How to make a tenancy contract in Dubai

Dubai uses a standard form called the unified tenancy contract, so you are filling in an agreed document rather than drafting one. You and the landlord complete and sign it, then the lease is registered with Dubai Land Department through Ejari. Registration is what lets you open water and electricity in your name.

To sign, you will be asked for a copy of your passport, a valid residence visa and your Emirates ID, plus post dated cheques covering the payments you have agreed.

1. Agree the rent, the payment schedule and the term with the landlord or the agent.
2. Complete the unified tenancy contract and both sides sign it.
3. Hand over the cheques and take a copy of everything you signed.
4. Register the contract through Ejari, in the Dubai REST app or at a trustee centre.
5. Use the registration certificate to open your DEWA account.

In Dubai, landlords must register lease agreements with Dubai Land Department.

u.ae, the official portal of the UAE Government

A broker may also charge a commission, and the official portal puts that at up to 5 per cent of the total rent. Separately, tenants pay a housing fee to Dubai Municipality of 5 per cent of the yearly rent, collected through the monthly electricity and water bill.

What this does not mean

A signed contract is not a registered one. Signing creates the agreement between you and the landlord; Ejari is the emirate’s record of it, and the utility connection depends on the record rather than on the signature. Nor does the standard form settle everything: rent increases are measured against the area average under Law No. 43 of 2013, and that is decided outside the contract.

Costs, districts, deposits and rent increases are covered properly in our guide to renting in Dubai; this answer stops at the paperwork.

Sources: u.ae, Leasing a property in the UAE (documents, broker commission, housing fee, Law No. 43 of 2013); Dubai Land Department, Register / Renew Tenancy Contract.