UAE Property: ‘Should the lease renewal date match the eviction notice date?’

Question: I recently bought an office in Dubai, but the rent being paid by the existing tenant is 60 per cent below the market price . Before I purchased the unit, I asked the previous owner to send an eviction notice for reason of sale. This notice ends on January 13, 2026. The current lease expired on March 13, 2025, but the tenant is insisting on a 12-month renewal contract. However, I want the lease renewal end date to be aligned with the end of the eviction notice . Am I right? I think if I give the option of 12 months’ renewal, it will nullify the eviction notice. The tenant is from Europe. The eviction notice was made in Arabic only, but the tenant is insisting that the notice should be in both Arabic and English. JL, Dubai Answer: It is advisable to agree to a 10-month rental renewal, not 12 months. The reason is because if you do a 12-month renewal, the eviction notice could be invalidated should the tenant wish to challenge it. The dates should, therefore, be aligned. If you decide to allow the tenant to stay on until March 2026, this is perfectly fine if that is the agreement between the parties. With reference to the language on the eviction notice, it is always the Arabic translation that takes precedence on a legal document, but the document is written in both languages. All notifications that come from Dubai Courts and the notary public are always written in English and Arabic. If the eviction notice is not from the notary, it may not be sufficient. Q: I plan to relocate to Dubai this summer and initially rent an apartment. Can you tell me what the renting procedure is? I have rented before in the UK, so I’m used to this system but wonder if it’s the same in Dubai? What are my responsibilities as a tenant? How long is the process and what fees do I pay? I also have a small dog. I have already sorted out the transport and repatriation of my pet. FL, London A: Renting in Dubai is a bit different to London, especially when one considers the time it takes to find a property and move in. Don’t start looking for a property too far in advance. Finding a property and moving in can be done in a matter of a few days. There are plenty of options for you to look at. To rent a property long-term, you will need a residence visa. This comes either in the form of an employment visa, an investor visa, or as a business owner. I assume you will be working in Dubai, so your employer will sort this out for you. In the meantime, you may have to move into short-term accommodation or a hotel (if they also allow pets). Once the visa is in place, you can start to view properties and make offers. The rental payment is done by cheques. Typically, the rent is paid in one to four cheques (yearly/quarterly postdated), on occasions the landlord will accept six to 12 cheques (bi-yearly or monthly). It is also quite common to pay rent in one cheque (one year upfront). Once you have found the property and agreed the rental amount, the estate agent will prepare the contract. You will be asked to make a minimum of three payments at the time of signing the contract. The first is the deposit, which is always current dated if it’s a cheque and is typically 5 per cent of the rental amount for unfurnished units and 10 per cent for furnished ones. The deposit is held in trust and returned at the end of the tenancy agreement less any maintenance issues not covered by the landlord. The second payment is the rental cheques, the first cheque is current dated and the rest (if any) are postdated. The last payment is the agent’s fee, which is payable by the tenant and is 5 per cent of the yearly rent plus value-added tax. All rental contracts must be registered on the Ejari system, and this is the landlord’s responsibility, but the cost is on the tenant (typically Dh215). In many cases, the tenant organises this, too. The landlord is responsible for maintaining the property, but often a monetary figure is placed on the contract to determine accountability. For example, any maintenance below Dh500 ($136) will be on the tenant but above this figure, the landlord assumes responsibility. The tenant will have to connect the water and electricity, through Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa). This takes only a day or two and a deposit will have to be paid. The same is true for the air-conditioning connection. A moving-in permit is also required by the master developer, so don’t forget to organise this for moving in day. With regards to pets, Dubai is generally pet friendly, but I would urge you to check with the building management for permission because even if the landlord is OK with a dog residing in the apartment, it could be that the master developer is not, so this needs to be checked before signing any rental contract. The renting process is relatively quick but do your due diligence when seeking out real estate rental agents. Make sure they work for a reputable company, are registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency in Dubai and have experience to guide you. The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario@novviproperties.com