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Dubai Toyota Building tenants fined over illegal partitions; eviction process explained
Tenants must clear Municipality fines and Dewa dues before getting final clearance; management explains how the landmark building is being vacated
- PUBLISHED: Fri 21 Aug 2026, 6:00 AM UPDATED: Fri 21 Aug 2026, 1:22 PM
Tenants of Dubai’s iconic Toyota Building who were found to have illegally partitioned their flats have been fined by the authorities and are now required to clear their dues before completing the move-out process, the building management told Khaleej Times.
The latest details shed light on what happens behind the scenes as residents leave the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building on Sheikh Zayed Road — from settling Municipality-related fines and Dewa dues to securing the final clearance from the real estate management.
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Mahmood from the real estate department of Nasser Rashid Lootah Group said that Dubai Municipality is dealing directly with tenants over violations found inside their flats. “The municipality is writing to the tenant directly. The real estate management is not involved,” he said.
According to him, fines have been imposed on tenants over violations involving partitions inside apartments. Once these issues are settled, tenants have to complete the required clearances, including those related to Dubai Municipality and Dewa, before approaching the building management.
“Our involvement is to issue the clearance certificate once they clear the fines and everything from the Municipality and Dewa,” he said.
Why didn't management check the flats?
One question that arises is how apartments could have been partitioned without the building management knowing about it. Mahmood said that once a flat is rented out, the management cannot simply enter the property to check what modifications a tenant has made inside.
“We don't have the right to go inside the flat and check if the tenant is [doing] something right or something wrong,” he said.
According to Mahmood, even the owner cannot simply enter a rented apartment without permission. He said that police permission and permission from the authorities would be required for management to enter a unit without the tenant allowing access.
"This means that we did not know how many partitions had been constructed inside individual apartments or how many people were living in them."
For the management, the overcrowding became clearer after authorities intervened. Mahmood earlier told Khaleej Times that some apartments had as many as 15 people living in partitioned rooms.
'Not a forceful eviction'
Mahmood also stressed that management was not forcibly entering apartments to remove residents. He said that because management itself could not enter occupied flats without the required permission, the process was being carried out through the authorities and the necessary procedures for vacating the units.
Management's legal department had also approached the authorities seeking clarity about the action being taken, he said.
According to Mahmood, some residents had approached both Dubai Municipality and Dewa while trying to resolve issues surrounding their flats and utility connections.
As tenants complete the process, they are required to settle their outstanding matters and obtain the necessary documents before approaching the real estate department for the final clearance.
70% of building already vacated
The new details come after Khaleej Times reported that overcrowding caused by illegally partitioned apartments was behind the eviction of tenants from the landmark building.
Mahmood said that the authorities concerned had asked management to evict overcrowded apartments. Around 70 per cent of the building has already been vacated, he said.
Tenants had earlier told Khaleej Times that the process took place in phases. Residents living in partitioned accommodation were among the first to be asked to leave, although other occupants were subsequently told to vacate as well.
Dubai Municipality has previously warned that illegally partitioning residential properties violates regulations and can create serious safety risks. The authority said that such modifications can increase the risk of fires and make quick evacuation more difficult during an emergency.
As more residents move out, electricity and water connections to vacated units are also being disconnected. The building management has confirmed that the Toyota Building will eventually be demolished, although no date or timeline has been specified.
Built in 1974, the 15-storey Nasser Rashid Lootah Building became one of the most recognisable structures along Sheikh Zayed Road. It became popularly known as the Toyota Building after the huge red Toyota sign was installed on its rooftop in 1981.
More than five decades after the building was constructed, its remaining residents are now gradually leaving, but only after completing the fines, dues and clearances required as part of the final exit process.
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.