Grace Period (Dubai Tenancy)

Under Article 25(a) of the Dubai Tenancy Law, a landlord may apply to the RDSC for an eviction order if a tenant fails to pay rent within 30 days of receiving a formal demand for payment. The 30-day period constitutes the grace period — once it elapses without payment, the landlord has satisfied the prerequisite for an eviction application.

The formal demand must be served in writing. While the law does not require notarial service for the payment demand (unlike eviction notices), landlords commonly use notarial service to create an undisputable record of the demand date. Email with read receipts or registered mail are also frequently used.

Tenants who receive a non-payment demand have 30 days to settle the arrears in full, negotiate a payment plan, or dispute the amount owed (if they believe they have already paid or that the landlord's figure is wrong). If the tenant can demonstrate at the RDSC that rent was in fact paid, the eviction application fails regardless of the demand.

The term 'grace period' is also sometimes used informally to describe the period between a non-renewal notice and the contract expiry, during which the tenant continues to occupy the property. This is not a formal legal grace period but rather the consequence of the auto-renewal provisions of the tenancy law.