Tenants Guide
What you need
Personal documents — To rent a property in Dubai on a long term basis you will need your passport, residency visa, and Emirates ID. If you are not a UAE resident and want to lease for a temporary period, you can choose a short term rental or holiday home in this case, you will not be asked for any proof of residency.
Finances — you should be aware of the costs involved in the property rental process. You will be asked to provide a security deposit, which is usually 5% of your annual rent for unfurnished properties or 10% of your rent if the home is furnished – this percentage may vary depending on the agency. The deposit will be refunded to you at the end of your tenancy. You should also consider the agent fee if you choose to work with an agency, which is typically 5% of your rental value.
Documentation
Tenancy contract — Before signing this agreement, it’s important to go through it with your agent to raise any questions or concerns that you may have. After you have understood the terms, the contract will be signed by you and your landlord. You will both keep a copy of this document.
Cheques — As a next step, make sure you have the agreed number of cheques with you along with the security deposit – UAE banks usually take 2-5 working days to initiate cheques upon request. Once you have them, your agent will hand them over to your landlord and provide you with receipts.
Register your Ejari — All rental contracts in Dubai must be recorded in the Ejari system to legalise the relationship between the landlord and tenant. For this step, you will be asked to go to an Ejari centre with your tenancy contract and Emirates ID. The cost of the Ejari depends on where you apply for it, usually ranging around AED 200. If you decide to go with a short term rental, this step will not be required.
Activate your DEWA — Upon registering your Ejari, you will get a link to activate your electricity and water services. You will be asked for a security deposit of AED 2,000 – or AED 4,000 for villas – and the services will be active within 24 hours. This step is not necessary for short term leasing, as the services will already be active upon your arrival.
Moving permit — Finally, request permission to move in! This is usually done on the developer’s website and it takes a few minutes. Our customer service team will send you the link to this process – make sure you have your Ejari certificate and Emirates ID on hand to include in the application. This takes around 24 hours to approve and only applies to long term rentals.
Landlords Guide
What you need
To rent out your property as a resident of the UAE, you will need to provide the Title Deed, your passport or Emirates ID, and a signed Form A provided by your agent. You do not have to be a Dubai resident to own and rent out a property – if this is your case, you can provide a copy of your passport as your identification.
There are cases where there is a Power of Attorney (POA) involved – this is when a person is given the authority to sign on behalf of the owner. In this scenario, you would need the official POA document as well as their passport copy, Emirates ID and visa.
If the property is under a company name, you must provide the company Trade License and the signatory’s documents – passport, Emirates ID and visa.
