Can Your Landlord Evict You During a Crisis? Dubai Tenant Rights Explained

No. A crisis — military conflict, economic downturn, pandemic, or any external event — does not create new eviction grounds under Dubai tenancy law. The only lawful reasons a landlord can evict a tenant in Dubai are those listed in Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. These grounds have not been modified, suspended, or expanded in response to the current conflict. A landlord who tells you they need you to vacate “because of the situation” is either misinformed or acting unlawfully.

This guide covers every scenario a tenant might face during a crisis — eviction attempts, rent increases, payment difficulties, maintenance failures, and abandoned landlords — and explains your exact legal position under Dubai tenancy law. If you rent in another emirate, the principles are similar but the specific authority and process differ — this guide focuses on Dubai (RERA/DLD jurisdiction).

The Complete List of Lawful Eviction Grounds in Dubai

Under Articles 25 and 26 of Law No. 33 of 2008, a landlord can only pursue eviction in the following circumstances. There are no others — and “crisis” or “force majeure” is not among them:

During the Tenancy Period (No 12-Month Notice Required)

Ground	Requirements	Crisis Relevance
Non-payment of rent	Landlord must issue a 30-day written notice demanding payment. Only after 30 days with no payment can the landlord file for eviction at the RDC.	High relevance. If you lose your job or face salary cuts during a crisis, this is the ground that matters. See “What to Do If You Cannot Pay Rent” below.
Illegal use of property	Tenant uses the property for an illegal or immoral purpose.	Not crisis-specific.
Unauthorised subletting	Tenant sublets without the landlord’s written consent.	May arise if tenants take in displaced friends/family. Get written landlord consent before allowing anyone to stay long-term.
Property at risk of collapse	Verified by a technical report from Dubai Municipality.	Potentially relevant if the building sustained conflict damage. But the landlord cannot self-declare this — it requires an official technical assessment.
Breach of contract terms	Landlord must issue a 30-day written notice to rectify the breach. Eviction only if not rectified within 30 days.	Not crisis-specific.
Government development plans	Demolition required under government instructions.	Only applicable if the government orders demolition — not a landlord’s decision.

At Contract Expiry (12-Month Written Notice Required)

Ground	Requirements
Landlord wants to sell the property	12 months’ written notice via notary public or registered mail before contract expiry
Landlord wants to use the property personally (or for a first-degree relative)	12 months’ written notice via notary public or registered mail. If the landlord re-rents the property within two years, the tenant can claim compensation of up to one year’s rent.
Major renovation or demolition that cannot be done with the tenant in place	12 months’ written notice via notary public or registered mail. Requires supporting evidence (approved plans, permits).

Critical protection: The 12-month notice must be served via notary public or registered mail. A WhatsApp message, email, phone call, or verbal demand is not legally valid for eviction purposes. If your landlord has not served formal notice through the correct channel, the eviction notice is void regardless of the stated reason.

What a Landlord Cannot Do During a Crisis

Landlord Action	Lawful?	What to Do
Demand you vacate because of “the crisis” or “force majeure”	Not lawful. Force majeure is not an eviction ground under Dubai tenancy law.	Refuse. If the landlord persists, file a complaint with the RDC.
Increase rent mid-contract citing higher costs	Not lawful. Rent cannot be changed during the tenancy term. Increases can only occur at renewal, with 90 days’ notice, and must comply with the RERA Rental Index.	Refuse any mid-contract increase. Verify any renewal increase against the RERA calculator.
Increase rent at renewal above the RERA cap	Not lawful. Regardless of the landlord’s claimed costs, increases are capped by the RERA Rental Index (0–20% depending on how your current rent compares to the market average).	Check the RERA Rental Index calculator. If the proposed increase exceeds the permitted amount, file a complaint with the RDC before the renewal date.
Cut off DEWA (electricity/water) to force you out	Not lawful. Disconnecting utilities to pressure a tenant is an illegal eviction tactic under Dubai law.	Report immediately to the RDC and Dubai Police (901).
Change the locks or physically prevent you from entering	Not lawful. Only a court order executed by authorities can physically remove a tenant. Self-help eviction is illegal.	Call Dubai Police (999) immediately. File an RDC complaint.
Refuse to maintain the property citing “crisis conditions”	Not lawful. The landlord remains responsible for structural maintenance and ensuring the property is habitable throughout the tenancy.	Send a written maintenance request. If ignored, file with the RDC. You may be entitled to a rent reduction if the property is uninhabitable.
Demand you leave because you are absent from the property	Not lawful. You have a valid tenancy contract regardless of whether you are physically present. Many tenants have temporarily left the UAE — their lease remains binding.	Your tenancy contract protects your occupancy right. The landlord cannot re-let or enter the property without your consent.

What to Do If You Cannot Pay Rent

Job loss, salary reductions, and business disruptions during the crisis may make rent payments difficult. Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic, where MOHRE issued specific ministerial resolutions addressing employment protections, no equivalent rent relief decree has been issued for the 2026 conflict. Standard tenancy law applies in full.

This means the 30-day non-payment eviction ground is active. If you miss a rent payment and the landlord serves a written 30-day notice, you have exactly 30 days to pay in full or face an eviction filing at the RDC. Here is how to protect yourself:

1. Communicate immediately. Contact your landlord before you miss a payment. Many landlords prefer to negotiate (reduced rent, deferred payment, partial payment plan) rather than go through the RDC process, which costs them time and filing fees.
2. Get any agreement in writing. If your landlord agrees to a rent reduction, payment deferral, or instalment plan, document it in a written addendum to your tenancy contract. A verbal agreement is difficult to enforce if the landlord later changes their mind.
3. Understand the 30-day window. If the landlord sends a formal 30-day payment notice, you have a full 30 days to pay the outstanding amount. If you pay within this period, the eviction ground is neutralised — the landlord cannot proceed.
4. Check your ILOE unemployment insurance. If your employment was terminated, you may be eligible for ILOE payments of up to AED 20,000/month, which can help cover rent while you search for new employment. Claims must be filed within 30 days of job loss.
5. File a complaint if necessary. If the landlord attempts to evict without following the legal process — or uses illegal tactics like utility disconnection — file with the Rental Disputes Centre immediately.

What to Do If You Left the UAE and Your Lease Is Still Active

Thousands of tenants evacuated or left the UAE temporarily during the conflict while their tenancy contracts remain active. Your legal position:

• Your lease continues. A tenancy contract does not terminate because you are physically absent. Rent remains due on the contractual dates regardless of your location.
• The landlord cannot enter your property without your permission (unless the contract contains a specific access clause, and even then, only under reasonable circumstances).
• The landlord cannot re-let the property to another tenant while your contract is active — even if you are abroad and not using it.
• If you want to terminate early, review your contract for an early termination clause. Most Dubai tenancy contracts include one, typically requiring a penalty equivalent to two months’ rent. Without such a clause, the landlord may seek compensation for the remaining contract period.
• If your contract is due to expire while you are abroad, it renews automatically on the same terms unless either party has given notice. If you do not want it to renew, notify your landlord in writing at least 90 days before expiry (60 days to refuse a rent increase).

For practical management of your property while abroad, see our guide on what happens to your UAE property if you leave the country.

What If the Property Is Damaged by the Conflict?

If your rental property has sustained damage from missile strikes, debris, or related events:

• Structural damage is the landlord’s responsibility. Under Dubai tenancy law, the landlord is responsible for maintaining the property in habitable condition and for all structural repairs. Conflict damage to the building structure, windows, common areas, or building systems falls on the landlord.
• If the property is uninhabitable, you may have grounds to terminate the tenancy or claim a rent reduction for the period the property cannot be used. This is one scenario where force majeure principles (Articles 273 and 249 of the UAE Civil Transactions Law) could apply — not as an eviction ground for the landlord, but as a termination or rebalancing ground for the tenant.
• Document everything. Photograph all damage before any repairs are made. This evidence is critical for RDC claims, insurance disputes, and any future deposit deductions.
• Check your insurance position. Standard home insurance policies include war exclusion clauses. The landlord’s building insurance likely also excludes war damage. This does not change the landlord’s legal obligation to maintain the property — it simply means the landlord may not have insurance proceeds to fund the repairs.

How to File a Complaint with the Rental Disputes Centre

1. Attempt resolution directly with the landlord. The RDC expects parties to attempt an amicable resolution first. Send a written communication (email or registered letter) clearly stating your position and what you want.
2. Gather documents: Ejari certificate, tenancy contract, passport/Emirates ID copies, DEWA bill, title deed copy (if available), and any evidence relevant to your complaint (notices received, payment receipts, photographs of damage, written communications).
3. File online through the Dubai REST app or DLD website, or in person at the RDC (located in the Dubai Courts building). The filing fee is 3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000.
4. Attend the hearing. The RDC aims to resolve cases within 2–4 weeks for simple matters and 1–3 months for complex cases. Hearings can be attended remotely from within or outside the UAE.
5. If either party appeals, the appellate process adds 2–4 weeks.

Remote filing: If you are outside the UAE, you can file an RDC complaint through the Dubai REST app and attend hearings remotely. You do not need to be physically present in Dubai to pursue or defend a tenancy dispute.

COVID-19 vs 2026 Conflict: Key Differences for Tenants

Issue	COVID-19 (2020)	2026 Conflict
Rent relief decree	Some landlords offered voluntary reductions; no mandatory rent freeze was imposed, but government guidance encouraged negotiation	No equivalent guidance issued. Standard tenancy law applies in full.
Employment protections	MOHRE Resolutions 279/280 restricted terminations and salary reductions	No equivalent ministerial resolution. Standard labour law applies.
Eviction enforcement	Courts continued operating; some practical delays due to restrictions	RDC operational with digital filing and remote hearings available
Rent increase caps	RERA Index applied normally; market rents fell, limiting increases	RERA Index applies normally. Check the calculator before accepting any increase.

The absence of crisis-specific rent relief measures means tenants must rely on the standard legal protections — which are robust, but require tenants to know and enforce their rights proactively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my landlord evict me if they want to sell the property due to the crisis?

They can serve a 12-month written eviction notice via notary public citing property sale — but this must be served 12 months before the contract expiry, not mid-contract. If you receive this notice today, the earliest eviction date is 12 months from now. The sale itself does not accelerate the process. And if a new buyer purchases the property, they must honour your existing lease until it expires.

My landlord says the building is unsafe after missile damage. Do I have to leave?

If the building is genuinely at risk of collapse, this is a valid eviction ground — but only when verified by a technical report from Dubai Municipality, not the landlord’s own assessment. The landlord must provide this evidence. If the damage is cosmetic or repairable, you have the right to remain while repairs are completed, and the landlord is responsible for those repairs.

Can I break my lease and leave without penalty because of the crisis?

Only if your contract includes an early termination clause — in which case, follow its terms (typically two months’ rent penalty). Without such a clause, leaving early exposes you to a compensation claim from the landlord. Force majeure (Article 273 of the Civil Transactions Law) could potentially apply if the property becomes genuinely impossible to use — but this is a high legal threshold and would need to be argued at the RDC, not simply declared by the tenant.

My landlord has not done any repairs since the conflict started. What are my options?

Send a written maintenance request with photographs. If the landlord does not respond within a reasonable time, file a maintenance complaint with the RDC. You may be entitled to carry out urgent repairs yourself and deduct the cost from rent — but only with RDC authorisation. Do not deduct rent unilaterally without an RDC ruling, as the landlord could then use non-payment as an eviction ground.

I am outside the UAE and my landlord is threatening to re-let my apartment. What do I do?

Your tenancy contract protects your occupancy right regardless of your physical location. The landlord cannot re-let the property while your contract is active. If the landlord proceeds, they are in breach of contract and you can file an RDC complaint remotely through the Dubai REST app. You may also want to appoint a trusted person with a power of attorney to handle tenancy matters on your behalf while you are abroad.

Can my landlord refuse to renew my lease because of the crisis?

A landlord can refuse to renew only on the specific grounds listed in the law (sale, personal use, major renovation), with 12 months’ written notice via notary public. “The crisis” is not a valid non-renewal ground. If no valid notice was served at least 12 months before expiry, the lease renews automatically on the same terms.

What is the RERA Rental Index and how do I use it?

The RERA Rental Index is an official calculator maintained by the Dubai Land Department that determines the maximum permissible rent increase at renewal. It compares your current rent to the average market rent for similar properties in your area. The permitted increase ranges from 0% (if your rent is within 10% below market) to 20% (if your rent is more than 40% below market). Access it on the DLD website. Any increase above the index cap is unlawful regardless of the landlord’s justification.

Can I negotiate a rent reduction during the crisis?

Yes, and it is worth trying. While there is no legal obligation on the landlord to reduce rent, many landlords prefer to retain a good tenant at a slightly lower rent than risk a vacancy. Approach the negotiation in writing, reference the RERA Rental Index, and offer a reasonable proposal (e.g., 5–10% reduction for the renewal period). If the landlord refuses and proposes an increase instead, check it against the RERA calculator.

Official Sources

• Dubai Land Department — RERA Rental Index Calculator
• GDRFA Dubai — Residence Permit for Humanitarian Cases
• UAE Government Portal — General Provisions for the Residence Visa

Dubai tenancy law (Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008) applies. This guide is informational and does not constitute legal advice. For disputes involving specific contractual terms, consult a qualified UAE property lawyer or file directly with the Rental Disputes Centre.