How to rent out your Dubai property

Register the contract on Ejari

Article 4 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, requires every lease to be registered with RERA. The system is Ejari. Without it the tenant cannot connect DEWA in their name and neither side can file a case at the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre. The landlord, the tenant or a holder of a power of attorney can register.

You need the title deed, the tenant's passport and Emirates ID, your own identification and the signed contract. Register the renewal each year as well, because an expired Ejari blocks the same services as a missing one.

How much you can raise the rent

You cannot raise the rent during a contract. At renewal, Decree No. 43 of 2013 ties any increase to how far the current rent sits below the average for similar homes in RERA's rent index:

Since January 2025 the Dubai Land Department's Smart Rental Index has set that average. It classifies every building by its specification, finishes, location and facilities, so two buildings on the same street can carry different averages. The bands themselves did not change. Check the index in the Dubai REST app before you propose a new rent, because a tenant can take an increase outside the bands to the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre.

The two notice rules

• To change the terms or not renew: at least 90 days before the contract ends, unless the contract sets a different period (Article 14 of Law No. 26 of 2007). This covers a rent increase within the bands.
• To end the tenancy at expiry to sell, move in, demolish and rebuild, or carry out major maintenance: at least 12 months before the eviction date, served through a notary public or by registered mail (Article 25(2), as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008).

The moving-in ground applies when you or a first-degree relative need the home and have no other suitable property. A notice sent by email or WhatsApp does not meet the 12-month rule. If a tenant does not leave after valid notice, the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre decides.

What to put in the contract

1. The rent and how it is paid.The number of cheques and their dates. Fewer cheques is a stronger position for the landlord, and the market usually prices it.
2. The security deposit.How much, what it covers and when it is returned. A dated inventory with photographs avoids the argument at the end.
3. Maintenance.Who pays for what. By custom the landlord carries major items such as air conditioning and the tenant carries minor wear, but write it down.
4. Service charges and chiller.Service charges are the owner's cost under Law No. 6 of 2019. Say in the contract who pays any district cooling charges.
5. Subletting and use.Whether the tenant may sublet, and that the home is for residential use only.

Register exactly what you both signed. Extra terms go in an addendum signed by both sides, because the Rental Dispute Settlement Centre reads the registered contract, not the messages around it.

Holiday lets and shared housing

Short-term holiday lets need a holiday home permit from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Individual owners can register their own homes, not only companies. Gulf News lists the usual documents as the title deed or sale agreement, the developer's NOC where the building requires one, identification, a recent DEWA bill and insurance. Check DET's current requirements and fees before you list, and check your building's rules, because some owners' associations restrict short lets.

Separately, Law No. 4 of 2026, issued in March 2026, requires a permit before any unit is used as shared housing. Letting rooms to several unrelated tenants falls under it.

Tax on the rent

• The UAE levies no income tax on individuals
• Under Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2023, a person's income from real estate investment is outside corporate tax, whatever the amount, as long as the activity is not carried out, and need not be carried out, under a licence
• Residential leases are generally exempt from VAT; commercial property rent carries 5%

If you live outside the UAE, your own country may tax the rent. Non-resident owners should read buying property in Dubai from abroad and ask an adviser at home.

Questions buyers ask