Dubai Tenancy Law: What Landlords and Tenants Need to Know

Dubai's tenancy framework is more protective of tenant rights than many international buyers expect. The city's reputation as a free-market, business-friendly jurisdiction leads some landlords to assume that owning a property means maximum flexibility over how it's used and when it's vacated. In reality, Dubai tenancy law — primarily Law No. 26 of 2007, amended by Law No. 33 of 2008 — places meaningful constraints on what landlords can do, when they can do it, and under what circumstances a tenant can be removed.

If you're buying a property in Dubai with a sitting tenant, or planning to rent out a newly acquired unit, these rules govern your position completely.

The Core Framework: RERA and the Rental Index

All residential tenancies in Dubai fall under RERA's regulatory jurisdiction. RERA maintains a Rental Index (officially the RERA Rental Calculator, accessible online) that publishes benchmark rental values for specific building types in specific communities. This index isn't advisory — it's the legal basis for determining what rent increases are permissible upon renewal.

Rent can only be increased on renewal if the current contract rent is materially below the RERA benchmark. The permitted increase bands are:

If your tenant is paying AED 90,000/year and the RERA benchmark for that unit is AED 100,000, you can increase by 5% (AED 4,500) on renewal — not by the full market gap. If your rent is already within 10% of the benchmark, you cannot increase at all.

This is a genuine constraint. Landlords who acquire tenanted properties that have been rented below market rate for years face a lengthy catch-up trajectory if the gap is large — they can increase by at most 20%/year and only when the 40%+ below threshold applies.

Notice Periods: The 90-Day Rule

A tenancy contract in Dubai automatically renews on the same terms unless adequate notice of non-renewal (or rent change) is served. The required notice period is 90 days before the contract's expiry date.

If neither party gives 90 days' notice of any change, the contract rolls over for another full term, on the same rent, with the same conditions. This catch-up failure is common — landlords who miss the 90-day window lose their opportunity to implement a rent increase until the following renewal cycle.

For tenants who want to exit: they must also give 90 days' notice. A tenant who walks out mid-term without notice, or who doesn't give 90 days on a fixed-term contract, can be held liable for the remaining rent or three months' rent (whichever is lower, depending on contract terms).

The 12-Month Eviction Notice: How It Really Works

This is the rule that surprises buyers most, and it has real financial consequences for end-users who purchase a tenanted property.

If you want to evict a tenant to occupy the property yourself, sell the property, or conduct major renovations requiring vacant possession, you must serve a formal, notarized 12-month eviction notice. Not an email, not a verbal conversation — a notarized notice delivered to the tenant in writing.

The 12-month clock starts from the date the notice is validly served. If the tenant's lease expires in 6 months and you serve notice today, the tenant has the right to stay for 12 months from today's date, not until their lease expires. The eviction notice supersedes the lease term.

Grounds for valid eviction are limited:

• Personal use by the owner (you must actually move in — selling the property immediately after eviction has resulted in legal challenges)
• Sale of the property with vacant possession required
• Demolition or major renovation requiring vacant possession
• The unit is being combined with an adjacent unit (specific circumstances)

You cannot simply decide you don't want this tenant, give 90 days' notice, and expect vacant possession. The 12-month notice rule applies in all permitted eviction scenarios.

The Special Succession Rule: Critical for Buyers

Here's the rule that determines whether you buy a headache or a clean asset when purchasing a tenanted property:

Under the special succession principle, if the previous owner had already served a valid, notarized 12-month eviction notice on the tenant before the property was sold to you, you inherit the timeline of that notice. The clock does not restart from your acquisition date.

Example: Seller serves a valid eviction notice on January 1, 2026. You buy the property and take title on April 1, 2026. The tenant must vacate by December 31, 2026 (12 months from the original notice date), not by April 1, 2027.

This is enormously valuable if you're buying an end-user property where you need vacant possession. The key due diligence step: before signing Form F, require the seller to produce documentation proving a valid, notarized eviction notice has already been served. Make the transaction conditional on this evidence. A seller who claims the property will be vacant on your preferred timeline but cannot produce a notarized notice has not started the clock — and you cannot restart it yourself; you'd need to serve your own notice and wait 12 months from the transfer date.

The clause to include in your MOU/Form F: the purchase is conditional on the seller providing certified proof that a formal 12-month eviction notice, compliant with Law No. 26 of 2007, has been served on the current tenant, with a copy of the notarized notice and courier/service proof provided at signing.

The Rental Disputes Center (RDC)

Disputes between landlords and tenants in Dubai are handled by the Rental Disputes Center (RDC) at the Dubai Land Department. The RDC has exclusive jurisdiction over residential tenancy disputes — you cannot take landlord-tenant matters to a general civil court.

The RDC adjudicates:

• Rent recovery (unpaid rent, bounced cheques)
• Eviction enforcement
• Rent increase disputes (if a landlord imposes an increase above the RERA permitted rate)
• Damage claims
• Deposit disputes

Filing a case at the RDC requires your Ejari-registered contract as the primary document. Without Ejari registration, your tenancy doesn't exist in the system. This is why Ejari registration is mandatory, not optional — without it, you have no standing at the only court that can enforce your rights as a landlord.

RDC fees are calculated on the disputed amount (typically 3.5% of annual rent for eviction cases, minimum AED 500). For straightforward cases with good documentation, decisions are typically issued within 4–8 weeks. More complex contested cases take longer.

Security Deposits

Security deposits in Dubai are standardized at 5% of annual rent for unfurnished properties and 10% for furnished. This amount must be returned to the tenant at the end of the tenancy, minus deductions for legitimate damage (beyond normal wear and tear) documented by an independent inspection.

The security deposit is separate from the Ejari registration and the maintenance deposit that some buildings require for Owners Association purposes. Disputes over deposit deductions are handled by the RDC.

DEWA Deposits and Utility Transitions

When a tenancy begins, the tenant registers directly with DEWA for utilities, providing the Ejari certificate. DEWA collects a refundable security deposit from the tenant (AED 2,000 for apartments, AED 4,000 for villas). This is the tenant's obligation, not the landlord's — though some landlords cover this as a lease incentive in competitive markets.

When a tenancy ends, the DEWA account must be transferred: the outgoing tenant applies to close their account and the new occupant (incoming tenant or returning owner) opens a fresh account. Ensure the DEWA account is properly closed and transferred — a former tenant's outstanding DEWA debt doesn't transfer to the new account holder, but unresolved accounts can delay utility activation for incoming occupants.

For the complete guide to buying property in Dubai and Abu Dhabi — including the purchase process, freehold rules, closing costs, and Golden Visa eligibility — the UAE Expat Buying Guide provides the full framework specifically written for foreign buyers.

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