What happens at expiry — including the renewal the law writes for you

The end of the term is where contracts are silent and the law is not. Three rules cover almost everything that happens at expiry.

If nobody acts: tacit renewal

Under Article 6 of Law No. 26 of 2007, where the tenant remains in the property after expiry without objection from the landlord, the tenancy renews on the same terms — for the same period, or for one year, whichever is shorter. This is the renewal the law writes when the parties write nothing. It protects continuity, but it is a poor substitute for an actual renewal: the terms freeze, the paperwork lags, and the register still needs the renewed contract to keep the tenancy’s record current.

Ending it during the term

A fixed-term tenancy binds both sides for the term. Early exit happens by mutual agreement — which is why an early-termination clause with a stated notice period and a stated fee is worth negotiating into the contract at signing, when goodwill is highest. Absent such a clause or agreement, neither party can simply walk; the obligations run to the end of the term.

Ending it at expiry: the landlord's narrow gates

A landlord cannot decline renewal merely by preferring to. The law confines non-renewal eviction to specific grounds — among them sale of the property or genuine personal or first-degree family use — and requires twelve months’ written notice served through a notary public or by registered mail. A WhatsApp message ninety days out is a rent negotiation, not an eviction notice. Tenants who receive a defective notice should know it is defective; landlords who intend a lawful one should serve it properly and early.

Whatever was agreed, register it

A renewal — negotiated or tacit, full-year or shorter — changes the tenancy’s term, and the register only knows what is registered. Each renewed contract is registered as a fresh Ejari with a new certificate; the previous certificate covers the previous term and nothing after. The agreement page of this site exists because contracts go wrong at drafting; tenancies go wrong at the register.

Agreement signed? Register it in Ejari next — Dubai tenancy contracts must be registered.
Have a signed contract and need filing support? Review the documents, scope and fees for Ejari registration. The desk will confirm whether your file is ready and what remains outstanding. Review Ejari registration support

tenancyagreement.ae is an independent reference operated by Cendale Documents Clearing Services FZCO, a private documents-clearing company licensed in Dubai (Trade Licence 78065). It is not a government website and is not affiliated with the Dubai Land Department, RERA, or the Ejari system. Nothing here is legal advice.

مرخصة في دبي (رخصة تجارية رقم 78065). هذا الموقع ليس موقعا حكوميا ولا يتبع دائرة الأراضي والأملاك في دبي أو مؤسسة التنظيم العقاري. موقع ae.tenancyagreement تديره شركة سيندال لخدمات تخليص المعاملات (ش.م.ح)، وهي شركة خاصة