Real Estate
A sale does not end your tenancy. Under Article 28 of Law No. 26 of 2007 the new owner takes the property subject to your existing contract, so you stay until it expires on the terms you already have. But an owner who wants to sell can also use that as a ground to recover the property at the end of the term, and for that they must give you 12 months' notice through a notary public or by registered mail. Those two rules sit together, and confusing them is the single most common mistake in this situation.
MAX Legal Consultancy advises tenants and landlords in Dubai when a tenanted property changes hands, including notices, viewings and deposits. Our rental dispute service explains how we help if you have been told to leave because the property has been sold.
"The Owner Sold It, So You Have to Move" Is Not Correct
Being told the property is sold, or that the new owner wants it, does not by itself oblige you to leave, and it does not shorten your contract. Your tenancy transfers with the property. The buyer becomes your landlord on the existing terms, for the remaining term, at the existing rent.
What a new owner can do is use the proper route to recover the property when the contract expires, which is a 12-month notice. Until that notice has been validly served and the period has run, the tenancy continues.
The 12-Month Notice and What Makes It Valid
Article 25(2) allows a landlord to recover the property at the end of the term on specific grounds, which include the owner wishing to sell it, wanting it for personal use or for use by a first-degree relative, demolition or reconstruction, or works that cannot be carried out with the tenant in place. In each case the tenant must be notified at least 12 months before the eviction date, and the notice must be served through a notary public or by registered mail.
Three details decide most disputes here:
How it was served. A message, an email or a letter handed over by the agent does not meet the requirement. It has to go through a notary public or by registered mail.
When the clock started. The 12 months run from service, not from the date written on the document.
What it says. The notice has to state the ground relied on. A vague instruction to vacate does not.
If a notice was served by the previous owner and the property has since changed hands, whether it still holds good against you depends on the circumstances, and it is worth getting that checked rather than assuming either way.
Viewings While the Property Is on the Market
A sale does not give the landlord or the agent a right to come and go. Article 34 obliges the landlord not to interfere with the tenant's use of the property, and access for viewings is something to be arranged with you on reasonable notice rather than imposed. An explanatory memorandum issued in 2026 confirms that Dubai Police can act on a tenant's report of such interference without the tenant first obtaining an order from the Rental Disputes Center.
Agree a workable arrangement in writing early. Most viewing disputes come from nobody having set expectations, not from bad faith.
Your Deposit, Your Cheques and Who You Pay
Rent. Once ownership has transferred, rent is due to the new owner. Get written confirmation of the transfer and the new payment details before you change where you pay, and be careful: a change of payment instructions is a common vehicle for fraud.
Post-dated cheques. These are made out to the previous owner. Agree with both parties what happens to the remaining cheques, in writing, before any are presented.
The deposit. Your deposit is returnable at the end of the tenancy less damage beyond ordinary wear and tear (Articles 20 and 21). Establish in writing who is holding it after the sale, because a deposit that neither owner acknowledges is a problem you discover only when you move out.
If the New Owner Wants You Out Sooner
A buyer who wants vacant possession before your contract ends has to reach an agreement with you. Article 7 allows a tenancy to end early only by mutual consent or in the cases the law provides for, so the new owner is negotiating, not instructing. You are entitled to say no, and if you are willing to go, you are entitled to agree terms for doing so. Put any agreement in a single signed document covering the date, the payment, the deposit and the outstanding cheques.
If You Are the Seller or the Buyer
A tenanted property is a normal thing to sell, but the tenancy has to be dealt with explicitly in the transaction. Sellers should hand over the tenancy documents, the registration and the deposit position, and confirm the arrangement for the remaining cheques. Buyers should read the tenancy contract before committing, check the expiry date, and understand that vacant possession is a 12-month process from valid service unless the tenant agrees otherwise. Budgeting for immediate occupation of a tenanted unit is how buyers end up in a dispute on day one.
What to Do If You Receive a Notice
Keep the envelope and any proof of service. The method and date matter as much as the content.
Do not move out on the strength of a conversation or a message. Wait for a notice that meets the requirements.
Keep paying rent. Stopping gives the landlord a separate and much stronger ground.
Get the notice checked before you reply to it. Defects in service cannot usually be cured once identified, which is why the reply matters.
Our guide to eviction grounds and notice rules in Dubai covers the full list of grounds, and our guide to the Rental Disputes Center explains what happens if the matter is filed.
How We Help
We check whether a notice you have received is valid, how it was served and when the period actually expires, and we tell you what your position is before you respond. Where an owner is seeking possession early, we negotiate the terms of a departure so the deposit, the cheques and the date are settled in one agreement. Where a case is filed, we prepare and run it at the Rental Disputes Center.
Speak to MAX Legal Consultancy before you agree to leave. See our rental dispute lawyer in Dubai page, or our real estate legal services if you are buying or selling a tenanted property.
This article is general information about Dubai tenancy law, based on the legislation in force when it was written. It is not legal advice for your specific situation. Official English translations of Dubai legislation state that the Arabic text prevails in case of conflict.
