Eviction Notice Template Dubai: 12-Month Notarised Notice Rule (2026)

Landlords in Dubai searching for an "eviction notice template" often want a quick Word file to send to a tenant. The reality is stricter. Dubai law treats eviction as a formal procedural act — the notice must run 12 months, must state a specific legal ground, and must be served through the Dubai Public Notary or by registered mail with an acknowledgement of receipt. A generic template downloaded from the internet usually fails the test at the Rental Dispute Centre (RDC) and resets the clock to zero.

Direct answer. Under Article 25(2) of Law No. 33 of 2008 amending Law No. 26 of 2007 (the Dubai Tenancy Law), a landlord may evict a tenant on expiry of the tenancy contract only by serving a written notice at least 12 months before the eviction date, citing one of four statutory grounds, and serving it through the Notary Public or by registered mail. The post below covers: (1) what the notice must contain to be valid, (2) the four legal grounds you can rely on, (3) how to serve it correctly, and (4) what happens at the RDC if the tenant refuses to leave.

Why a downloadable template is the wrong starting point

The Dubai tenancy regime is not contract-led the way US or UK leases are. It is statute-led. The contract sits inside a framework set by Law No. 26 of 2007 and its 2008 amendment, plus the regulating decrees of the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA). A template drafted for another jurisdiction — or even another Emirate — typically misses the mandatory elements that make the notice enforceable in Dubai.

Three template-driven failures the RDC sees repeatedly:

• The notice is sent by WhatsApp, email or hand-delivery without notarisation or registered post. The RDC rejects service.
• The notice cites "end of contract" as the reason. That is not one of the four statutory grounds and the tenant has a right to renew.
• The 12-month period is calculated from the contract expiry date rather than the date the tenant receives the notice. The clock restarts.

A valid Dubai eviction notice is therefore not a template — it is a checklist of statutory elements plus a regulated method of service. Get either wrong and you lose 12 months.

The four legal grounds for eviction on contract expiry

Article 25(2) of the Dubai Tenancy Law lists an exhaustive set of grounds a landlord may use to evict a tenant when the lease expires. A landlord cannot evict for any other reason at expiry — and cannot evict mid-term on these grounds at all (mid-term evictions are governed by Article 25(1) and require different facts, such as non-payment after a 30-day cure notice).

The four grounds are:

• Demolition or major reconstruction. The landlord intends to demolish the property entirely or carry out works that make occupation impossible. Municipality approvals must be obtained beforehand.
• Renovation or maintenance that cannot be done with the tenant in place. A technical report from Dubai Municipality is required to prove the works cannot proceed while occupied.
• Owner personal use. The landlord, or a first-degree relative, intends to occupy the property — and the landlord does not own another suitable property for that purpose.
• Sale of the property. The landlord intends to sell the unit.

The "owner personal use" and "sale" grounds carry a two-year restriction under Article 26: if the landlord recovers possession and does not actually use or sell the property as stated, the evicted tenant can claim compensation at the RDC.

What the 12-month eviction notice must contain

A notice that passes RDC scrutiny includes, at minimum:

• Full name and Emirates ID of the landlord (or registered owner per the title deed).
• Full name and Emirates ID of the tenant as named on the Ejari contract.
• The property address exactly as it appears on Ejari, including makani number.
• The Ejari registration number of the current tenancy contract.
• The specific Article 25(2) ground — quoted in full, not paraphrased.
• The eviction date, which must be at least 12 months after the notice is received.
• A statement that the notice is served under Article 25(2) of Law No. 33 of 2008.
• The landlord's signature and date of issue.

Where the ground is "owner personal use," many landlords also attach an undertaking that the property will not be re-leased to a third party within two years. Where the ground is "sale," landlords often attach the listing agreement or a preliminary sale agreement to pre-empt a challenge that the stated intention was not genuine.

How to serve the notice — Notary Public or registered mail

Service is where most landlord-drafted notices fail. The Dubai Tenancy Law accepts only two methods:

• Notary Public. The landlord (or a legal representative with a notarised power of attorney) attends a Dubai Courts Notary Public office, presents the drafted notice in Arabic and English, and the notary formally serves the notice on the tenant. The notary issues a stamped certificate of service that is the landlord's proof at the RDC.
• Registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt. Sent through Emirates Post with a return receipt confirming the tenant signed for the envelope.

Email, WhatsApp, courier without acknowledgement, or hand-delivery — even with a signed receipt from the tenant — are not accepted as valid service. If the tenant refuses to sign for registered mail, the practical fix is to use the Notary Public route, where service is effected regardless of refusal.

The notice should be drafted in Arabic, the official language of UAE courts. An English-only notice may be accepted in practice but creates an unnecessary translation argument at the RDC.

Filing at the Rental Dispute Centre if the tenant refuses to leave

If 12 months pass and the tenant does not vacate, the landlord files an eviction case at the Rental Dispute Centre — the dedicated tribunal that handles all Dubai rental disputes. Filing is done in person at the RDC counter in Al Manara or online through the Dubai REST app.

Documents the landlord lodges:

• The notarised eviction notice and certificate of service (or Emirates Post return receipt).
• The Ejari contract and its renewal history.
• The title deed showing ownership.
• Emirates ID copies.
• For "personal use" or "sale" cases: supporting evidence of intent.

The RDC charges a case-registration fee calculated as a percentage of the annual rent, subject to a cap and a minimum — confirm the current fee schedule on dubailand.gov.ae before filing. A first-instance hearing is typically scheduled within a few weeks, and judgments are usually issued within 30 days of the first hearing. If either party appeals, the case moves to the RDC's appellate division.

If the landlord wins, the eviction order is executed by the RDC's enforcement section. The tenant is given a date to vacate, after which the bailiff can attend to physically enforce possession.

Common landlord mistakes that restart the 12 months

Three patterns kill cases that should have succeeded:

• Increasing rent during the notice period. Serving a rent-increase notice or accepting an increased rent after the eviction notice signals continued tenancy and weakens the eviction claim.
• Issuing a new Ejari contract by mistake. Some landlords renew Ejari automatically through a property-management portal without realising it overrides the eviction notice. Any tenancy renewal supersedes a prior eviction notice.
• Serving the notice late. A notice received 11 months and 28 days before the eviction date is invalid. The RDC counts to the day.

A fourth, less common but expensive mistake: re-leasing the property to a different tenant within two years after evicting on "personal use" or "sale" grounds. The original tenant can sue for compensation that typically runs into multiple months of the prior rent.

When to involve a lawyer

For a single residential unit where the tenant is co-operative, a landlord can usually self-serve the notice through the Notary Public. For commercial leases, multi-unit portfolios, mid-term evictions, or any case where the tenant is likely to defend, a Dubai real-estate lawyer is worth the fee.

Cases where legal help is particularly worth it:

• The tenant has filed or threatened an RDC counter-claim.
• The property is owned through a company and corporate documents need notarisation and legalisation.
• The eviction ground is "personal use" or "sale" and the landlord wants to insulate against a future compensation claim.
• The lease is commercial and the tenant has invested in fit-out.

LEXAI's directory lists verified UAE real-estate lawyers across Dubai who handle RDC filings and contested evictions. You can filter by language and emirate.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official downloadable eviction notice template from Dubai Land Department?

No. Dubai Land Department and the RDC do not publish a downloadable notice template. The law sets the required elements — landlord and tenant identities, property details, statutory ground, eviction date at least 12 months out, and the Article 25(2) citation — but a landlord must draft the notice themselves or have a lawyer draft it, then serve it through the Notary Public or registered mail.

Can I evict a tenant in Dubai for non-payment of rent without waiting 12 months?

Yes, but under a different procedure. The 12-month notice rule in Article 25(2) covers eviction at the end of the contract. Mid-term eviction for non-payment is governed by Article 25(1): the landlord serves a 30-day notice through the Notary Public demanding payment, and if the tenant still does not pay, the landlord files at the RDC. This is a separate track from the 12-month "end of contract" notice.

Does a WhatsApp or email eviction notice count in Dubai?

No. The Dubai Tenancy Law specifies service through the Notary Public or registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt. WhatsApp messages, emails, and hand-delivered letters — even if the tenant acknowledges them — are not valid service. The RDC will dismiss the case and the landlord must restart the 12-month clock with a properly served notice.

How long does an RDC eviction case take from filing to enforcement?

Most uncontested first-instance cases conclude within 30 to 60 days of filing. Contested cases or those appealed to the RDC's appellate division can take considerably longer — confirm typical timelines via dubailand.gov.ae or the latest RDC annual report. Enforcement adds additional time once the judgment is issued, depending on how quickly the bailiff schedules attendance.

What happens if I re-lease the property after evicting for "personal use"?

The evicted tenant can file a compensation claim at the RDC. Under Article 26 of the Dubai Tenancy Law, a landlord who recovered possession on "personal use" or "sale" grounds is restricted from re-leasing for two years. If the landlord breaches that restriction, the tenant can seek damages — typically calculated as a number of months of rent based on actual loss caused by the wrongful eviction.

Do I need an Arabic version of the eviction notice?

Yes, strongly recommended. Arabic is the official language of UAE courts and the RDC. While a bilingual or English-only notice may be accepted in practice, it creates a translation argument the tenant can use to delay proceedings. Standard practice is to draft the notice bilingually with Arabic as the primary text, signed and notarised in both languages.

Can the tenant challenge the "personal use" or "sale" ground?

Yes. The tenant can argue at the RDC that the landlord's stated ground is not genuine. The RDC may ask the landlord to evidence intent — for example, a title-deed transfer if the ground is sale, or documentation showing the landlord does not own another suitable property if the ground is personal use. A weak evidentiary record is a common reason eviction cases fail on these two grounds.

Next step

If you are a Dubai landlord planning an eviction at contract expiry, the safe sequence is: draft the notice with the Article 25(2) ground stated verbatim, have a Notary Public serve it, and diary the 12-month deadline. If the tenant resists or the lease is commercial, speak to a verified real-estate lawyer before serving. Browse Dubai real-estate lawyers in the LEXAI directory, or ask the free AI assistant a specific question about your situation.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Confirm current procedure with the Rental Dispute Centre or a licensed UAE lawyer.