Q: Dear lawyer, I have a tenancy contract for one year in Dubai, ending on 25 November 2018. On the 8th of October, the landlord sent me a lease renewal, with some parts of the contract modified and contains different terms from the previous one. I decided I don't want to renew the contract; neither with the new nor old conditions. On the 1st of November, I notified the landlord that I will vacate on the current contract end date 25 Nov. He replied that I needed to notify him 90 days prior to the expiry date and I didn't, and now he is entitled to reimbursement and asks for 2 months' rent as a compensation. Our contract says only "Tenant agrees to notify the Landlord in writing 3 months (90 days) prior to the expiry of this Agreement of his intention to renew or not renew the Agreement". However, no financial penalties for breaking the clause of 90 days' notice of non-renewal are mentioned there. Please tell, can he claim from me this 2 months' amount? I will highly appreciate your opinion. Best regards

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I have just purchased a property with a tenant inside. It turns out that the rental agreement and Ejari expired in March 2024 (2 months ago). Is the tenant, therefore, occupying illegally? What are my options to get the tenant out? Obviously, I don’t want to put anyone out on the street, but ideally, I would like the tenant out in the next 5 months so I can move in myself.

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.

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.

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.