Can I challenge a 12-month eviction notice in Dubai given for the landlord's own use?

You can challenge it, and your evidence goes to the heart of how these notices are policed. In Dubai, a landlord may refuse renewal for personal use, but only within conditions: the notice must give twelve months and be served through the notary public or by registered mail, the landlord must genuinely intend to occupy the property and must not own a suitable alternative, and after recovering it for personal use he is barred from re-letting it for a set period — two years for residential property — failing which the evicted tenant can claim compensation. A flat that was advertised for rent online after the last tenant left is precisely the kind of fact that undermines the claimed intention. So do not just move out. Preserve the evidence now: dated screenshots of the old listing, the advertising agent's details, anything showing the unit was offered to the market. Check the notice itself for defects in how it was served. Then contest the eviction at the Rental Disputes Centre, where the landlord's genuine intention — not his assertion of it — is what gets tested. A licensed UAE lawyer who handles RDC matters can assess quickly whether your listing evidence is enough to defeat the notice.