Dubai Announce Law for Expropriation Of Property For Public Use

 In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, issued Law No. (2) of 2022 on the expropriation of property for public use in the Emirate of Dubai. The newly issued Law is effective from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

The new Law regulates the procedures for expropriating property for public use. The Law aims to ensure that the rights of owners of expropriated property are protected and that they are afforded full and fair compensation as per a clear set of rules outlined by it.

The provisions of the Law will apply to the expropriation of property across Dubai. The Law also covers special development zones and free zones including the Dubai International Financial Centre.

The new Law regulates the terms and conditions under which buildings and facilities can be expropriated including those that are completed and under construction. It also sets out the terms for providing compensation to the owners whose properties are expropriated, as per a Decision issued by the Chairman of the Court of His Highness, the Ruler of Dubai.

According to the Law, if only a portion of a property is expropriated and the remaining part becomes unfit for use as per Dubai’s construction rules and regulations, full compensation will be provided if the owner does not want to retain it to add it to an adjacent property.

The Law creates a permanent committee named ‘The Expropriation Committee’ to oversee all matters related to expropriation of property in the emirate. 

Expropriations of property conducted before the issuance of the new Law should follow all procedures and provide compensation as per previously existing terms and conditions within a year of the effective date of the new legislation.