Law No. 33 of 2008 — Amendment to Dubai Tenancy Law

Law No. 33 of 2008 came into force in late 2008 in response to rising tenant complaints about arbitrary evictions and circumvention of the 2007 law. Its most important change was to Article 25, which lists the only valid grounds on which a landlord may evict a tenant who has not breached the tenancy agreement.

Under the amended Article 25, the valid grounds for eviction include: the landlord requires the property for their own personal use (or for first-degree relatives), the landlord intends to demolish and redevelop the property, the property requires substantial renovation that cannot be done while occupied, and the tenant has not paid rent within 30 days of notice. In each case, the landlord must serve a 12-month advance notice via a notary public or registered mail.

The 2008 amendment also clarified that landlords cannot use the non-renewal of a fixed-term contract as a mechanism for eviction if no valid Article 25 ground exists. A tenancy in Dubai auto-renews at the end of its term unless proper notice is given, meaning tenants have continuous occupancy rights even after a fixed-term lease expires.

For tenants, the practical effect of Law No. 33 is significant: a landlord who serves an eviction notice without a valid Article 25 reason, or who serves with less than 12 months' notice, is committing an unlawful eviction — and the tenant can challenge this at the RDSC and remain in the property.