Dubai Rent Increase Calculator
Your landlord has proposed a higher rent. Check whether it is actually permitted under the RERA bands before you agree to it.
Above the permitted range
Your landlord’s proposed rent of AED 105,000 is a 16.7% increase. Based on the figures entered, the maximum permitted appears to be 5% — AED 94,500, or AED 10,500 less than proposed.
Headroom for a lawful increase: AED 4,500.
The RERA increase bands
Bands are set by Decree No. 43 of 2013. Your landlord must also give at least 90 days’ written notice before the renewal date to change any term, including rent. No notice means the contract renews on the existing terms.
Use the official index for the market figure. This calculator applies the statutory bands to the numbers you enter. The average market rent must come from the Dubai Land Department’s own rental index for your specific area, building type and unit size — available through the DLD rental increase calculator. If a dispute goes to the Rental Dispute Centre, that index is the figure they use.
What the law actually says
Rent increases in Dubai are capped by Decree No. 43 of 2013. The cap is not a flat percentage — it depends on how far your current rent sits below the average market rent for a comparable unit, as recorded in the RERA rental index.
The logic is that a tenant already paying close to market rate should not face an increase, while a tenant paying well under market can be brought closer to it in steps. If you are within 10% of the market average, no increase is permitted at all.
Separately from the amount, there is a notice requirement: 90 days in writing before the renewal date. A landlord who does not serve notice in time cannot change the rent at renewal, regardless of what the index says. That single rule resolves a large share of rent disputes.
If you and your landlord cannot agree, the Rental Dispute Centre decides. They apply the same RERA index, so the figure from the official calculator is what matters — not either side’s opinion of local rents.
Facing a rent increase?
We deal with renewals, disputes and Rental Dispute Centre filings across Dubai. Send us the notice and we’ll tell you where you stand.