Ejari in Dubai: registration, fees and legal rent increases

What Ejari is

Ejari means “my rent” in Arabic. It is the Dubai Land Department system for registering leases. Dubai’s tenancy law requires every lease and each change to be registered with RERA, the Land Department’s regulator. You then get an e-Contract Registration Certificate.

Registration also matters when your rent is due for renewal. Your landlord must meet the legal rent cap and give notice before the contract ends. In 2024, more than 900,000 leases were registered. Start with the registration, then check the index and notice before accepting an increase.

Why you need it

Ejari connects your lease to services you may need after moving in. DEWA asks tenants for a valid Ejari number before it connects electricity and water. When you sponsor family, Dubai’s residency department asks for an attested tenancy contract, which in Dubai means Ejari.

It also matters if the tenancy ends in a dispute. To file a case at the Rental Dispute Centre you upload “a copy of the latest lease (Ejari)”.

How to register or renew

Renewal uses the same service, channels and fees as a new registration.

Channel	Who can use it	What you need
Dubai REST app	Tenant and landlord must both be individuals; the landlord approves in the app before you pay	A copy of the Unified Tenancy Contract
DLD website (Ejari system)	Property management companies, owners managing their own homes, holders of a legal power of attorney	The contract details
Real Estate Services Trustee Centre	The tenant or a power-of-attorney holder	Original Unified Tenancy Contract, Emirates ID, power of attorney if acting for someone

Source: DLD Ejari registration service. Full source links are below.

Online, the certificate is emailed once the registration is approved. At a trustee centre the Land Department puts processing at about 25 minutes, not counting waiting time.

What it costs

The registration channel changes the total you pay, as the fee breakdown shows.

	App or website	Trustee centre
Contract registration	AED 100	AED 100
Knowledge fee	AED 10	AED 10
Innovation fee	AED 10	AED 10
Service partner fee	AED 55	AED 95
VAT (on the partner fee only)	AED 2.75	included
Total	AED 177.75	AED 220

Source: DLD Ejari registration service. Full source links are below.

Cancelling an expired contract for a home you’ve left is free online. A trustee centre charges AED 40 plus VAT.

How much your landlord can raise the rent

The cap comes from Decree No. 43 of 2013. It depends on how far below the official average rent for similar homes you are paying now:

Your rent compared with the average	Most the rent can rise
Up to 10% below	0%
11% to 20% below	5%
21% to 30% below	10%
31% to 40% below	15%
More than 40% below	20%

Source: Dubai rent-increase decree. Full source links are below.

The percentage applies to your current rent. For example, the average for your type of home is AED 80,000. You pay AED 60,000, which is 25% below. The cap is 10%, so your new rent can be at most AED 66,000.

The landlord must tell you about any change to the rent at least 90 days before the contract ends. If they miss that deadline, the Land Department says the increase does not apply for that renewal.

The Smart Rental Index (since January 2025)

On 2 January 2025 the Land Department replaced the area-based index with the Smart Rental Index. It now sets the “average rent” using rents registered on Ejari in your building, average rents in the area and a classification of the building.

That classification covers structure and technical features, finish and maintenance, location, and services such as cleaning and parking.

The bands in the table above did not change; only the average they’re measured against did. A Land Department official said landlords who want higher rents need to improve their building’s classification. Owners can ask for a building to be reclassified after upgrades.

For renewals that straddled the change, the renewal date decides which index applies, if the landlord gave proper notice. This matters when the old index allowed an increase but the new one does not. Before 2025 the old index applied; during 2025, the new one.

How to check your allowed increase

Use the Land Department’s Rental Index calculator on the DLD website, the Dubai REST app or the DubaiNow app. You enter the contract end date, property type, area, number of rooms and your current annual rent. It shows the average rent and the increase allowed.

If you can’t agree: the Rental Dispute Centre

You file online at rdc.gov.ae or at a trustee centre. You’ll need:

your latest Ejari lease;
your Emirates ID;
a bank letter showing your IBAN;
for eviction cases, the notarised notice or the registered-post receipt.

Documents must be in Arabic or legally translated.

Case	Fee
Rent, renewal, eviction or termination cases	3.5% of annual rent, minimum AED 500, maximum AED 20,000
Money claims	3.5% of the amount claimed, minimum AED 500, maximum AED 15,000
Service fees	AED 100 process, AED 10 knowledge, AED 10 innovation

Source: Rental Dispute Centre filing service. Full source links are below.

If you settle through the centre’s conciliation, half the basic fee is refunded.

Eviction at the end of a lease

After a lease ends, a landlord can only evict for the reasons the law lists:

demolition;
major restoration;
the owner’s or a first-degree relative’s own use;
sale.

The tenant must get at least 12 months’ notice through a notary public or registered mail. After an own-use eviction, the landlord cannot re-let a residential home for 2 years. For non-residential property, it is 3 years.

Talk to someone who handles this

Tell us what you need. With your consent, we share your request with the developer or agent for Ejari and rent increases in Dubai, who may contact you about it.

Do the maths: open the true cost calculator →

Registered data for your comparison

These are market comparisons. They do not decide ownership eligibility, legal rights, refunds, approved service charges or the permitted increase on your lease.

Annual rent comparisons in Dubai South

Compare annual community rent medians, contract counts and gross yields by home size in Dubai.

Annual rent comparisons in Dubai South
Community / area	Home size	Annual rent median	Contracts	Gross yield (before costs)
Dubai South Residential District	1-bedroom apartments	AED 52,900	1,688	7.18%
Dubai South Residential District	Studios	AED 40,000	1,216	8.33%
Dubai World Central	3-bedroom apartments	AED 108,500	1,190	4.81%
Dubai South Residential District	2-bedroom apartments	AED 80,000	983	7.14%
Dubai World Central	2-bedroom apartments	AED 85,000	774	5.46%
Expo City	1-bedroom apartments	AED 67,500	525	Not available

Publisher home-size rent medians, contract counts and matched-segment yields. Community links open the registry area for comparison.

Data last updated 26 Oct 2026.

DLD area eligibility and concentration checks: 6 Oct 2025 to 5 Oct 2026. Local checks only; this is not the publisher matched-yield sales period.
Rent and yield source data through: 22 Oct 2026. Publisher aggregates based on DLD/Ejari records; individual lease periods are not supplied. Publisher matched-sale windows are not supplied.

Source update: 26 Oct 2026. Source: Dubai Land Department open data via Dubai Pulse, re-published by Dubai Real Estate Data (dataset), licensed CC BY 4.0. Sales to 5 Oct 2026. aggregated to medians; non-residential, land and flagged rows excluded. Source for rents, yields and project records: Dubai Data (datadubai.ae), Continental Club Property, based on Dubai Land Department open data, data to 22 Oct 2026, licensed CC BY 4.0. Publisher contract sample, register data to 22 Oct 2026; the lease period is not stated. Publisher-reported gross yields use the publisher matched-segment sale-price denominator, not this page’s sale median; the matched-sale reporting period is not stated.

Questions people ask

These answers connect the guide’s main questions with the rules and property data discussed above.

How much does Ejari cost?

AED 177.75 through the Dubai REST app or the DLD website, and AED 220 at a Real Estate Services Trustee Centre. Cancelling an expired contract online is free.

How much can my landlord increase the rent in Dubai?

Nothing if your rent is within 10% of the official average for similar homes. Then 5%, 10%, 15% or 20% as your rent falls further below the average. The landlord must also give you at least 90 days' notice before the contract ends.

What happens if my landlord didn't give 90 days' notice of the increase?

The increase does not apply for that renewal. This holds even if the Rental Index would otherwise allow it.

Can I register Ejari myself as a tenant?

Yes. At a trustee centre, the tenant can apply with the original tenancy contract and Emirates ID. There is an exception for homes managed by a property company or an owner with Ejari system access. They register those homes themselves.

How much does it cost to file a rent case at the Rental Dispute Centre?

3.5% of the annual rent, with a minimum of AED 500 and a maximum of AED 20,000, plus small service fees. If you settle through conciliation, half the basic fee is refunded.

What annual rent is shown for Dubai South Residential District, 1-bedroom apartments?

The publisher's median annual rent is AED 52,900. This covers 1-bedroom apartments in Dubai South Residential District. This compares that segment. It does not set your flat's agreed rent or permitted rent increase.

See the supporting table

How many contracts support the Dubai South Residential District rent comparison?

This sample has 1,688 rent contracts. It covers 1-bedroom apartments in Dubai South Residential District. This is the publisher's segment sample, not the number of homes currently available.

See the supporting table

What other annual rent can I compare with Dubai South Residential District, 1-bedroom apartments?

The publisher's median annual rent is AED 40,000. This covers Studios in Dubai South Residential District. Keep different home sizes and property classes separate when comparing rents.

See the supporting table

Work it out with real numbers

Use these linked comparisons and tools to check the figures behind your next decision.

Sources

Rule review date: 12 October 2026.

This guide explains the rules in plain language. It is not legal advice; for a dispute, check with the Dubai Land Department or a lawyer.