70% of Dubai’s Toyota building tenants have left after power cuts, management says

Dubai: Around 70% of tenants at Dubai’s well-known Toyota building on Sheikh Zayed Road have already moved out, according to the building management, which said residents were not asked to vacate and were leaving following the disruption to electricity supply.

The management told Gulf News that tenants had left of their own willingness after the power supply was cut, while those with valid rental contracts had previously been told they could remain in the building until December 2026.

“The building did not ask them to vacate and they are vacating in their own willingness because the power supply was cut,” the building management told Gulf News.

Gulf News was the first to report that Dubai’s landmark Toyota building is scheduled for demolition in 2027.

Management says it does not know why power was cut

The building management said it was not aware why electricity had been disconnected, attributing the disconnection to Dubai Municipality.

Gulf News has reached out to Dubai Municipality for comment but had not received a response at the time of filing this report.

The electricity issue had emerged after tenants began leaving the property, with the building’s real estate division previously telling Gulf News that some residents moving out included those whose electricity supply had been cut by the authorities.

The agent had also said the issue was linked to a number of partitioned apartments in the building, but this was stated as unconfirmed.

Management responds on partitioned apartments

Asked why the issue involving partitioned apartments had not been addressed earlier, the building management said rules prevented it from entering rented apartments after they had been handed over to tenants.

“Because we cannot enter into the flat as per the rules of the regulation for the municipality. Once we give the apartment, we cannot enter into the rooms,” the management said.

The management did not say how many apartments were affected by the electricity disconnections.

Tenants had been told they could stay until December

The latest development comes after Nasser Rashid Lootah Real Estate, the real estate division managing the property, confirmed to Gulf News that the building would be demolished in 2027.

An agent previously said residents with existing rental contracts could remain until December 2026, although an exact date for the demolition has not been provided.

Videos circulating on social media have shown residents moving out and sharing memories of their time in the building, which has stood on Sheikh Zayed Road for more than five decades.

Himanshu SK, an Indian expatriate and travel agent who had lived in the building for three years, told Gulf News that finding a similarly affordable home in such a central location would be difficult.

“The location of the building is one of the best, and it is in a prime area. It will be really difficult to find a place in Downtown Dubai that offers such affordable rents. The majority of the residents have already moved out. I lived in both Block A and Block B and made a lot of memories here. This building has been a huge part of my life in Dubai, so it is going to be very difficult to leave,” SK said.

Businesses within the building have also been preparing for closure. A restaurant beneath the property previously told Gulf News that it remained open but expected to close eventually, while a minimart said it would shut within days.

More than five decades on Sheikh Zayed Road

The Nasser Rashid Lootah Building was completed in 1974 and became one of the early landmarks along what would later develop into Sheikh Zayed Road’s high-rise corridor.

The 15-storey residential building became widely known as the Toyota Building after carrying a neon Toyota sign on its roof for around four decades.

The original sign, installed in 1981, was removed in 2018 after the advertising contract expired. Toyota UAE restored the familiar logo in June 2022 following a break of nearly four years.

The building contains one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with its planned demolition in 2027 set to end more than five decades as one of Sheikh Zayed Road’s most recognisable residential properties.