How much can your landlord raise the rent?
In Dubai a rent increase is capped by law, and the cap depends on how far your rent sits below the average for similar homes in the area. Enter both to see the most your landlord can ask for at renewal.
As written in your current tenancy contract.
AEDa year
Same area, type and size. The Dubai Land Department rental index gives this figure.
AEDa year
| Up to 10% below average | No increase |
|---|---|
| 11% to 20% below average | Up to 5% |
| 21% to 30% below average | Up to 10% |
| 31% to 40% below average | Up to 15% |
| More than 40% below average | Up to 20% |
The rules on rent increases in Dubai
- When can my landlord raise the rent?
- Only when the contract is renewed, and only with written notice at least 90 days before it ends. An increase cannot be applied part-way through a tenancy.
- What counts as the average rent?
- The average rental value of similar homes in the same area, as published in the Dubai Land Department rental index. Compare like with like: the same community, property type and number of bedrooms.
- My rent is above the average. Can it still go up?
- No. Under Decree No. 43 of 2013 a rent that is at or above the average for similar homes cannot be increased at renewal.
- What if the landlord asks for more than the law allows?
- You do not have to agree to it. Keep paying the current rent and raise it with the landlord in writing; if you cannot settle it, the Rental Disputes Centre rules on the increase.
- Can the landlord ask me to leave instead?
- Only on the grounds the law sets out, such as selling the property or moving in themselves, and with twelve months’ notice sent by notary public or registered post. A higher offer from another tenant is not one of them.
Renewal coming up?
Our leasing team can tell you what similar homes in your building are renting for, and whether moving would cost you less.