Can my landlord evict me in Dubai because he wants to sell the apartment?

On what you describe, you do not have to leave — an email four months before expiry does not meet Dubai's eviction requirements. Under Dubai tenancy law, a landlord may require the tenant to vacate on expiry in order to sell the property, but only after serving twelve months' written notice, and the notice must be delivered through a notary public or by registered mail. Both the reason and the method of service matter: an ordinary email citing a sale satisfies neither the twelve-month lead time nor the formal service requirement. You can reply in writing noting the notice is not valid and that you intend to renew; the tenancy then continues on the existing terms, subject only to any lawful rent adjustment under the RERA index. The landlord remains free to serve a proper notarised notice, in which case your twelve months would run from that service. He can also sell with you in place — a buyer takes the property subject to your tenancy. If he presses the matter, the Rental Dispute Centre decides eviction disputes. A property lawyer can confirm the notice is defective and draft a measured reply that protects your position.