Free tool
How much a Dubai rent may lawfully rise at renewal is set by Decree No. 43 of 2013, measured against the RERA Rental Index. Enter the current rent and the index average to see the cap, the new ceiling and the notice you owe.
What the tenant pays today, per year.
From the DLD Rental Index — in the Dubai REST or DubaiNow app, or on the DLD website.
Maximum lawful increase
5%
New rent up to AED 89,250 (from AED 85,000)
The current rent sits 15% below the market average, which puts this renewal in the 5% band of Decree No. 43 of 2013.
Whatever the cap allows, you must notify the tenant at least 90 days before the contract expires. Miss that and the contract renews on the existing terms.
| Rent versus market average | Maximum increase |
|---|---|
| Up to 10% below the market average | No increase |
| 11% to 20% below | 5% |
| 21% to 30% below | 10% |
| 31% to 40% below | 15% |
| More than 40% below | 20% |
Not sure what the index says for your building?
The decree does not set a flat percentage. It compares your rent with the average for similar units in the same area, and the further below that average you are, the more you may add. A rent already close to the market cannot be raised at all — the cap exists to let under-market rents catch up, not to index every tenancy upward each year.
The average itself comes from the RERA Rental Index, and that is the figure the Rental Dispute Centre uses if the tenant challenges the increase. The index is the authority here, not the asking prices you see on the portals — those run ahead of registered contracts, sometimes by a wide margin.
The cap is only half of it. Any change to the terms needs 90 days' notice before expiry, and ending a tenancy altogether needs twelve months and one of four specific grounds. Both rules, and what letting a unit actually involves, are set out in renting out a Dubai property.
Questions landlords ask
Decree No. 43 of 2013 caps the increase against the RERA Rental Index. If the rent is within 10% of the average for similar units there is no increase; 11 to 20% below allows 5%, 21 to 30% below allows 10%, 31 to 40% below allows 15%, and more than 40% below allows 20%. The cap applies across the emirate, including the free zones and the DIFC.
We will look up the RERA index for your unit, tell you what a lawful increase is this year, and what the unit would achieve if it were re-let at market.
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