Renting your first home in Dubai: From viewing to move-in

Once you find a home that fits, make sure the unit you viewed, the unit named in the contract and the unit you will register are the same. A Dubai rental moves through several separate steps: checking the listing and who represents the owner, agreeing the rent and other costs, signing and registering the lease, then setting up utilities and building access. Ask who is responsible for each step and which ones need to happen before the keys change hands. Dubai Land Department’s lease registration service · DEWA’s move-in service

Check the listing, broker and unit

If an agency advertises the property, look for the Madmoun QR code. Dubai Land Department says the code lets you see the authorised advertisement details, including the advertising company and property information. Compare what it shows with the unit you are being offered. If the details differ, resolve that before paying. A permit check tells you about the advertisement. Separately check the broker’s identity and who is authorised to offer and sign the lease. DLD’s Madmoun guidance

Look up the broker and office using DLD’s licensed broker directory. Ask for the owner or authorised representative’s details and compare them with the documents used for the agreement. DLD offers a title deed verification service. If the person signing is acting for the owner, ask for the authority they are relying on and confirm it covers the lease. DLD’s registration instructions distinguish the owner from a representative with an official power of attorney. DLD’s broker directory · Title deed verification · DLD’s representative requirements

At the viewing, confirm the building and unit number and ask what is included. If a parking space, appliance or storage room matters to you, identify it specifically. Try the taps, switches and locks where practical, and ask how cooling is billed. If work is promised before handover, ask who will do it and by what date. Record the details while you still have the option to compare the home with another listing.

Separate the rent from the money due before move-in

Ask for a written breakdown of the first payment and what will be due later. Put the rent instalments on a calendar. Identify the tenancy security deposit, any brokerage charge, registration fees, utility deposit and activation fees, and any separately billed cooling or building charges. Check the payee and what each payment covers before sending it. A rent quoted per year tells you the total rent, while the agreed schedule determines the cash you need when you sign and move in.

The Dubai tenancy law permits a landlord to take a security deposit and provides for refunding the deposit or its remainder at the end of the lease. Agree the amount and the conditions in writing, and keep evidence of payment. Treat that deposit separately from DEWA’s security deposit. They go to different parties and cover different obligations. If the broker asks for a fee, get the amount, recipient and payment terms in writing. Dubai tenancy law, Article 20 · DEWA’s deposit rules

When the landlord offers more than one payment schedule, ask for the annual rent under each and the due date of every instalment. Compare the full year as well as the amount due before the keys are released. Check whether any booking payment will be credited against the rent or deposit, and have the recipient spell out what happens if the lease falls through. Save the written offer and payment acknowledgement together. If account details change late in the process, confirm the change directly with the authorised party using contact details you have already checked.

Put the agreement in the lease before signing

The amended Dubai tenancy law says the lease should identify the property, its intended use, the term, the rent and payment method, and the owner if the landlord is a different person. It also requires registration for contracts covered by the law. Check the start and end dates and make sure any promised parking, furnishings or repairs appear in the signed documents. Ask for a complete copy of the contract and any addendum after signing. Amended Dubai tenancy law, Article 4

Read the maintenance terms with the actual home in mind. The original law places maintenance and repairs affecting intended use with the landlord unless the parties agree otherwise. Ask who handles a faulty appliance, an air-conditioning problem or a leak, how to report it and how repairs are authorised. If the lease allocates responsibilities differently, understand that wording before signing. The amended law also addresses handing over the home in usable condition. Dubai tenancy law, Article 16 · Amended handover provision

Register the tenancy through the channel that fits

Ejari is the tenancy registration step. DLD lists Dubai REST, its Ejari system, trustee centres and Dubai Now. The choice depends on who owns or manages the property and who is applying. The general registration service lists a copy of the unified tenancy contract for the app. For a trustee centre, it lists the original unified contract, the applicant’s Emirates ID and representative documents when applicable. DLD also says trustee registration has conditions when the property is managed by a real estate company or an owner who has Ejari system access. Confirm the route with the property manager before setting aside time for an office visit. DLD’s channel conditions and documents

DLD publishes AED 177.75 as the total for registration via its app or website and AED 220 as the trustee-centre total. Use the total listed for your channel and check it at payment. Dubai Now has a separate workflow for eligible individual owners who manage their own properties. The owner initiates and signs, then the tenant reviews, signs through UAE Pass and pays. Save the electronic registration certificate with the signed agreement. DLD’s published registration totals · Dubai Now eligibility and steps

Build time for a registration problem into the move. Compare the tenant’s name and the property identifiers across the lease and the documents used to register it. If the system still shows a previous tenancy, ask the landlord or manager to confirm its status and contact the registration channel about the remedy for that property. Hold off on firm commitments that depend on the certificate until you know when the registration can proceed. Keep the application or service reference so the next person you speak to can find the same case. DLD tenancy registration service

Activate DEWA and check how the building supplies cooling

For the integrated move-in route, DEWA receives the registration details after Ejari is issued. Look for a welcome email or SMS with the contract account number and deposit details. If the welcome message fails to arrive, DEWA’s Ejari FAQ directs you to the Move In service on its website or app, where you can use the Ejari or premises number to look up the payment. Check that the premises number belongs to your unit. For premises exempt from Ejari, including qualifying free-zone properties, DEWA provides a separate application route. Confirm the exemption for the actual unit before using that option. DEWA’s activation guide · DEWA’s Ejari FAQ

DEWA lists a residential security deposit of AED 2,000 for a flat and AED 4,000 for a villa. The connection charge is AED 125 for small meters or AED 300 for large meters, with three additional AED 10 charges for registration, knowledge and innovation. Confirm the meter category and total for the premises. Allow for the published 15 working hours after deposit payment and contact DEWA if activation runs past that window. If you are arranging a move around a public holiday or a late handover, plan the truck and any temporary accommodation around confirmed access and supply. DEWA’s charges and service timing

Ask the building manager how the specific unit gets its air conditioning. If the listing says cooling is included, get that wording reflected in the agreement and ask what it covers. For separately billed district cooling, identify the provider, who opens the account, and whether the tariff has a fixed component as well as a consumption charge. Ask for the deposit, registration cost and activation steps for that building. Some district cooling registration charges vary by project or building, so a figure from another address is a poor basis for your budget. Ask for written confirmation early enough to organise cooling alongside water and power. Example of provider-specific registration requirements

Work out the cash you need before the first night

Take a hypothetical AED 84,000 apartment lease with four equal rent payments and an agreed first instalment due at signing. The first instalment is AED 21,000. Add AED 177.75 for Ejari through the DLD app or website, AED 2,000 for the DEWA deposit and AED 155 for small-meter activation at the listed rates. That subtotal is AED 23,332.75. It still needs the figures from your offer for the lease deposit and brokerage, plus any cooling, building and moving costs. The other three AED 21,000 rent payments follow on the dates agreed in the contract. DLD registration charge · DEWA deposit and activation charges

When comparing homes, build that same subtotal for each offer and add two dates to your notes, the day you need the money and the day you can actually occupy the unit. An apartment with lower annual rent can still require more cash upfront if its first instalment is larger. A unit available at signing can also have a later practical move date if building approval or cooling activation is pending. Ask who owns each next step and which documents they need from you.

Arrange building access and make a handover record

Before confirming movers, get the building’s instructions in writing. Ask whether you need a move permit, which documents the manager accepts, when the freight lift is available and where the truck can unload. If the building requires a deposit or advance approval, ask how payment and refunds work and when a booking is considered confirmed. The lift booking and the keys can come from different people. Share the confirmed slot and loading instructions with the mover. Example of a building-specific tenant handbook

At handover, count the keys, access cards, parking remotes and any other items you will need to return. Test entry to the building and parking, then walk the unit with the representative if possible. Take dated photos of existing marks, damaged fittings or missing items and send a single list to the landlord or manager. For a furnished home, match the inventory to what is actually in each room. If a repair is pending, record who is responsible, how the contractor will get access and the agreed date. Keep the acknowledgement with the lease so both sides can refer to the same starting condition.

Check the difference between access to the flat and permission for the move itself. A key may get you through the apartment door, while the mover still needs clearance to use the loading bay. If you need a delivery on a separate day, ask whether a sofa or appliance delivery needs its own booking. At the end of the handover, write down the contact for building access and the contact for problems inside the flat. That saves time if a card fails at the parking barrier or a leak turns up after the first shower.

Save the signed lease and addenda, Ejari certificate, payment receipts, utility account details, building approval and the handover record together. On moving day, the useful checks are simple. The truck can get in during its slot, the keys and cards work, the water and electricity are on, and you know how cooling works in your unit. If one item is outstanding, contact the person responsible before the truck arrives.