Dubai eviction rules depend on the legal ground. Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, distinguishes eviction before lease expiry for specified tenant defaults from eviction after lease expiry for grounds such as sale, owner/first-degree-relative use, demolition or comprehensive restoration. DLD’s current guidance refers to service through the Notary Public or by registered mail; the applicable notice period is not the same for every ground.
WhatsApp Alone Does Not Replace the Statutory Service Route
A WhatsApp message, email or SMS may become evidence in a dispute, but where Article 25 requires a formal notice through the Notary Public or registered mail, an informal message should not be treated as a substitute. If you already sent a notice informally, review the exact ground and service evidence before relying on that date for a 12-month or 30-day period.
How Article 25 Notices Are Served
Notary Public Route
- Prepare the notice for the specific Article 25 ground and submit it through the applicable notarial service.
- The official notice/service record is important evidence if the matter later reaches the RDC.
- A licensed notification provider may be involved in delivery under the official workflow; that does not create a third statutory Article 25 method.
Registered Mail Route
- Article 25 and DLD guidance also refer to registered mail as a service route for tenancy notices.
- Keep the postal record, delivery result and the exact address used; service evidence can become central in any later RDC dispute.
- The correct address and evidence should be checked for the particular case rather than assuming every returned or uncollected item has the same effect.
Notice Periods Depend on the Eviction Ground
| Eviction Ground | Published Notice Rule | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| Sale of the property after lease expiry | At least 12 months before the requested eviction date | DLD states the notice should identify the sale ground and be served through Notary Public or registered mail. |
| Owner or first-degree relative personal use after lease expiry | At least 12 months before the requested eviction date | DLD also refers to the owner proving that no suitable alternative property is available for the intended use. |
| Demolition/reconstruction or comprehensive restoration after lease expiry | At least 12 months before the requested eviction date | Permits or technical evidence may be required depending on the ground. |
| Non-payment of rent before lease expiry | At least 30 days from service of a payment notice, unless otherwise agreed | The notice should demand payment and the tenant must remain in default after the period. |
| Failure to comply with a lease/law obligation that can be remedied | 30 days to comply after service of the notice | Other Article 25(1) grounds have their own conditions; do not apply the 30-day cure period to every eviction ground. |
Article 25 separates different eviction grounds and notice periods. For the tenancy-notice routes published by DLD, service is through the Notary Public or by registered mail. A 12-month notice applies to specified post-expiry landlord grounds such as sale or personal use; a 30-day period applies to non-payment and certain curable breaches. The exact ground and conditions should be stated correctly.
Article 25(1) — Before Lease Expiry
- Covers specified tenant-default and property-condition grounds during an active lease.
- Some grounds have a 30-day notice-to-pay or notice-to-comply period; others have different statutory conditions.
Article 25(2) — After Lease Expiry
- Covers specified landlord grounds such as sale, personal use, demolition/reconstruction and comprehensive restoration.
- DLD publishes a notice of at least 12 months before the requested eviction date for these grounds.
What a Valid Eviction Notice Must Contain
- Full legal name and contact details of the landlord (or authorized agent with POA)
- Full legal name of the tenant and complete property address including unit number
- The Ejari registration number of the tenancy contract
- The specific legal reason for eviction (must match one of the grounds in Law 33 of 2008)
- The vacate-by date (notice period must be correctly calculated from today)
- Signature of the landlord or authorized agent (if agent: notarized POA must accompany the notice)
Documents You Need to Serve a Valid Eviction Notice
- Original title deed — proof you are the legal owner of the property
- Copy of the Ejari-registered tenancy contract
- Copy of your Emirates ID or passport
- For personal use: NOC or letter confirming intended use by yourself or first-degree relative
- For renovation/demolition: valid approved permit from the relevant authority (DDA, DM)
A 90-Day Renewal/Term Notice Is Not the Same as an Article 25 Eviction Notice
Article 14 addresses notice before lease expiry when a party does not wish to renew or wants to amend contract terms, subject to the parties’ agreement. That 90-day rule is separate from Article 25 eviction grounds. Do not use a 90-day rent/renewal notice as a substitute for a 12-month sale/personal-use notice or a 30-day payment/breach notice.
Tenant Rights During the Eviction Notice Period
- Right to occupy the property until the full notice period expires — landlord cannot force early exit
- Right to challenge the eviction notice at the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre (RDC) if the grounds are invalid or notice was improperly served
- Right to request compensation if landlord gave a personal use notice but rented to someone else within 2 years
- Right to receive proper written notice — verbal eviction requests carry no legal weight
- If landlord files at RDC: right to attend hearings, submit evidence, and be heard before any order is issued
ILLUSTRATIVE STRUCTURE ONLY To: [Tenant details] From: [Landlord / authorised representative details] Property: [Unit, building, Ejari/lease details] Legal ground: [Identify the exact Article 25 ground] Required action and period: [Use the period and conditions that apply to that ground — e.g. payment within the applicable 30-day period, or vacating on the date falling at least 12 months after valid notice for a qualifying post-expiry ground] Service route: [Notary Public / registered mail, as applicable] Supporting facts and documents: [rent default / sale intention / personal-use basis / permits or technical report, as applicable] This structure is not a substitute for drafting the notice to the exact legal ground and evidence.
From Our Working Templates: The Anatomy of an Eviction Notice We Serve
- Full identification tables for the notifier and the notified party — name, nationality, ID document, capacity, email and mobile
- A precise property description — unit number, building, area, plot number, registered lease dates and the annual rent
- Itemized grounds — the outstanding rent figure, and where a cheque bounced: its number, date and the bank's stated return reason
- The exact Article 25 ground and the notice period that applies to that ground — not a generic 12-month/30-day formula
- A clear demand or requested vacating date that matches the legal ground and the date of valid service
- Any reservation of rent, damages or other rights should match the actual claim and contract; it is not a mandatory sentence in every eviction notice
Before You Serve the Notice
- Identify whether the case is a pre-expiry Article 25(1) ground or a post-expiry Article 25(2) ground; the legal test and period are different.
- Check the lease/Ejari dates and the identity/capacity of the landlord or authorised representative before fixing the notice date.
- For sale or personal-use notices, state the actual statutory ground instead of using a generic sentence that lists several possible reasons.
- For non-payment, verify the outstanding amount and the applicable payment-demand wording before using the 30-day period.
- For demolition, reconstruction or comprehensive restoration, collect the permit or technical evidence required for that ground before relying on the notice.
Keep a Complete Service File
Keep the final signed/attested notice, the exact version served, the notarial or postal submission record, delivery result, dates and address used, together with the Ejari/lease and evidence supporting the eviction ground. If the tenant challenges service or the matter proceeds to the RDC, these records help establish what was served, when, by which route and for which legal reason.
Serving an eviction notice is not the same as obtaining an eviction order. The notice preserves and starts the procedural path for the relevant ground; if the tenant does not vacate after the applicable period, the landlord still needs the appropriate RDC claim and must prove the ground and service. The notice should therefore be drafted as evidence for a possible later case, not merely as a message asking the tenant to leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
For post-expiry grounds such as sale or owner/first-degree-relative use, DLD publishes a notice period of at least 12 months before the requested eviction date, served through the Notary Public or by registered mail. The notice should identify the exact legal ground. Other Article 25 grounds can use different periods, including 30-day notices for non-payment and certain curable breaches.
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The drafting and document collection can be handled remotely, and some notarial steps may have electronic channels, but there is no universal promise that every eviction notice can be completed end-to-end remotely. The actual attestation/service route depends on the official service, identity/authority documents and delivery method. See our E-Notary guide for the current remote-route limits.
Article 25(1) concerns eviction before lease expiry for specified tenant-default or property-condition grounds. Some of those grounds require a 30-day notice to pay or comply, while others have different conditions. Article 25(2) concerns specified landlord grounds after lease expiry — including sale, personal use, demolition/reconstruction and comprehensive restoration — for which DLD publishes at least 12 months’ notice before the requested eviction date.
If the tenant remains after the applicable notice period, the landlord normally needs to file the appropriate eviction claim with the Rental Disputes Center and prove the legal ground, lease relationship and service of the notice. Hearing and execution timing varies by case. If an enforceable eviction judgment is issued, possession is recovered through the formal execution process — not by changing locks, cutting utilities or physically removing the tenant without authority.
A notice may still be issued while the tenant is abroad, but the legal service route and proof must be handled correctly. Article 25/DLD guidance refers to Notary Public or registered mail for the relevant tenancy notices. Do not assume that a WhatsApp message to an overseas tenant, or any returned postal item, automatically has the same legal effect as valid service. Review the address and service result before calculating the notice period.
Yes, but the effect depends on the ground. Article 25(1) contains specified pre-expiry eviction grounds. For post-expiry grounds such as sale or personal use, the 12-month notice can be served while the lease is still running, with the requested vacating date calculated from valid service. A separate 90-day notice under Article 14 concerns non-renewal or amendment of lease terms and should not be confused with an Article 25 eviction notice.
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