RERA Rent Increase Calculator — Dubai
Dubai caps rent increases by law: the further your current rent sits below the market average for your building, the more your landlord may add at renewal — from 0% up to 20%. Enter two numbers and see the legal maximum.
Get this from the official DLD Rental Index calculator — since 2025 it benchmarks your specific building (star-rated 1–5), not just the area.
Maximum legal increase
—
Enter your rent and the market average.
| Your rent vs market | — |
| Allowed increase (Decree 43/2013) | — |
| Maximum increase in AED | — |
| Maximum new rent | — |
| 90-day notice deadline | — |
The official DLD calculator is the authoritative source — this tool shows you the mechanics so you can sanity-check an increase and negotiate. If your landlord didn't give written notice at least 90 days before the contract ends, the increase is invalid for this renewal cycle.
The legal slabs (Decree No. 43 of 2013 — unchanged in 2026)
- Rent within 10% below market average → 0% increase allowed
- 11–20% below market → up to 5%
- 21–30% below market → up to 10%
- 31–40% below market → up to 15%
- More than 40% below market → up to 20%
The percentage applies to your current rent. Example: you pay AED 60,000, the market average is AED 80,000 → you're 25% below → the landlord may add up to 10% = AED 6,000.
The slab ladder: how far below market you are → what landlords may add
Paying at or near market rate is full protection: the first band means zero increase, whatever the landlord's letter says.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Smart Rental Index?
Launched January 2025, it replaced the old area-average index. An AI model rates every building 1–5 stars on 60+ factors (location, age, maintenance, amenities) and benchmarks your rent against your specific building's class — updated again in January 2026 with sub-community granularity and separate furnished/unfurnished benchmarks. The increase slabs themselves did not change.
How much notice must my landlord give for a rent increase?
Written notice at least 90 days before the contract expires (Law 26/2007, Art. 14, as amended). No timely notice — no increase this cycle; the contract renews on existing terms.
Can rent be increased mid-contract or twice a year?
No. Increases apply only at renewal, so with standard annual contracts that's at most once a year.
What if I think even the current rent is above market?
The slabs only cap increases, but if you're paying above the index average you have a strong negotiation case — and disputes can be filed with Dubai's Rental Disputes Centre.
Do the same rules apply in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah?
No — this mechanism is Dubai-only, and the other emirates moved in 2026. Abu Dhabi no longer runs a 5% cap: ADREC cut the permitted annual increase from 5% to 0% on residential, commercial and industrial properties with effect from 3 June 2026, temporarily and until further notice, with the rent in the last registered Tawtheeq contract as the reference at renewal. Sharjah bars any increase during the first three years of a tenancy under Law 5/2024, and permits one only once every two years after that.
Where do I get the official market average for my unit?
The DLD Rental Index calculator on dubailand.gov.ae (also in the Dubai REST and DubaiNow apps) — free, no login, and it reflects your building's star rating.
How to get the official number from the DLD index — step by step
The official calculator is authoritative but buried; here's the path:
- Open dubailand.gov.ae → E-Services → Rental Index (no login needed for the basic check), or use the Dubai REST app.
- Enter the contract end date, property type, area/building and number of bedrooms — since 2025 the index rates your specific building (1–5 stars), so pick the exact one.
- Enter your current annual rent — the service returns the average market rent and the allowed increase for your unit.
- Landlord insists on more, or skipped the 90-day notice? The Rental Disputes Centre at DLD handles tenancy disputes; bring your Ejari, contract and the index printout.
Sources
- Official Rental Index calculator — Dubai Land Department
- Decree No. 43 of 2013 (rent increase slabs) and Law 26/2007 as amended (90-day notice) — dubailand.gov.ae
- Abu Dhabi rental cap 5% → 0% from 3 June 2026 — ADREC press release
Slabs and notice rules re-verified on 14 September 2026 — the five Decree 43/2013 bands and the 90-day notice rule are unchanged, and the Smart Rental Index remains the benchmark behind them. Corrected on the same date: Abu Dhabi's 5% cap was replaced by a 0% freeze on 3 June 2026 (ADREC), so the comparison in the FAQ was out of date.
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Renting guides
- Your landlord wants more rent — the 90-day notice rule, what to write back, and why refusing an increase is not a ground for eviction.
- Renting in Abu Dhabi instead? — the cap there went from 5% to zero on 3 June 2026, and nothing on this page applies.
- Reading the Smart Rental Index — where the market average comes from, and the five ways people pull the wrong number.
- Filing at the Rental Disputes Centre — 3.5% of the rent, AED 500 floor, 15-day conciliation, 30-day judgment window.
- Ejari: register, renew, cancel — AED 177.75 yourself, and the cancellation step everyone forgets.
- Eviction: Article 25 line by line — nine grounds during the term, four at expiry, and twelve months' notice served two ways only.
- Leaving a tenancy early — no statutory exit, no statutory penalty: what your two-month clause is really worth.
- Getting your deposit back — Articles 20 and 21, the deductions with no legal basis, and when a claim costs more than it recovers.
Related tools
- DEWA Bill Calculator — your rent also sets the 5% housing fee on every DEWA bill.
- UAE Salary & Take-Home Calculator — sanity-check the rent against your real net income.
- Mortgage Calculator UAE — the other side of the comparison, with the full cost of buying alongside it.