or allow these viewings? Does he not have to give me 12 months' notice as my lease renewal date is today and he is yet to sign the new lease with me? What rights do I have if he doesn't sell the property and gives it to someone else at higher rent after I vacate the house?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, My landlord sent me a legal notice through the Dubai Courts notary, giving me 12 months' notice to vacate. He stated that he is willing to sell the house, but it is highly likely that this is not accurate and he is looking to rent it out at a much higher rent. My current lease ends on November 14, 2023, and the legal notice is dated August 7, 2023. The landlord has also emailed me asking to sign a lease for the period November 2023 to August 2024. What are my options? Is it useful for me to send a response to their legal notice stating that we have received their notice, and that if they do not actually sell the villa, we will monitor the situation and not only report to RERA but also file for compensatory damages? Can we request any evidence of them selling the villa? Finally, if I speak to them and it turns out that they want to rent the villa at a much higher rate and they send me a lease with the higher rent, can I use that as support for their intention?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I would like to send an eviction notice to my tenant due to my wish to sell my property after 12 months. What are the steps to be followed? Thanks!

Q: The owner sent me an eviction letter a year ago and told me that he would not rent it again. I’ve asked multiple times if he was going to rent it and increase the price, but he said no. I finally moved and after 3-4 weeks, I saw that he already put the apartment to rent with an increased fee. Is he allowed to do this? From the beginning, I was praying to stay as the location was convenient for my work.

Q: I was given a legal notice to evict my apartment by the landlord because he wants to sell the apartment but no one has come to see the apartment once in 10 months. I found out that the landlord has multiple units in the same building and gave a similar notice to all. In some cases, he renewed the lease for another year after increasing the 35 to 40 percent rent and in some cases, he rented out after 3 months. My question is if a tenant got evicted and then offered first refusal to move back in then what is the point? The tenant has already moved to a new apartment and can't accept the offer to move back. This will allow the landlord to rent out again at a higher price. Please advise

Q: Dear Lawyers, I started renting a unit in November 2023. The property manager offered a higher rent for renewal, even though the RERA index showed no increase in August 2024. I refused and said I would follow the RERA index. Last week, the property manager informed me that the owner wants to view the unit because he is planning to sell it. I asked for the price, and the manager said 2.5M, while similar units are on sale for 1.5M. I want to understand what the owner is trying to do, what my rights are, and how long I can stay in the unit if the owner sells or cannot sell it.

Q: I am reposting the question as maybe I was not clear the first time. I am a tenant in an apartment in Dubai. I stayed in the apartment for a long time. I received a valid 12-month notice from the landlord to vacate the property because they want to sell it. However, 9 months have passed since and the landlord has shown no intention of selling. I asked them about it and they said they intend to renovate it first before selling it. As I do not want to move out, can I dispute this at the RDC in any way? Meaning, do I have any basis for dispute?

Q: I was evicted from my apartment after living there for five years. My landlord informed me a year in advance that the lease would not be renewed because he intended to sell the property. Prior to this, he attempted to impose a rent increase that was not compliant with RERA regulations, which I refused to accept. He then served me with an official Dubai Court eviction notice, citing the need to take back the property for sale. Five months after I moved out, I discovered the property was rented out at a much higher price. Upon further investigation, I found that the ownership was transferred as a "Gift" rather than a sale. This makes it seem like the eviction was only to raise the rent rather than a genuine need to sell. Do I have a valid case for wrongful eviction against my landlord? Also, under Dubai law, does transferring ownership as a "Gift" hold the same legal grounds as selling in justifying eviction?

Q: Hello, Our landlord has provided us with a renewed contract. We issued cheques and signed the contract, but now he suddenly refuses to sign because he wants to sell. What can we do?

Q: Hello I got evicted from a property and the eviction notice said due to the sale. After eviction, I found out that the landlord gifted the property to the daughter and now wants to rent it out at a higher price. Is that legal? Can I file a complaint?

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.

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

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.