Dubai: If your rental contract is due for renewal, you might be thinking about whether your landlord is going to increase your rent. In Dubai, tenants are informed of any rent increases ahead of time, as per the emirate’s rental law and the hike in rent is also regulated by the Dubai Land Department (DLD).
How to check amount of increase – Rera Rental Index
If you want to know by how much your rent may increase, you can refer to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority’s (Rera) online Rental Index. The index is a free online tool, which gives tenants an understanding of what the average rents for similar units in their area are, and the permissible rent hike for such a unit.
To use the service, follow these steps:
- Visit https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/rental-index/rental-index/#/
- You will then have the option to check for your current residential unit based on your Title Deed Number, or by providing details of the type of unit you are renting – residential, commercial, industrial or staff accommodation.
- If you don't have your title deed number, simply select the type of property you are living in.
- Then, select the contract end date from the drop down menu.
- Choose the property type – apartment or villa.
- Select the area you are living in.
- You would then need to provide details of your residential unit like the number of rooms and your current annual rent.
- Once you confirm the ‘Captcha’ verification, click ‘calculate’.
The calculator will then provide you details of …
1. the current rent increase guidelines in Dubai,
2. the current rents in your locality for your type of unit (one bedroom, studio, villa etc.); and,
3. the maximum amount of increase in rent allowed, based on the rental increase guidelines.
You must get a three-month notice
If you do receive a notice from your landlord that the rent for your home will be increased, it should be sent to you at least 90 days before the contract is due for renewal. As reported by Gulf News earlier, this is as per Article 14 of ‘Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating Relations between the landlord and tenant in the Emirate of Dubai’, also referred to as the Dubai Rental Law.
Article 14 of the law stipulates that if there are any amendments to the lease contract the landlord must notify the tenant not less than 90 days before the expiry date, unless both parties agreed otherwise.
What if the rent increase is not within the permitted limit?
In case your rent has been increased significantly and is beyond the limit mentioned in the Rental Index, you may reach out to the Rental Dispute Centre at Dubai Land Department, through their toll-free number – 800 4488.
