As we close off the first half of 2024, Dubai’s property market has shown impressive growth across all residential sectors with no signs of slowing down.
Thought about moving to the golden city? Or just planning to move and rent in Dubai?
Whichever choice you plan on going with, you can’t deny Dubai has some of the best residential units, from amenities to exclusive branded furnishings and killer views - there’s nothing like living in Dubai.
Of course, apart from the multiple world records, seven-star hotels, thrilling experiences and a great lifestyle, you’ve got to admit nothing beats Dubai when it comes to real estate. Be it the records or its stunning developments.
So, if you’re convinced about Dubai or and are planning to rent in Dubai - be you new or old, here’s your complete guide to rent in Dubai, to keep you up to speed on the new systems and experience a seamless move.
Well then, let’s get right into it!
Step one - Get searching for your rental
The first thing you’d like to do is start by searching for rentals in Dubai on the Allsopp & Allsopp website and begin taking a look at apartments or villas in Dubai that pique your interest. You can refine your search down to the type of home you’re searching for which could be apartments, villas, townhouses, penthouses and hotel apartments. You can further refine your search to how many bedrooms, bathrooms you’d like and also if you’re searching for a pool or garden.
Found one too many properties you like?
That’s good, the next step is to shortlist the ones that caught your attention and keep em’ close. Done? Okay, great - now get in touch with any of the agents you’ve spotted on those listings or hit that WhatsApp icon to book your viewing, and voila - simple as that, you’re now viewing your own potential home to rent in Dubai!
Step two - Find the right choice!
Now that you’ve seen a couple of rentals, you’d want to limit your searches down to a few factors such as:
Convenience - This could be knowing if the community has basic amenities, schools, offices nearby and provides easy access to major roads. You certainly don’t want to live outside the city, commuting can get tricky!
Annual rent of your property - If you’ve found THE house, its now time to find out the annual rent and the system of how many cheques you can pay through yearly. Although, if you’re renting with Allsopp & Allsopp - you can rest easy as all our rentals follow the seamless direct debit system!
Is it everything you’ve dreamed of? - We recommend asking yourself a few questions before signing on the dotted line, as this is your new home - you might want to ask yourself if this is everything you’ve dreamed of?
Oh, and of course a few boxes are to be ticked:
Does the property have strong security measures set in place? Such as CCTVs, security guards, and gates?
Are there electrical sockets around the house?
Is there a gasline or connection?
Are all the plumping and piping lines working correctly?
What amenities are part of the house/community? Pool, gym, sauna, steam, etc?
Does the property have basic fixtures and fittings in place?
Does anything require fixing or repainting?
Does the property have an open-space with natural light?
How many parking spaces?
Is the property pet friendly?
Is the neighborhood convenient to other places in the city, and is there a public transport line?
Once you’ve received your answer to these basic questions, you know the property is in good hands. If there are a few things out of place that you would like to have fixed, make sure to discuss it with your landlord and if you aren’t sure about your landlord rights, then its important to note that tenants can have certain maintenance issues resolved by the landlord under an agreed upon budget.
And incase you didn’t know - tenancy contracts in Dubai run on an annual contract basis, so we highly recommend you take your time when searching for a rental. Cheque breakdowns come to one cheque (paid at the beginning), two cheques (every six months), and four cheques (paid every quarter).
Step three - Put out an offer!
Now that your mind is set on the property you want to rent in Dubai, you might want to put in an offer.
But it’s important to know that landlords are often given another counter offer from other tenants and based on the one that suits them - they usually go with that. This usually depends on the amount of cheques that the landlord is offered. You can negotiate for a lower price or even more cheques to have a flexible payment system but landlords usually opt for tenants that pay in fewer cheques and are also more inclined to reducing their final asking price that way.
But if the fewer cheque system isn’t working for you, that’s fine. You can always opt for a bit more flexibility and negotiate with the landlord on the final price.
Still not sure about the payment system? If you’re still having doubts about the property or aren’t ready to rent in Dubai for a year, you can always opt for short-term rentals which give you the flexibility of a monthly contract - although, you cannot rent a short-term property for longer than six months!
And if you are ready to put that offer in - make sure your real estate agent is RERA (real estate regulatory authority) registered. As without a RERA registration, they wouldn’t be able to facilitate the transaction resulting in you losing your dream home and chance to rent in Dubai.
Step four - Make a reservation
Not a dinner reservation…
But once you’ve confirmed the offer and are comfortable with your choice to rent in Dubai, its time to reserve the property as yours.
Simply give a refundable deposit of 5% in accordance to your annual rent to your real estate agent. Your agent will hold on to this deposit until the deal goes through, and will give you a receipt in accordance with your payment (make sure to take the receipt).
Once the deal goes through, the deposit will be handed back to you after your tenancy contract is over. But if you decide to change your mind or back out of the deal, the deposit is given to the landlord as a form of commission.
Ensure that when your tenancy contract ends, you do take a lot of photos of the property while its vacant so that you can claim your deposit back.
Oh, and of course keep the receipt of your deposit handy.
Step five - Time to sign the dotted line!
Once you’ve handed your deposit over to your agent, they would send you over a tenancy contract which contains all the details of your rental, your agreements between yourself and the landlord and of course any clauses that are in accordance with the tenancy laws.
If you aren’t sure of the tenancy laws, it would be helpful to brush up on your rights as a tenant in Dubai.
Take a thorough read of the contract, if you spot something that wasn’t mutually agreed upon or something that you’d like to revise, you can always bring it up with your agent. Ain’t that simple?
Once you’re sure and are set to rent in Dubai, you can sign the tenancy agreement, and handover the deposit over to the agency. The landlord will then sign the contract too, and hand over the rent cheques to your agency. It’s highly crucial you keep a copy of the contract and an acknowledgement receipt with you and one copy of the contract is handed to the landlord.
All signed, the keys and cards are then handed over to you, and a handover agreement is also signed - You’re on your way to rent a property in Dubai!
Step six - Register your tenancy agreement with Ejari
This is one of the most crucial steps of your rental agreement. Once you’ve signed your tenancy agreement, your real estate agent will register your agreement with Ejari. Ejari is an online registration system that is in accordance with RERA that requires all rental and lease contracts in Dubai to be recorded on this portal. The main purpose of this is to justify the relationship with the landlord and tenant.
In order to register for Ejari, either you or your agent can go to any typing centre with your documents or do it online via their official website. Its crucial to have the deposits, contract duration and rent amounts are clearly stated in your Ejari.
The documents required for registration are:
Original tenancy contract
Title deed (from landlord)
Tenant and landlord’s passport copies
Copy of tenant’s Emirates ID
Step seven - Set up your DEWA
As you may know, DEWA is Dubai’s electricity and water authority which all residents have to register their homes for in order to receive water and electricity connections.
This happens after your contracts are signed and Ejari is ready. If you have a new connection or an old one - the procedure is pretty straightforward.
Hint: You can sign up on their application or online too - here’s how:
The online DEWA application requires you to fill the form stating the Ejari number, Emirates ID number and your passport number. Once that’s done you’ll have to pay the deposit amount through DEWA’s online payment gateway and the service will be activated within 24 hours of registration and payment.
A refundable security deposit of AED 2,000 for an apartment and AED 4,000 for a villa will also have to be paid. Activation charges are AED 100 for small meter and AED 300 for large meters. Lastly, an amount of AED 30 has to be paid for registration, knowledge and innovation fee.
And voila, your DEWA is set up!
Step eight - Pack your bags and move in!
You’re almost set to move in and all you need to do now is sign a move-in form. Depending on your community, your real estate agent would let you know if you need a permit for moving in, this can be simply applied for through the developers website and can take up to five business days to process. You will require a passport, Emirates ID copy, certificate of your rental payment, copy of your tenancy contract and the unit’s most recent service charge receipt which can be obtained from the landlord.
If you follow the above steps, you’ll be all set and ready to move into your new home. So, pack those bags and get movin’...
If you’re searching to let your dream home, take a look at some of our live listings!