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Dubai Rent Increase Rules (2026): The Bands, the Index, the Notice

A Dubai landlord can raise the rent only by the band the law sets, measured against the official rental index, and only with 90 days' written notice before the contract ends. The bands run from no increase to a maximum of 20%. Since 2025 the index behind them is set building by building.

The bands, from the decree

Decree No. (43) of 2013 Determining Rent Increase for Real Property in the Emirate of Dubai, issued 18 December 2013, Article 1. The cap depends on how far your current rent sits below "the average rental value of similar units":

If your rent is at or above the average, the decree allows no increase at all. Article 3 fixes what "average" means: it is "determined in accordance with the 'Rent Index of the Emirate of Dubai' approved by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency."

What changed in 2025: the Smart Rental Index

On 2 January 2025 the Land Department launched "the Smart Rental Index 2025", noting that "in 2024, the total number of registered rental contracts exceeded 900,000". Its follow-up of 16 February 2025 explains the change: the increase "is determined by a smart index, which calculates the applicable increase based on data drawn from multiple factors, including rental contract values in the building, the average rental values in the area, and the building classification." The old index compared areas; the new one compares your building.

The same release set the switch-over: "The previous index will be applied if the contract was renewed before 2025. The new index will be enforced if the contract is renewed during 2025." And it restated the notice condition: "if a landlord notifies the tenant of a rent increase at least 90 days before the contract's expiration, the increase will be applied only if the Smart Rent Index confirms the property's eligibility." One oddity: DLD's January release cites the bands as Decree No. 34 of 2013. The instrument on the legislation portal is Decree No. 43, and that is the one to quote.

The notice rule

Law No. 26 of 2007, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, Article 14: "if either party ... wishes to amend any of its terms ... that party must notify the other party of same no less than ninety (90) days prior to the date on which the Tenancy Contract expires." A rent increase is an amendment. Notice given with 60 days left does not meet the law, whatever the index says. The notice runs both ways: a tenant who wants different terms gives it too.

The contract has to be on the register for any of this to be enforceable. Article 4(2): "All Tenancy Contracts or any amendments to such Tenancy Contracts related to Real Property which are subject to the provisions of this Law will be registered with RERA." That register is Ejari.

How to check your own case

1. Find the index figure for your unit with the Land Department's rental index calculator, on its website or the Dubai REST app. You need the building, unit type and the date your contract renews.
2. Compare your current annual rent with the average it shows, and read off the band above.
3. Check the date of the landlord's notice against your expiry date. Ninety days or more, in writing, or the increase fails on notice alone.
4. If the two don't match, ask the landlord in writing to apply the index figure. If that fails, the dispute goes to the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre.

Who decides a dispute

Not RERA. Decree No. (26) of 2013, Article 6, gives the Rental Disputes Settlement Centre "the exclusive jurisdiction to ... determine all Rent Disputes that arise between Landlords and Tenants of Real Property situated in the Emirate, including in free zones". RERA sets the index; the Centre rules on whether an increase or an eviction is lawful.

If you are buying to let, this is the ceiling on your yield growth. The full cost of buying is on what it costs to buy, and service charges, the other running cost, on Mollak.

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