Renting a flat in Dubai: Ejari, cheques, deposits and the rent index

What Ejari is and why you need it

Ejari is Dubai's official register of tenancy contracts. It's run by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) through its regulator, RERA, and Dubai's tenancy law says every lease must be registered there. The tenancy contract is what you and the landlord sign. Ejari is the record that makes it official.

You need the Ejari certificate for what comes next. DEWA connects electricity and water to it. To sponsor your family's visas, GDRFA asks for an attested Ejari lease (opens in a new window): a hotel apartment isn't enough. See the family visa for the rest.

It's also why most newcomers don't rent in week one. Landlords usually ask for a passport copy, residence visa and Emirates ID, and the rent is paid in post-dated cheques from a UAE bank account. Stay in a furnished monthly let first (a studio is about AED 7,890 (≈ ₹2.0 lakh) a month) and rent once you have them. Our guide to your first two weeks in Dubai covers that stay.

What Ejari costs and how to register

Online, registration costs about AED 178 (≈ ₹4,600) in all: a registration fee of AED 100, knowledge and innovation fees of AED 10 each, and a service partner fee of AED 55 plus VAT. At a Real Estate Services Trustee centre it's AED 220, because the partner fee there is AED 95. A centre takes about 25 minutes, not counting the wait.

1. 1

   Sign the unified tenancy contract

   Dubai uses one standard contract. Check the rent, the number of cheques, the dates and who pays for maintenance before you sign.
2. 2

   Register it

   Online with DLD's Ejari service (opens in a new window) you upload a copy of the contract. At a trustee centre you bring the original contract, your Emirates ID, and a power of attorney if someone registers for you. The agent often does it: ask for the certificate.
3. 3

   Keep the certificate

   You'll need it for DEWA, for a family visa and when you renew. Renewing the lease means renewing the Ejari too.

Deposit, agency fee and the housing fee

The law lets the landlord take a security deposit and says it must be returned at the end of the lease, but it sets no amount. In practice it's about 5% of the annual rent for an unfurnished flat and 10% for a furnished one, as reported by the agents Truhauz and Engel & Völkers. Photograph the flat on the day you move in, so you can show its condition when you ask for the deposit back.

The agency fee is set by custom, not by law: usually up to 5% of the annual rent, plus 5% VAT. Dubai Municipality also charges tenants a housing fee of 5% of the annual rent. It's added to your DEWA bill in 12 monthly instalments (as reported by Bayut), so it's a running cost rather than a move-in one.

An example: a 1-bed in Al Barsha at AED 5,700 (≈ ₹1.5 lakh) a month is AED 68,400 a year. Paid in 4 cheques, you'd need about AED 26,331 on the day you sign, and the housing fee adds about AED 285 a month to your DEWA bill. Rents for a 1-bed in the areas we track run from AED 3,600 a month in International City to AED 9,200 in Downtown Dubai: compare the areas by rent and commute.

Paying by cheque, or monthly with Flexi Rent

Rent is paid for a year, in one payment or several, as you and the landlord agree. That usually means post-dated cheques from your UAE bank account, so open one first: see opening a bank account in Dubai. No official source sets the usual number of cheques. Ask for more if cash is tight; the rent may be a little higher.

• A cheque can't be cashed before the date written on it, and if your account is short, the bank must pay what's there (Commercial Transactions Law, in force since 2 January 2023).
• Since 2 January 2022 a cheque that bounces is no longer a crime in most cases. The landlord takes it straight to the execution judge to recover the money instead.
• A court can still ban you from having a chequebook for up to 5 years if you stop a cheque without good reason or empty the account.

If you'd rather pay monthly, DLD's Flexi Rent, launched on 23 June 2026, lets you pay monthly, quarterly or half-yearly on vacant units owned or managed by its partner companies. DLD named 11 at the launch, among them Wasl Properties, Deyaar and Dubai Investment Real Estate. Ask the agent whether a flat is on it, or read DLD's announcement (opens in a new window).

How much your rent can go up: the Smart Rental Index

Your landlord can't raise the rent at will. Since 2 January 2025, DLD's Smart Rental Index works out the average rent for similar homes in every residential area, free zones included. It uses the contract values in your building, the area average and the building's classification, drawn from Ejari: more than 900,000 rental contracts were registered in 2024, 8% more than in 2023.

The increase allowed at renewal then follows Decree 43 of 2013, by how far your rent is below that average:

If your rent is at or above the average, it can't go up. The landlord must also tell you about any increase at least 90 days before the lease ends. Before you agree to a new rent, look up your building on DLD's Smart Rental Index (opens in a new window).

Renewing, moving out and eviction notice

• To end the lease or change its terms at renewal, the rent included, either side must give notice at least 90 days before it expires. Put it in writing.
• When the lease ends, a landlord can evict you only for set reasons: to demolish or renovate the building, to live there or house a first-degree relative, or to sell. The landlord must give you 12 months' notice through a notary public or by registered post.
• Moving out: agree the handover date, hand back the keys and ask for your deposit once the landlord has checked the flat. Close your DEWA account so its deposit comes back too.

Connecting electricity and water (DEWA)

Once your Ejari is issued, DEWA emails you your account number, the deposit and a payment link. The deposit is AED 2,000 (≈ ₹51,900) for a flat and AED 4,000 for a villa, refunded when you leave. On top come an activation fee (AED 125 for small meters, AED 300 for large ones) and registration, knowledge and innovation fees of AED 10 each. DEWA connects the supply within 15 working hours of the deposit being paid.

DEWA doesn't say which meter size a flat has, and other sites quote different activation totals: check the amount in DEWA's email or on its move-in page (opens in a new window). Ask the agent too whether cooling (chiller) is billed separately.

If something goes wrong: the Rental Disputes Centre

Raise the problem with the landlord first, in writing. If that doesn't work, the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) decides disputes between landlords and tenants in Dubai. It also runs an amicable settlement service, separate from a lawsuit.

Filing a case costs 3.5% of the annual rent, at least AED 500 (≈ ₹13,000) and at most AED 20,000. A claim only for money costs 3.5% of the amount claimed, at most AED 15,000. Add a process service fee of AED 100 and knowledge and innovation fees of AED 10 each; a partner service centre adds AED 130 plus VAT.

• Your latest lease (the Ejari) and a copy of your Emirates ID.
• A bank letter or statement showing your IBAN.
• For an eviction case, the notice sent through a notary or by registered post.
• Anything that supports your case: messages, bills, photos.

This is guidance, not legal advice. Before you file, check the fees and papers on the RDC's own page (opens in a new window).

Sources

1. Register or renew an Ejari contract (opens in a new window), Dubai Land Department, 23 September 2026
2. Dubai Municipality housing fee (opens in a new window), Bayut (secondary), 29 September 2026
3. Cheques: frequently asked questions on the Commercial Transactions Law (opens in a new window), Central Bank of the UAE, 29 September 2026
4. Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2022 issuing the Commercial Transactions Law (opens in a new window), u.ae, 29 September 2026
5. Decree No. 43 of 2013 determining rent increases for real property in the Emirate of Dubai (opens in a new window), Dubai Legislation Portal, 29 September 2026
6. Security deposit in Dubai (opens in a new window), Truhauz (secondary), 29 September 2026
7. Law No. 26 of 2007 regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants in the Emirate of Dubai (opens in a new window), Dubai Legislation Portal, 29 September 2026
8. Law No. 33 of 2008 amending Law No. 26 of 2007 (opens in a new window), Dubai Legislation Portal, 29 September 2026
9. Register a first-instance rental lawsuit (opens in a new window), Rental Disputes Centre, 18 June 2026
10. Security deposit: meaning and rules in Dubai (opens in a new window), Engel & Völkers (secondary), 29 September 2026
11. Activation of electricity and water (move-in) (opens in a new window), DEWA, 29 September 2026
12. Dubai Land Department launches the Flexi Rent initiative (opens in a new window), Dubai Land Department, 23 June 2026
13. Smart Rental Index announcement (opens in a new window), Dubai Land Department, 2 January 2025
14. The Smart Rent Index mitigates inflation in Dubai and enhances market transparency (opens in a new window), Dubai Land Department, 16 February 2025
15. Leasing a property in the UAE (opens in a new window), u.ae, 20 January 2026