Rental Dispute Lawyers in Dubai for Tenancy & Holiday Home Disputes

A tenant receives a demand to leave because the apartment has been sold. Another discovers that the landlord objects to holiday guests staying in the property. An owner hires a holiday home operator and later disputes the booking income. Although each disagreement concerns accommodation, the legal relationship and the remedy may differ.

Rental dispute lawyers in Dubai should establish who contracted with whom, what use was authorised and which rules govern the particular claim. A tenancy agreement, a property management agreement and a guest booking can create separate obligations concerning the same apartment. Treating them as interchangeable can lead to the wrong notice, an incomplete claim or an application to the wrong authority.

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism reported 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, a 5% increase from 18.72 million in 2024. This provides context for accommodation demand across the city; it is not a count of holiday home bookings or tenancy disputes.

Identify the agreement behind the disagreement

Begin with the signed contract and its supporting documents. Identify the owner, tenant, operator and guest separately. Check whether the party collecting money acts on its own behalf or as an authorised agent, and whether the agreement covers personal occupation, subletting or management of bookings.

For an ordinary tenancy, obtain the lease, Ejari record, payment history, notices and correspondence. For a holiday home arrangement, obtain the operator details, unit permit, management authority and relevant guest contract. Record the property number consistently across the documents.

Consider an owner who authorises a company to manage holiday bookings but later disputes deductions from revenue. The first question is the company’s accounting obligation under the management agreement. That differs from a residential tenant defending an eviction claim or a guest seeking a refund for accommodation that was not provided.

Examine the eviction ground before calculating the deadline

Article 25 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, as replaced by Law No. 33 of 2008, distinguishes eviction during a tenancy from specified grounds operating at its expiry. Nonpayment generally involves a payment notice and 30 days to comply, unless otherwise agreed. Unauthorised subletting is a separate ground and does not carry that same statutory cure period.

For sale, qualifying personal use, demolition or qualifying comprehensive maintenance, Article 25(2) requires the relevant conditions and at least 12 months’ notice of the eviction reason, served through a Notary Public or registered mail. A lease expiry date alone does not establish those conditions.

Ask for the complete notice, proof of service and evidence supporting its stated reason. Where the claim concerns arrears, reconcile the rent account before responding. Where it concerns use of the apartment, examine the agreed purpose and what actually occurred. A message discussing departure should not be assumed to satisfy a prescribed legal notice requirement.

Check what changes when the property is sold

Article 28 of Law No. 26 of 2007 preserves a tenant’s right to occupy under an existing lease with a fixed term when ownership changes. A transfer of title therefore needs to be distinguished from a lawful process for recovering possession.

A purchaser should examine the tenancy before agreeing to a completion date or promising vacant possession. Obtain the existing lease, deposit records, rent payments, notices and any pending proceedings. A sale agreement between buyer and seller cannot safely be treated as a substitute for examining the tenant’s position.

Tenants should verify the new owner’s identity and payment authority before redirecting rent. Document how deposits and outstanding obligations are being handled. If an earlier owner served an eviction notice, ask for advice on its wording, purpose and continuing effect in the specific circumstances rather than assuming it automatically survives or automatically disappears.

Obtain clear authority before allowing paying guests

Article 24 of the tenancy law generally requires the landlord’s written consent before assignment of use or subletting, unless the parties agreed otherwise. Permission to occupy an apartment should not be interpreted casually as permission to run an accommodation business.

Written approval should identify the unit, permitted activity, operator, duration and any conditions. Compare that approval with the lease and the actual proposed bookings. A general statement allowing visitors may not resolve whether repeated paid stays were authorised.

If subletting is disputed, preserve advertisements, booking records, communications and payment evidence. Establish what the landlord approved and when. Landlord consent and tourism approval address different questions; obtaining one does not establish that every requirement of the other has been met.

Verify the holiday home permissions before advertising

Dubai Decree No. 41 of 2013 regulates holiday home activity and requires the relevant tourism authorisation. The implementing Administrative Resolution No. 1 of 2020 distinguishes the operator’s licence from the permit for a particular unit. Its Article 8 requires evidence of the applicant’s right to use the property for the activity and addresses restrictions in the sale agreement.

The Department of Economy and Tourism states that apartments and villas must be registered and approved before listing as holiday homes. Its published permit service identifies documents including ownership evidence, identification and management authority. The application requirements should be checked against the applicant and property concerned.

Owners should obtain copies of the relevant approvals and check the unit address, operator and validity period. Avoid relying solely on an online listing or a company’s statement that it manages other apartments. The agreement should allocate responsibility for applications, renewals and the consequences of any interruption to permitted operations.

Address guest obligations and building concerns separately

Holiday home operators have duties beyond collecting booking payments. Decree No. 41 of 2013 requires whole units to be let, rather than separate rooms or bed spaces. The 2020 implementing resolution addresses guest contracts, occupancy limits, safety precautions, insurance and records.

A useful operating agreement should explain who responds to complaints, approves repairs and records damage. Before asserting that a guest caused a loss, compare the check in condition record, photographs, inventory and subsequent inspection. Keep the calculation of damage separate from unexplained deductions or general dissatisfaction.

Building management concerns also require examination of the actual rule. Article 17 of the implementing resolution requires relevant developers, property owners, management firms and service providers to enable licensed activity in accordance with licences and permits. Assess building communications against that provision and the applicable approval conditions rather than assuming either side has unlimited authority.

Choose a claim and a forum that fit the problem

The Rental Disputes Center has jurisdiction over tenancy disputes within Article 6 of Decree No. 26 of 2013, including relevant urgent applications and enforcement. The provision contains exceptions, including specified disputes in free zones with their own competent tribunals, lease finance disputes and certain long term registered leases.

The tourism authority has regulatory powers concerning holiday home operators under Decree No. 41 of 2013. A complaint about unlicensed activity and a private claim for unpaid money may therefore require different analysis. Do not assume that a regulatory complaint will itself recover every contractual loss.

State the requested outcome precisely: continued occupation, possession, payment, an account of revenue, refund or compensation. Explain which contract or legal duty supports it and identify the correct opposing party. Rental dispute lawyers in Dubai can then assess jurisdiction, evidence and the available procedural route together.

Prepare for advice or settlement with organised evidence

Create a dated chronology with one supporting document for each important event. Separate amounts paid, amounts claimed and amounts disputed. For booking income, reconcile the booking calendar with platform statements, management fees, cancellations and money actually received.

An agreed departure or termination should address keys, inspection, deposits, final accounts and existing bookings. Specify who must do what and by when. If proceedings already exist, obtain advice on the formal steps needed to record or implement the agreement.

When instructing rental dispute lawyers in Dubai, ask for a clear assessment of the agreement, missing evidence, likely procedural steps and fees. The most useful advice connects the proposed action to the particular dispute and explains what still needs to be proved.

About the author

Dr. Hassan Elhais is a Senior Legal Consultant at Amal Al Rashedi Lawyers and Legal Consultants in Dubai. He advises on UAE family, civil, commercial and criminal law matters.

Related Links

• What you need to know about property eviction and your rights in the UAE?
• What Does an RDC Lawyer Do in the UAE?
• Navigating Uncertainty: New Shift in Dubai’s Eviction Policies Raises Tenant Concerns

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