Renting in Dubai is governed by Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, with rent increases controlled by Decree No. 43 of 2013 and the Dubai Land Department's Smart Rental Index. In plain terms: your contract must be registered on Ejari, you will pay about 12 to 16 percent of the annual rent in day-one costs beyond the first cheque, your landlord can only raise the rent at renewal within published bands and with 90 days written notice, and you cannot be evicted without 12 months notice served through a notary or registered post.
At a glance
| Item | 2026 position |
|---|---|
| Governing law | Law No. 26 of 2007, amended by Law No. 33 of 2008; Decree No. 43 of 2013 on rent increases |
| Regulator | Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA), part of the Dubai Land Department (DLD) |
| Contract registration | Ejari, mandatory. AED 177.75 online via Dubai REST app; AED 219.75 at a trustee centre |
| Agency commission | 5% of annual rent plus 5% VAT, paid by tenant. Minimum commonly AED 5,000 |
| Security deposit | 5% of annual rent unfurnished, 10% furnished. Refundable |
| DEWA security deposit | AED 2,000 apartment, AED 4,000 villa, plus AED 100–130 activation. Refundable |
| Dubai Municipality housing fee | 5% of annual rent, charged monthly on the DEWA bill |
| Payment | Typically 1 to 4 post-dated cheques. Bank transfer and card increasingly accepted |
| Rent increase at renewal | Only within Smart Rental Index bands: 0, 5, 10, 15 or 20%, with 90 days written notice |
| Eviction for sale or landlord's own use | 12 months written notice via notary public or registered post |
| Automatic renewal | If neither party gives notice, the contract renews on the same terms |
| Disputes | Rental Dispute Centre (RDC). Filing fee 3.5% of annual rent, min AED 500, max AED 20,000 |
Sources: Dubai Land Department, RERA, DEWA, Dubai Municipality. Reviewed September 2026.
Five checks that protect every penny of your day-one cash.
Every person who shows you a property in Dubai must hold a RERA Broker Registration Number (BRN) and work for a brokerage with an Office Registration Number (ORN). Ask for the BRN and check it on the Dubai REST app or the DLD website under "Real Estate Brokers". No BRN, no viewing.
Every advertised property must carry a Trakheesi permit number issued by the DLD. Listings on Bayut and Property Finder display it. If the agent cannot show a permit number, the listing may not be authorised by the owner.
Ask for a copy of the title deed and match the owner's name to the person who will sign your contract, or to a valid power of attorney. If a property management company signs, ask for the management agreement.
Under the Smart Rental Index buildings are rated from one to five stars on structure, finishing, maintenance and services. A higher-rated building can justify a higher rent. Ask for the building's classification and check the DLD service charge index on the Dubai REST app.
Many Dubai towers use district cooling (Empower, Emicool, Tabreed). Ask whether the chiller charge is paid by the landlord or the tenant, whether there is a separate chiller deposit (often AED 1,000–2,500), and what last summer's bills looked like. This is the most common cost surprise for new tenants.
Worked example: one-bedroom apartment, unfurnished, annual rent AED 80,000, paid in four cheques.
| Item | Amount | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| First rent cheque (one quarter) | AED 20,000 | No, it is rent |
| Agency commission 5% plus VAT | AED 4,200 | No |
| Security deposit 5% | AED 4,000 | Yes, at end of tenancy |
| Ejari registration (online) | AED 177.75 | No |
| DEWA security deposit and activation | AED 2,130 | Deposit yes, activation no |
| Chiller deposit (if applicable) | AED 1,000–2,500 | Yes |
| Internet installation and first month (du or e&) | AED 400–700 | No |
| Total cash on move-in day | About AED 31,900–33,700 | About AED 7,100–8,600 comes back |
Add the remaining three cheques of AED 20,000 each, dated three, six and nine months ahead. Add the 5% housing fee of AED 333 per month on your DEWA bill. Add a moving company at AED 800–3,000 for a local move.
Cash needed before your first UAE salary lands is therefore about AED 32,000–34,000 on an AED 80,000 rent. Scale it: roughly 40% of annual rent if paying in four cheques, 65% if paying in two, 115% if paying in one. That is why Guide 2 says to plan a furnished landing period first.
Dubai uses the RERA Unified Tenancy Contract, which every agent should provide. Check these clauses before you sign:
Do not sign a contract with blank fields, and do not sign an "addendum" that contradicts the unified contract without reading it twice. Additional clauses are enforceable if signed.
Ejari is the DLD's tenancy registry. Without it your contract is not recognised by any government body. You need the Ejari certificate to connect DEWA, sponsor your family, register your children at school, get a Dubai driving licence at some centres, hire domestic staff and file a rental dispute.
By law the landlord is responsible for registration. In practice the contract usually says the tenant pays and often the tenant does it.
At a trustee centre the total is AED 219.75 and takes about 25 minutes plus waiting. Through a property manager expect AED 400–500 including their handling.
Renewal costs the same as registration and must be done at every contract renewal. Cancellation at the end of the tenancy is also done in the app and is needed to get your DEWA deposit refunded and to let the next tenant register.
Post-dated cheques remain the default because they give the landlord security. Since 2 January 2022, under amendments to the Commercial Transactions Law, a bounced cheque is no longer a criminal matter in most cases. The bank must pay any partial amount available, and the cheque becomes an enforceable instrument that the landlord can take straight to execution court without a trial. Fraudulent or deliberately bad-faith cheques can still be prosecuted.
For a tenant this means two things: a bounced rent cheque will not send you to jail, but it will trigger a fast civil enforcement, a bank default marker with the Al Etihad Credit Bureau, and grounds for the landlord to seek eviction after a 30-day notice to pay. Treat cheque dates as immovable.
Bank transfer and card payment are now widely accepted, and a growing number of landlords use rent collection platforms that take monthly card or direct debit payments for a fee of 1–3%. If you have no cheque book yet, ask. Do not pay in cash without a receipt on the landlord's headed paper.
Article 16 of Law No. 26 of 2007 makes the landlord responsible for maintenance and repair of defects that affect the tenant's use of the property unless the contract says otherwise. The market convention is that the tenant covers minor items up to a threshold and the landlord covers everything above it, including air conditioning units, water heaters, plumbing and electrical faults. Put the threshold in the contract.
The landlord may not enter without notice, cut services or change locks. Doing so is grounds for a Rental Dispute Centre case.
Rent cannot change during the contract term. Only at renewal, and only within the bands below.
Not permitted without the landlord's written consent. Short-term letting of your rented apartment on Airbnb without a DET permit and landlord consent is illegal.
Family members and flatmates must be added to the Ejari. Buildings may set maximum occupancy rules, typically two people per bedroom for family units.
Dubai replaced the old RERA calculator with the Smart Rental Index in January 2025 and updated it again in 2026 with sub-community tracking and separate furnished and unfurnished bands. The rule set behind it is still Decree No. 43 of 2013.
The landlord may increase rent at renewal only if the current rent is below the average market rent for a comparable unit in the same area, and only by the percentage in the band:
| Current rent compared with the index average | Maximum increase allowed |
|---|---|
| Less than 10% below | 0% |
| 11 to 20% below | 5% |
| 21 to 30% below | 10% |
| 31 to 40% below | 15% |
| More than 40% below | 20% |
Two further conditions apply. The landlord must give at least 90 days written notice before the contract end date, and the building's classification under the index must support the increase. A landlord in a poorly rated building may find the index allows less than the band suggests.
Worked example. You pay AED 80,000. The index average for your unit type in your building is AED 96,000. Your rent is 16.7% below, so the maximum increase is 5%, to AED 84,000. A notice asking for AED 95,000 is not enforceable and the Rental Dispute Centre will reduce it.
Your contract ends on 31 March 2027. For any change in terms at renewal, whether rent, cheque count or a new clause, the landlord must serve written notice on or before 31 December 2026. Notice served on 15 January 2027 is late and the contract renews on the existing terms.
The same 90 days applies to you. If you want to move out at the end of the term, or to change terms, tell the landlord in writing by 31 December 2026.
Automatic renewal: if neither side gives notice, the contract renews for the same period on the same terms, under Article 6 of the law. Most tenants find automatic renewal works in their favour.
During the contract the landlord can seek eviction only for cause, after a 30-day written notice to remedy in most cases: non-payment, illegal use, sub-letting without consent, damage, or a building that is unsafe.
At the end of the contract the landlord can refuse renewal only for the reasons listed in Article 25(2) of the law, with 12 months written notice served through the notary public or by registered post:
If a landlord evicts you to sell or to live in the property and then re-lets it within two years, you can claim compensation at the Rental Dispute Centre. A WhatsApp message or an email is not valid notice. Twelve months from the date of proper service is the minimum.
Use the clause in your contract. Where there is none, negotiate. Landlords often accept two months rent as a settlement, or will release you when a replacement tenant signs. Get any settlement in writing before you hand back keys.
The landlord may deduct only for damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid bills and agreed repairs. Fresh paint after a full-year tenancy is normal wear and tear in most RDC judgments unless the contract says otherwise. Photograph everything on day one and on the day you leave, keep the condition report signed, and request the refund in writing with a deadline of 14–30 days.
The RDC at the DLD hears all Dubai tenancy disputes. You need a registered Ejari to file. The fee is 3.5% of the annual rent with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000. Cases are filed online, mediation is attempted first, and most first-instance judgments are issued within four to eight weeks. Common tenant wins: excessive rent increases, deposit non-refund, invalid eviction notices and unperformed maintenance. Keep every document, screenshot and message. The RDC decides on evidence.
Report unlicensed or abusive brokers through the DLD Real Estate Violations service in the Dubai REST app.
| Rule | Dubai | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Registration system | Ejari (DLD) | Tawtheeq (DMT via TAMM) |
| Rent increase cap | Smart Rental Index bands, 0–20% | 0% freeze from 2 June 2026, previously 5% |
| Notice for changes at renewal | 90 days | 60 days |
| Notice for non-renewal or eviction at expiry | 12 months via notary or registered post, for listed reasons only | 2 months written notice before expiry; no 12-month rule. See Guide 4 |
| Municipal charge on rent | 5% housing fee on DEWA bill | 3% municipality fee on ADDC bill for expats |
| Dispute body | Rental Dispute Centre, DLD | Rent Disputes Settlement Committee, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department |
Full Abu Dhabi detail is in Guide 4.
Frequently asked questions
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Relocate2UAE, Abu Dhabi. Reviewed by a property professional with direct Dubai tenancy and dispute experience.
DLD, RERA, DEWA and Dubai Municipality regulations. Reviewed against DLD sources September 2026.
Independent. Relocate2UAE is not a landlord, broker or agent and does not earn from your tenancy.
What changed since the last version: first publication. Ejari fees, deposit rules and Smart Rental Index bands reviewed against DLD sources, September 2026.
Disclaimer: This guide is for general information and is not legal advice. Tenancy law and fees change. Always verify current figures with the relevant authority and a licensed professional before signing.