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What is Tenancy Contract (Dubai)?
A Dubai tenancy contract is the lease agreement between landlord and tenant, executed on the unified contract form and registered in Ejari. Without Ejari registration the contract cannot support DEWA connection, visas, or a rent dispute.
Description
Dubai leases run on a unified tenancy contract format, typically one year. The contract only acquires legal force in practice once registered in Ejari, the RERA registry, which costs about AED 220 through typing centres and less through the Dubai REST app.
For a landlord-investor, the contract plus Ejari is the paperwork spine of the asset: rent increases are governed by the RERA rental index against the registered rent, and eviction and dispute rights all reference the registered contract.
Key negotiable terms are the number of cheques, maintenance responsibility split, and early-termination clauses. Everything else is largely standardised by Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended.
How to interpret
An investor should insist on Ejari registration immediately at signing; an unregistered lease weakens the landlord's own position at the Rental Disputes Centre as much as the tenant's.
Read the maintenance clause with numbers: the common Dubai convention is that repairs under a threshold (often AED 500 to 1,000 per incident) fall to the tenant and above it to the landlord.
Dubai market context
Rent increases are capped by the RERA calculator based on how far the current rent sits below the area index, from 0% up to 20% in bands, and require 90 days notice before renewal.
For a sub-AED 2.5M apartment investor, the practical yield difference between a well-papered tenancy and a sloppy one shows up at dispute time: the RDC works from Ejari and the registered contract, not from WhatsApp messages.
Frequently asked questions
Execution on the unified form and registration in Ejari. Registration costs about AED 220 via typing centres, less through the Dubai REST app, and is required for DEWA, visas, and any rent dispute.
Only what the RERA rental index calculator allows, in bands from 0% to a maximum of 20% depending on how far the current rent sits below the market index, with 90 days written notice.
By convention the contract sets a per-incident threshold, often AED 500 to 1,000: minor repairs below it are on the tenant, and structural or larger items on the landlord. The clause wording controls, so read it before signing.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Yields, returns, and market data referenced are historical or estimated and are not guaranteed. Capital is at risk. Seek independent professional advice before making investment decisions. Oliva is a licensed Dubai real estate advisor (DLD Broker Card: 92025, RERA BRN: 1573501). Read our Key Risks Disclosure and Disclaimer.