Manual reference of Dubai residential property regulations encoded by REMT's Regulatory Awareness Layer (Real Estate Management Tools §7). First version, curator-maintained from published authority sources. Re-verify quarterly.
Authority of record
- Dubai Land Department (DLD) — emirate-level land and real-estate authority.
- Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) — sector regulator under DLD.
- Ejari — DLD's online tenancy-contract registration system.
- Dubai REST — DLD's e-services app (Ejari, title-deed lookups, RERA calculator, etc.).
- Rental Dispute Centre (RDC) — sole judicial body for rental disputes.
Primary curation sources:
| Source | URL |
|---|---|
| Dubai Land Department | https://dubailand.gov.ae |
| Ejari portal | https://ejari.dubailand.gov.ae |
| Dubai Legislation Portal | https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae |
| Unified Tenancy Contract v1.4 (PDF) | https://ejari.dubailand.gov.ae/PublicPages/Downloads/Unified%20Tenancy%20Contract%201.4.pdf |
Governing legislation — rental relationship
| Instrument | What it governs |
|---|---|
| Law No. 26 of 2007 | Relationship between Lessor and Lessee in Dubai. Base law. |
| Law No. 33 of 2008 | Amends Law 26/2007 — eviction notices, rent-increase mechanics. |
| Decree No. 26 of 2013 | Establishes the Rental Dispute Centre (RDC). |
| Decree No. 43 of 2013 | Sets the rent-increase cap structure tied to the RERA Rental Index. |
| Smart Rental Index | Replaces the older RERA Rental Calculator from 01-01-2025. Real-time, AI-powered, building-classified valuation. |
1. Standard rental contract — Unified Ejari Tenancy Contract
Mandatory format since 01-03-2017 for all residential, commercial, and industrial leases in Dubai. Current published version: v1.4 (revised 07-09-2022). Source: DLD Unified Tenancy Contract PDF.
Standard clauses encoded by REMT:
- Parties — full names, Emirates IDs (or trade licence for corporate parties), addresses.
- Property description — Makani number, DEWA premises number, plot / unit references.
- Lease term — fixed start and end dates.
- Annual rent — in AED, plus payment schedule (cheque count, dates, mode).
- Security deposit — typically 5% of annual rent (unfurnished) or 10% (furnished).
- Maintenance and repairs — Landlord for structural and major; Tenant for minor upkeep. The minor/major threshold is the basis for REMT's maintenance-threshold logic at Phase 1.5+ — the threshold itself appears as an "Additional Term" line and defaults to industry-conventional values.
- Notice and renewal — 90-day notice for any amendment or non-renewal (Article 14, Law 26/2007 as amended). Automatic renewal in the absence of notice (Article 6 of the standard contract).
- Service of notices — addresses for each party.
- Additional terms — insurance, utilities, subletting, governing law, notary clauses. The unified form leaves dedicated space for these.
REMT mapping. At MVP the platform presents the standard fields first and Additional Terms second, both inside the same authoring flow. The Owner cannot deviate from the unified-contract clauses but can complete the Additional Terms.
2. Standard sale contracts
| Form | Purpose | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Form F | Unified Sale Contract — ready (completed) properties. Used by buyer and seller, often through an Agent. | Phase 1.5+ |
| Form A | Listing form between Owner and Agent. | Phase 1.5+ |
| Form B | Buyer-Agent agreement. | Phase 1.5+ |
| Form I | Inter-agent cooperation form (co-broking). | Phase 1.5+ |
| Oqood | Provisional registration for off-plan sales. Registered against the developer's DLD-approved project. | Phase 1.5+ |
REMT supports Form F authoring at Phase 1.5+ when sale workflows enter scope. Off-plan (Oqood) registration is handled via DLD/REST directly.
3. Ejari registration
Mandatory. Every residential tenancy in Dubai must be registered with Ejari, typically within 14 days of contract start.
Channels and fees (2025 figures):
| Channel | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai REST app | AED 155 + VAT (~AED 220 total) | Tenant self-service |
| Trustee centre / typing office | ~AED 219.75 (incl. fees + VAT), plus typing-centre service ~AED 30–50 | In person |
| Online via DLD portal | AED 250 total (registration AED 220 + Knowledge AED 10 + Innovation AED 10) |
Required documents:
- Tenant: Emirates ID (or passport for non-residents), visa.
- Landlord (resident individual): title deed, Emirates ID.
- Landlord (non-resident individual): title deed, passport, owner's registration number, and an official Power of Attorney (POA agent may be resident or non-resident — see §9 below). The POA must be properly notarised and (if issued abroad) attested via the UAE Embassy → MOFAIC chain, then electronically verified per DLD Circular 29/R/2025.
- Landlord (corporate Owner): title deed, trade licence + signatory ID/passport, beneficial-ownership disclosure.
- DEWA premises number.
- Signed tenancy contract.
Renewal. Ejari must be renewed each lease cycle. Non-registration triggers fines and blocks downstream services (DEWA connection, visa renewals using the address).
REMT mapping. At MVP, REMT generates correctly-formatted Ejari submissions for the Owner to file via REST or trustee. The Ejari certificate (PDF) is uploaded back into the platform and bound to the contract. Direct API submission is a future enhancement.
4. Fee schedule
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ejari registration | AED 155 + VAT (online) / ~AED 250 (in-person) | Per lease; non-refundable |
| Ejari renewal | Same as registration | Annual |
| DLD property transfer fee | 4% of sale price | Legally 2% buyer + 2% seller; in practice often buyer pays both |
| Trustee / service partner fee (sale) | AED 2,000 (sale ≤ AED 500K) or AED 4,000 (> AED 500K) + VAT | Per transaction |
| Oqood off-plan registration | 4% of off-plan price | Provisional registration |
| Broker / Agency commission | ~2% + 5% VAT (sale); typically 5% of annual rent (rental) | Market norms; negotiable |
| RERA Smart Rental Index check | Free via Dubai REST | No fee |
| Notary public service of notice | Variable | Per notarisation |
REMT records each fee with source and effective date. Fees as of 2025; subject to authority updates.
5. Statutory notice rules
| Notice | Window | Form | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-renewal (Tenant or Landlord) | ≥ 90 days before expiry | Written | Article 14, Law 26/2007 (as amended) |
| Rent-increase notification | ≥ 90 days before renewal | Written | Article 14, Law 26/2007; cap per Decree 43/2013 |
| Eviction during term — for breach | 30 days from written notice for non-payment; immediate for illegal use, unauthorised alteration, or subletting without consent | Written notice | Article 25(1), Law 33/2008 |
| Eviction at expiry — for personal use, sale, demolition, or major renovation | 12 months | Notarised or registered mail (sole valid channels) | Article 25(2), Law 33/2008 |
| Security deposit return | Reasonable period after expiry (industry norm: ~30 days) | Refund less legitimate deductions | Articles 20–21, Law 26/2007 |
| Maintenance default by Landlord | Tenant entitled to act after written notice; cost may be deducted from rent in some circumstances | Written | Article 17, Law 26/2007 |
Service channels REMT supports at MVP. In-app (with read-receipt) and email (with delivery confirmation). For the 12-month notarised-notice case, REMT generates the correctly-formatted notice document for the Owner to file via Notary Public or registered mail. Notary-direct integration is a future enhancement.
6. Rent-increase caps — Decree 43 of 2013 + Smart Rental Index
Effective 01-01-2025, the Smart Rental Index replaces the old RERA Rental Calculator. The cap structure under Decree 43/2013 is unchanged:
| Current rent vs. Smart Index average | Maximum permissible increase |
|---|---|
| Within 10% below average | 0% — no increase allowed |
| 11–20% below | 5% |
| 21–30% below | 10% |
| 31–40% below | 15% |
| More than 40% below | 20% |
REMT mapping. At MVP, the Owner Dashboard exposes a "Rent Increase Eligibility" check ahead of any renewal-with-increase. The check pulls the Smart Rental Index reading for the unit's area, type, bedroom count, and current rent. The Owner sees the maximum legal increase percentage. The 90-day notice is then generated from that decision.
7. Dispute resolution — Rental Dispute Centre
RDC (Decree 26 of 2013) is the sole judicial body for Dubai rental disputes. Located at DLD. Accepts in-person and online case filing.
REMT does not arbitrate disputes. The platform's evidence trail (contracts, signed notices with delivery records, payment records, dated maintenance tickets, party communications) is exportable as a case file at the Owner's request — useful for RDC escalation. This is a workflow output, not a regulatory function.
8. Jointly Owned Property — Mollak
Where a unit is part of a Jointly Owned Property (apartment buildings, freehold communities), the Mollak system (administered by DLD) regulates service-charge collection and Owner Association governance.
- Service charges, special assessments, and common-area use rules apply per the master community / building.
- Mollak-related fees and the Owner Association's annual budget are published per project.
REMT mapping. The Owner's per-unit P&L treats Mollak service charges as a structured recurring outflow. The platform records the service-charge ledger and surfaces upcoming charges per unit. Direct Mollak integration is a future enhancement.
9. Non-resident Owner provisions
Over 40% of Dubai residential property is owned by non-residents from 150+ countries. UAE authorities and Dubai-specific bodies have established mechanisms for non-resident Owners — REMT encodes them as the default path, not an edge case.
9.1 Identity verification at the authority level
| Owner type | UAE authority requirements |
|---|---|
| Resident individual | UAE ID (Emirates ID) presented to DLD, RERA, Ejari, RDC, Notary Public |
| Non-resident individual | Passport (data page) presented in lieu of UAE ID; KYC declaration recommended |
| Resident corporate Owner | Trade licence + signatory UAE ID + commercial registration |
| Non-resident corporate Owner (offshore) | Certificate of incorporation + signatory passport + attestation chain on overseas documents (see §9.3) |
9.2 Power of Attorney — the operating model
Non-resident Owners routinely appoint a POA holder to act on their behalf. The POA holder can be resident or non-resident — UAE law does not require the appointed agent to be UAE-resident; what matters is that the document is properly notarised, attested (if issued abroad), translated where required, and electronically verified per DLD Circular 29/R/2025.
| Provision | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| POA agent residency | Resident or non-resident — the Owner picks whoever they trust (a relative, lawyer, property manager, or a vetted UAE-resident operative). The POA document, not the agent's residency, is what authorities verify. | DLD Circular 29/R/2025; Dubai POA practice |
| POA language | Arabic or Arabic certified translation alongside source-language original | UAE Notary Public requirement |
| Notarisation | Dubai Courts Notary Public, licensed private notaries authorised by UAE Ministry of Justice, or Dubai Courts e-Notary platform (remote) | Dubai Courts |
| Title deed accompaniment | Current title deed must accompany POA; Oqood certificate substitutes for off-plan units | Dubai POA practice |
| Scope | Must explicitly enumerate all management powers being granted (tenancy management, contract signing, financial operations, etc.) | UAE Notary Public requirement |
| Electronic verification | All POAs must be electronically verified through DLD's official portal before any registration; the Registrar cross-checks principal's name, Emirates ID, and passport number against DLD records | DLD Circular 29/R/2025 (16-07-2025) |
| Financial limitation | POAs are now limited to administrative actions only — POA holders cannot receive payments on behalf of the Owner. All property-related payments (rent, sale proceeds, security deposits) must go directly to a UAE bank account in the title-deed holder's name. | DLD Circular 29/R/2025 |
Where physical presence in the UAE may still be needed. Ejari trustee-centre setup if the appointed POA doesn't hold a UAE Pass, certain notarised filings, in-person RDC court appearances. For these one-time steps, REMT's Phase 1.5+ vetted UAE-resident operations network is available as an optional service-tier — the Owner can route the one-time UAE-physical action to a REMT operative without changing the primary POA appointment. After initial Ejari registration, the entire portfolio is operable remotely.
9.3 Attestation chain — POAs and corporate documents issued outside the UAE
For any POA or corporate document issued outside the UAE to be valid for authority use, it must be legalised and attested through the full chain:
- Notarisation in the country of issue.
- UAE Embassy legalisation in the country of issue.
- MOFAIC attestation (UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) on arrival in the UAE.
- Arabic translation by a UAE-certified legal translator if the document is not in Arabic.
- Optional Dubai Courts e-Notary registration for ongoing authority use.
REMT surfaces a per-Owner attestation-chain checklist with status indicators (Notarised → Embassy-legalised → MOFAIC-attested → Translated → Registered) so the Owner can track progress without re-querying counsel.
9.4 Ejari registration for non-resident Owners
Ejari can be filed online via Dubai REST (DLD's official platform — iOS, Android, and web) by the Owner or by their POA holder, provided the filer holds a UAE Pass. Non-resident Owners and POA holders without a UAE Pass complete the initial Ejari registration in person at an authorised Real Estate Trustee Centre — a one-time step.
Non-resident Owner Ejari requires:
- Valid passport copy.
- Owner's registration number with DLD/RERA.
- Official Power of Attorney (agent may be resident or non-resident; see §9.2).
- DEWA premises number.
- Signed Unified Ejari Tenancy Contract.
REMT generates the correctly-formatted Ejari submission for filing via Dubai REST or trustee centre, and records the certificate against the contract. For non-resident Owners whose POA holder is also non-resident (and therefore lacks UAE Pass), REMT's Phase 1.5+ operations network can perform the trustee-centre filing as an optional one-time service. After initial Ejari registration, the entire tenancy lifecycle — renewals, notices, payments, maintenance — is operable remotely.
9.5 Notice service to non-resident Owners
Statutory notices issued by Tenants (non-renewal, cancellation) and notices the Owner is required to acknowledge can be served on a non-resident Owner via:
| Channel | When acceptable |
|---|---|
| POA holder in UAE | When a registered POA covers receipt of notices on the Owner's behalf. Most reliable channel. |
| In-app + email with read-receipt | When the contract's "service of notices" clause permits electronic delivery; widely accepted by RDC where evidenced. |
| Registered international mail | For 12-month notarised notices and where the contract requires physical service. Slower; requires international courier with tracking. |
| Service at the Owner's last known UAE address | When the Owner has previously declared a UAE address (often the POA holder's address). |
REMT records each notice with the channel used, delivery confirmation, and the Owner's verification path (resident vs non-resident vs POA) so the audit trail is complete if the matter reaches RDC.
9.6 Banking, payment, and currency
- Non-resident Owners typically pay subscriptions via international card in AED (Stripe handles FX); UAE bank account is not required.
- Rental inflows: rent is typically received in AED into a UAE bank account held by the Owner or their POA holder. REMT tracks the inflow regardless of which side of the border the bank account sits on.
- VAT: REMT's subscription is consumed in UAE (the Units are here) and is therefore subject to 5% UAE VAT regardless of where the Owner resides.
9.7 Tax — not REMT's responsibility, surfaced as a courtesy
UAE imposes no rental-income tax at source. However, non-resident Owners may owe tax in their home country on UAE rental income. REMT surfaces this awareness in onboarding and provides an exportable annual rental-income statement per Unit and per portfolio that the Owner can submit to their home-country tax counsel. REMT does not provide tax advice.
10. Curator notes
- Re-verify each table quarterly against the source URLs in Authority of record.
- Decree numbers and amendments are stable; fee amounts and Smart Rental Index methodology are the most likely to change.
- Unified Tenancy Contract version: v1.4, dated 07-09-2022.
- Smart Rental Index activation: 01-01-2025.
- Each regulatory record in the platform carries
source,last_verified, andeffective_datemetadata.
Related
- Source: see Phasing-aligned regulatory architecture in REMT product spec.
- Abu Dhabi Regulations — RG-02 (Phase 1.5).
- Sharjah Regulations — RG-03 (Phase 2).
- Ajman Regulations — RG-04 (Phase 2).