If you have a tenant not paying rent in Dubai, the lawful route is fixed and slow by design: serve a 30-day payment notice through a Notary Public or by registered mail, wait for the 30 days to pass, file at the Rental Dispute Centre (RDC), win a judgment, then enforce it. At no point can the landlord change the locks, cut DEWA or remove belongings, however many months are owed. The part most landlords get wrong is the money: guides quote RDC fees of “1%”, “3.5%”, “AED 500 to 15,000” and “AED 500 to 20,000” for what looks like the same step, and they are not all describing the same step.
Published: 29 October 2026
This guide sets out the law as it is written, the cost at each stage with the arithmetic shown, and the places where published sources disagree. Where we could not confirm a figure on an official page, we say so rather than pick a number. It is general information, not legal advice; for a live dispute, speak to a licensed UAE lawyer.
What is the legal basis for evicting a tenant for unpaid rent in Dubai?
Short answer: Article 25(1)(a) of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, as replaced by Law No. 33 of 2008, lets a landlord ask for eviction before the lease ends if the tenant fails to pay the rent, or part of it, within 30 days of the landlord’s notification for payment, unless the parties agreed otherwise.
The text of Law No. 33 of 2008 is explicit on four points that competitor guides often blur:
- It covers part-payment. “The rent value, or part thereof.” A tenant who pays half is still in default for the rest.
- The clock runs from the notification, not from the date the rent fell due. The 30 days start when the landlord notifies the tenant for payment.
- The notice has a prescribed route. For the clause 1 grounds, which include non-payment, the landlord “must notify the tenant through the Notary Public or by registered mail.” A WhatsApp message or a plain email is not what the law names.
- “Unless parties agreed otherwise”. If your tenancy contract sets a different cure period, the contract may matter. Read it before you serve anything.
This is a different mechanism from the one in our guide to buying or selling a tenanted property in Dubai. That one covers Article 25(2): eviction at the end of a lease on grounds such as sale or personal use, with 12 months’ notice. Non-payment sits under Article 25(1), so the 12-month rule does not apply to it.
We found no 2026 amendment that changes the non-payment route. The framework in current legal commentary is still Law 26 of 2007 as amended by Law 33 of 2008, with disputes heard at the RDC created by Decree No. 26 of 2013.
What should a landlord do before serving the notice?
Short answer: Confirm that the tenancy is registered on Ejari, document the arrears in writing, and check whether the contract says anything different about the cure period.
- Ejari. Law 33 of 2008 says all properties subject to the law are to be registered with the Agency (Article 4(2)). In practice, several legal guides say the RDC will not accept a filing unless the tenancy contract is registered on Ejari, and that an unregistered contract has to be registered first. Our Ejari registration rules guide covers how to do it.
- A written arrears statement. Dates, amounts, which cheques or instalments are outstanding. You will attach it to the notice and again to the claim.
- A clean rent figure. If you have raised the rent, check the increase was lawful first. Our rent increase and Smart Rental Index guide explains how the increase is calculated. A tenant who is disputing an unlawful increase will use that as a defence.
- The contract’s payment clause. If the lease uses post-dated cheques or monthly payments, see whether the tenant has an agreed grace period.
How do you serve the 30-day notice?
Short answer: Through a Notary Public or by registered mail, with the arrears and a clear demand to pay within 30 days, and keep the proof of delivery.
Practical points that follow from the statute:
- Use the notarial or registered route the law names. Ordinary messages can still be useful as a paper trail, but do not rely on them as the statutory notice.
- State the amount, the period it covers and the 30-day deadline. A vague “please pay soon” does not give you a clean date to count from.
- Diarise the date of service, then the 30th day. One source we checked says the count starts from proper service; the statute’s wording (“within thirty days of landlord’s notification”) supports counting from notification.
- If the tenant pays in full before day 30, the ground for eviction under this clause falls away. If they pay only part, the unpaid part remains a default.
What happens at the Rental Dispute Centre?
Short answer: You file an eviction claim, a rent claim, or both. The case goes first to mediation, then to a First Instance tribunal if mediation fails.
The RDC was created by Decree No. 26 of 2013. Its Mediation and Conciliation Directorate seeks a settlement within 15 days from the parties’ appearance, extendable by the supervising judge, and an approved settlement has the force of a writ of execution (Article 10). Tribunals are required to decide claims within 30 days of referral of the file, which can be extended (Article 16). Final judgments are enforced by the Centre’s own Judgment Enforcement Directorate (Article 21).
Sources differ on whether mediation is a compulsory step. One law firm says every case is referred first to mediation; another says it may be attempted but is not a mandatory precondition. We could not resolve this from the decree text we reviewed, so treat mediation as the expected first stage rather than guaranteed.
You can file in person at a Real Estate Services Trustee centre or online through the Dubai Land Department channels. Documents commonly listed by legal guides are an Ejari-registered tenancy contract, a valid Emirates ID, a bank letter or statement showing the claimant’s IBAN, and supporting evidence such as the notice, cheques and correspondence. The RDC works in Arabic, so English documents need a certified legal translation.
Sources disagree on a related point: whether you must file the eviction and the rent claim together. Several lawyers say the Centre can hear standalone eviction claims or composite claims for arrears, damages and costs, and one advises claiming both in a single filing. We have not seen an official statement that a landlord who evicts must also sue for arrears in the same case, so decide this with your lawyer before filing.
Why do guides quote such different RDC fees?
Short answer: Because the numbers belong to different stages. 3.5% (with caps) is the commonly quoted filing fee; 1% capped at AED 5,000 is the quoted execution fee for enforcing an eviction. Guides that put them side by side as alternatives are mixing the two.
The decree itself does not set a percentage. Article 23(a) says fees are determined by a resolution of the Chairman of the Executive Council, and the only percentage in the decree text is the half refund on a successful settlement. We were unable to open an official Dubai Land Department or RDC fee page in this session, so the figures below come from consistent law-firm and agency guides, not from an official schedule. Confirm the current amount on the DLD or RDC system when you file.
| Stage | Fee as quoted by guides | What sources disagree on |
|---|---|---|
| Filing: eviction, renewal or termination claim | 3.5% of annual rent, minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000 | Widely repeated (Gulf News, Seven Century, Al Maazmi and others). One guide quotes “AED 500 to 15,000” for this claim type, which matches the monetary-claim cap instead. |
| Filing: monetary claim (arrears) | 3.5% of the amount claimed, minimum AED 500, maximum AED 15,000 | Consistent across the guides we read. |
| Filing: eviction and arrears together | Not clear | One source suggests a combined cap of AED 35,000. Others advise filing both together because the fee is the same. These do not clearly agree and we could not verify either on an official page. |
| Add-on fees | Process service AED 100; knowledge fee AED 10; innovation fee AED 10; power of attorney AED 25 if used; trustee centre AED 130 plus VAT | One law firm gives a looser “AED 100 to 350” range for attestation, translation and service. |
| Settlement at mediation | Half the fee refunded | Decree No. 26 of 2013, Article 10(i). One law firm instead says filing fees are non-refundable, though the court may order the losing party to reimburse them. |
| Execution of an eviction judgment | 1% of annual rent, maximum AED 5,000; AED 20 per electronic execution request | Property Finder’s landlord guide lists this as the “eviction” fee. Another guide says execution of a financial award is free. |
What the 3.5% looks like on real rents
The arithmetic below uses the quoted 3.5% filing fee and 1% execution fee on stated example rents. These are illustrations of the formula, not a quote.
| Annual rent | Eviction filing fee (3.5%, AED 500 to 20,000) | Execution fee if eviction is enforced (1%, max AED 5,000) |
|---|---|---|
| AED 12,000 | AED 500 (3.5% is AED 420, so the minimum applies) | AED 120 |
| AED 90,000 | AED 3,150 | AED 900 |
| AED 150,000 | AED 5,250 | AED 1,500 |
| AED 400,000 | AED 14,000 | AED 4,000 |
| AED 600,000 | AED 20,000 (3.5% is AED 21,000, so the cap applies) | AED 5,000 (1% is AED 6,000, so the cap applies) |
Two checks follow from the formula. The minimum of AED 500 bites on rents below about AED 14,286, because 3.5% of that is AED 500. The AED 20,000 cap is reached at an annual rent of about AED 571,429. One law firm’s FAQ implies a higher threshold; its own arithmetic does not support that.
A worked total for a typical flat: on a lease of AED 90,000 with the add-ons of process service (AED 100), knowledge fee (AED 10) and innovation fee (AED 10) and no trustee centre, the filing outlay is AED 3,150 plus AED 120, which is AED 3,270. One of the guides we reviewed gives the same total. If the case ends in an enforced eviction, add the AED 900 execution fee.
For an arrears-only claim, the fee is 3.5% of the amount claimed. Arrears of AED 45,000 would cost AED 1,575 to file, within the AED 500 to 15,000 band.
The fee is a cost you can usually ask the tribunal to order the losing side to bear, so include it in the relief you claim.
Can the RDC award more than the unpaid rent?
Short answer: The sources describe judgments that can cover eviction, arrears, damages and costs. What you actually receive depends on what you claim and prove.
The sources we reviewed describe judgments covering these heads:
- Eviction (vacant possession).
- Arrears of rent.
- Damages, for example for damage to the property.
- Costs, including the filing fees you paid.
We did not verify whether service charges or utility arrears are routinely awarded, so list them in your claim only on your lawyer’s advice.
We did not find an official statutory rate of interest on late rent in the sources we reviewed, so do not assume a late-payment percentage will be awarded unless your contract provides for one and your lawyer confirms it is enforceable.
What if the tenant paid by cheque and it bounced?
Short answer: In current legal commentary, an ordinary bounced rent cheque is treated as a civil debt rather than a criminal matter, and it runs in parallel with the eviction process. It does not replace the 30-day notice.
Several 2025 and 2026 guides say bouncing a cheque for insufficient funds was decriminalised in January 2022 and is now primarily a civil enforcement matter, with the bank’s return memo as the key document. They disagree on which federal law and article numbers deserve credit (some cite Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2020, others the 2022 Commercial Transactions Law), so we are not citing an article number here. Ask a lawyer to confirm the current route.
What is consistent:
- A dishonoured cheque is strong evidence of the debt. Keep the original cheque and the bank’s return memo.
- It does not let you skip the Article 25 notice if you want the tenant out. The sources we checked say a bounced cheque does not allow immediate eviction.
- Criminal complaints are still possible in aggravated cases such as forgery or a deliberate bad-faith stop-payment instruction, but prosecutors now screen for intent.
Our Dubai Flexi Rent guide explains how monthly instalment arrangements change the payment record you will have.
How long does it take to get a tenant out?
Short answer: Plan for roughly three to four months from notice to physical eviction in a contested case, but published estimates range widely because the law fixes some stages and not others.
| Stage | What the decree or statute says | What guides estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Notice period | 30 days from notification (Article 25(1)(a)) | 30 days |
| Mediation | Settlement sought within 15 days from appearance, extendable (Decree 26/2013, Article 10) | One to three hearings over 15 to 30 days |
| First Instance judgment | Decision within 30 days of referral, extendable (Article 16) | 30 to 90 days for simple cases; around day 60 to 75 in one lawyer’s timeline; up to 6 months if complex |
| Appeal window | 15 days from the day after the hearing (Article 18) | Some guides count from notification if the party was absent |
| Execution to eviction | Enforced by the Centre’s Judgment Enforcement Directorate (Article 21); no fixed days in the decree | 2 to 6 weeks; 15 to 45 days; or day 90 to 120 overall, depending on the guide |
If the tenant appeals, time lengthens. An appeal does not automatically stop enforcement according to one law firm; a stay has to be requested and granted.
Can the tenant appeal, and what is the AED 100,000 rule?
Short answer: Under Article 17(a) of Decree No. 26 of 2013, First Instance judgments on rent claims below AED 100,000 are final. Article 17(b) keeps an appeal open in listed cases, including where an eviction judgment is issued.
That matters for landlords in two ways. A pure arrears judgment under AED 100,000 is generally the end of the road for the tenant. But because eviction judgments are on the exception list, a tenant facing eviction can still appeal inside the 15-day window. On financial claims the appellant must deposit half of the judgment amount with the Centre, although the chairman may waive or reduce that (Article 18(b)).
One gap in the sources: some guides describe a “fast-track” or “payment order” route with a specific monetary threshold. We could not confirm a statutory threshold for it on a primary text and have left it out. Ask the RDC or your lawyer whether a payment order is available on your facts.
What can a landlord never do?
Short answer: Change the locks, cut off electricity or water, remove the tenant’s belongings, or otherwise force the tenant out without an enforced RDC judgment.
Law firm guides cite Article 34 of Law No. 26 of 2007: the landlord may not disconnect services or disturb the tenant in a way that prevents full use of the property, and the tenant can report to the police and claim damages before the tribunal. We reviewed this wording through secondary sources, not the statute itself, so check it against the official text if you rely on it. The practical point does not depend on the article number: eviction in Dubai happens through a judgment and its execution, not by the landlord’s own hand.
Self-help tends to backfire. A tenant who owes you AED 40,000 becomes the claimant in a reinstatement and damages action. One guide notes that online claims of “up to 12 months’ rent” in compensation do not appear in the statute, and that compensation is assessed on the evidence. Even so, a landlord who has acted unlawfully hands the tenant a defence and a counterclaim.
Where does a property manager fit in?
Short answer: A manager cannot shortcut the law, but a good one prevents most cases from reaching it and keeps the paper trail that wins the ones that do.
The weak points in most arrears disputes are administrative: no Ejari, no dated record of the missed payments, a notice served the wrong way, or a landlord abroad who learns of the default months late. For overseas owners that last point is the real cost. Our guide to property management for overseas landlords in Dubai covers what a manager does between rent dates. If you are comparing a long-let with a holiday-home strategy to reduce vacancy risk, see short-term vs long-term rental investment in Dubai.
A landlord can use a manager to:
- Chase every missed cheque or instalment the day it fails, in writing.
- Keep the Ejari, contract, cheques and bank memos in one file.
- Arrange the notarial notice at day one instead of week eight.
- Instruct a lawyer promptly and attend the Trustee centre or RDC filing steps.
Choosing the right tenant helps too. Yield-led buyers often forget that a slightly lower rent from a well-referenced tenant beats a higher rent that is not paid; see best areas in Dubai for rental yield for how yields vary by area, and note that shared-housing arrangements now have their own rules under Dubai’s 2026 shared housing law.
Step-by-step checklist for a landlord
- Check Ejari is valid and matches the contract.
- Reconcile the arrears in a dated schedule.
- Serve the 30-day notice through a Notary Public or by registered mail.
- Count 30 days from notification and keep proof of delivery.
- If still unpaid, file at the RDC (eviction claim, rent claim, or both on legal advice). Budget the filing fee from the table above.
- Attend mediation. A settlement approved by the Centre has the force of a writ of execution.
- Obtain the First Instance judgment and watch the 15-day appeal window.
- Apply for execution and pay the execution fee if you need an eviction enforced.
- Take vacant possession through the Centre’s enforcement, never yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Can I evict a tenant for paying rent late once?
Under Article 25(1)(a) the ground is failure to pay within 30 days of your notification for payment. A single late payment that is cleared inside the notice period does not give you that ground. Your contract may also set its own terms, since the article applies “unless parties agreed otherwise”.
Does the 30-day notice have to go through a notary?
The law says that for the clause 1 grounds the landlord must notify the tenant through the Notary Public or by registered mail. Those are the routes the statute names, so use one of them and keep the receipt.
How much does it cost to file an RDC case for unpaid rent?
Guides consistently quote 3.5% of annual rent for eviction claims (minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000) and 3.5% of the amount claimed for monetary claims (maximum AED 15,000), plus small add-on fees. We could not confirm these on an official fee page, so check at filing. On a AED 90,000 lease the eviction filing fee works out at AED 3,150.
Why do some guides say the fee is 1% capped at AED 5,000?
That figure is quoted for executing an eviction judgment, not for filing the claim. It is a later, separate cost.
Do I get any of the fee back?
Decree No. 26 of 2013, Article 10(i), says one-half of the fee is refunded if the case settles at mediation. You can also ask the tribunal to order the losing party to reimburse your costs.
Can the tenant appeal an eviction judgment?
Yes. Judgments on rent claims below AED 100,000 are final under Article 17(a), but the exceptions in Article 17(b) include eviction judgments. The appeal window is 15 days from the day after the hearing (Article 18).
Can I just change the locks or turn off the water if they owe months of rent?
No. Eviction needs a judgment and enforcement through the RDC’s process. Disconnecting services or locking a tenant out can expose you to a police complaint and a damages claim. Legal guides cite Article 34 of Law 26 of 2007 for this.
Does a bounced cheque mean I can skip the notice?
No. A bounced cheque is strong evidence of the debt and is generally treated as a civil matter now, but sources say it does not allow immediate eviction. You still serve the Article 25 notice if you want the tenant out.
Do I need Ejari before I can file?
Law 33 of 2008 requires properties under the law to be registered, and several legal guides say the RDC requires an Ejari-registered contract before accepting a claim. Register first if you have not.
How long will it take to get my property back?
Published estimates run from about two months to roughly four months in a contested case, and longer with an appeal. The decree fixes a 30-day target for tribunals once the file is referred, but nothing fixes the time to physical eviction.
Talk to Sanaya
Sanaya Real Estate lists property management among its services, alongside buying, selling and mortgage services. If you own a let property in Dubai and want rent collection, tenant records and Ejari kept in order before a dispute starts, contact our team with the property details. Rules and fees change, so we recommend confirming the current figures with the Dubai Land Department or a licensed lawyer before you act on a live case.
Message Sanaya on WhatsApp: +971 50 436 5316
Sources checked
- Law No. 33 of 2008 amending Law No. 26 of 2007, official text (Dubai government legislation file): Article 25 quoted from it.
- Decree No. 26 of 2013 on the Rent Disputes Settlement Centre, Articles 10, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23: text at Legal Advice Middle East.
- Fee and process commentary: Gulf News RDC guide, Property Finder landlord guide, Seven Century, Al Maazmi Advocates, ProConsult Advocates.
- Fee figures marked above were not confirmed on an official DLD or RDC page in this session.
If the tenant is a company, how UAE corporate tax treats lease and rent expense explains what a business can deduct for the rent it pays.
For the filing steps, documents and timeline once a notice has gone unanswered, see how to file a case at the Dubai Rental Dispute Centre.
Landlords who financed their unit should also read what a mortgage on a tenanted Dubai apartment means for the tenant’s contract and notice period.
