Notarial Notice

Under Law No. 33 of 2008, a landlord wishing to evict a tenant for any valid reason under Article 25 must serve the eviction notice via a notary public or via registered mail (fax is also sometimes accepted). The most legally robust method is notarial service — the notary physically delivers the notice to the tenant and produces a certificate of service that serves as irrefutable evidence of receipt.

The notarial process involves: drafting the formal notice in Arabic (or in a bilingual Arabic/English format), having it reviewed by the Notary Public, payment of a government fee (typically AED 200–400), and then the notary's office serving the notice on the respondent. If the tenant is not present, the notary may serve on a building manager, post it on the door, or serve electronically depending on the circumstances.

Tenants also use notarial notices when they need to make formal demands of landlords — for example, demanding return of a security deposit, notifying a landlord of maintenance failures, or formally objecting to an illegal rent increase. While informal written notices (email, WhatsApp) can serve as evidence, a notarial notice carries far greater weight before the RDSC.

One common misconception is that a WhatsApp message or email counts as a 'notice' for the purposes of the 12-month eviction requirement. It does not. Only a notarial notice or registered mail satisfies the legal requirement. Tenants who receive only an informal message asking them to vacate are under no legal obligation to do so.