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Dubai's Toyota Building demolition: 70% tenants evicted over crowded partitioned flats
Built in 1974, famous for its red neon sign, the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building is regarded as one of Dubai's first residential towers
- PUBLISHED: Thu 20 Aug 2026, 1:11 PM UPDATED: Thu 20 Aug 2026, 1:38 PM
The eviction of tenants from Dubai's iconic Toyota Building was prompted by overcrowding caused by illegally partitioned flats, a representative of the building’s real estate department has told Khaleej Times.
Some apartments had as many as 15 people living in partitioned rooms, according to Mahmood from the real estate department of Nasser Rashid Lootah Group, which manages the building.
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"The authorities concerned asked the building management to evict these overcrowded apartments. Currently, 70 per cent of the building has been evicted," he said.
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Mahmood also confirmed that the building, one of Dubai's best-known landmarks along Sheikh Zayed Road, is set to be demolished. However, he said there is currently no specified timeline for the demolition.
Tenants had earlier told Khaleej Times that residents were being asked to leave in phases, with those living in partitioned accommodation among the first to be evicted.
Grocery store employee Ahmed, who had lived in the building for five years before moving out last week, said residents initially believed the action was limited to partitioned flats.
“First the people who were staying in partitioned rooms were asked to move out,” he said. “So we first thought it was a crackdown on the partitioned rooms. But soon the company accommodation lodgers like us were also asked to shift.”
Dubai Municipality has been cracking down on illegally partitioned rooms, saying the practice violates regulations and can pose a direct threat to residents’ safety.
“Such alterations raise the risk of serious incidents such as fires and hamper swift evacuation during emergencies,” the municipality previously said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
Constructed in 1974, three years after the UAE was founded, the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building is regarded as one of Dubai’s early residential towers. The roughly 65-metre, 15-storey building became a familiar sight near what is now the first interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road.
It became widely known as the Toyota Building after a large red Toyota sign was installed on its roof in 1981. The sign remained there for nearly four decades before being removed in 2018 after the advertising contract expired. It was reinstated in June 2022 following widespread nostalgia for the landmark.
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.