Dubai rent increase limits: Decree 43 of 2013 bands
Under Decree No. 43 of 2013, a Dubai landlord can raise the rent at renewal by at most 20% (decree read 9 October 2026 on Dubai Land Department's website). Where the rent is less than 10% below the market rental rate, Decree No. 43 of 2013 allows no increase (read 9 October 2026). Dubai Land Department's FAQ adds that a change in rent needs at least 90 days' notice before the contract ends.
DLD is the Dubai Land Department. RERA is the Real Estate Regulatory Agency. Ejari is DLD's system for registering tenancy contracts.
What are the bands?
Decree No. 43 of 2013 sets the maximum increase at renewal by how far the unit's rent sits below the market rental rate. DLD's rules page links an English text of it, read 9 October 2026:
| Rent below the market rental rate by | Maximum increase at renewal (decree read 9 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Less than 10% | No increase |
| 11% to 20% | 5% of the rent |
| 21% to 30% | 10% of the rent |
| 31% to 40% | 15% of the rent |
| More than 40% | 20% of the rent |
Article 3 of the decree says the market rental rate is set by the "Rent Index of the Emirate of Dubai", approved by RERA. Article 2 applies the decree to all landlords in the emirate, including special development areas, free zones and the Dubai International Financial Center.
The decree is dated 18 December 2013 and says it took effect on issue.
How much notice does a landlord give?
DLD's FAQ (read 9 October 2026) says either party who wants to change the terms or the rent must notify the other at least 90 days before the contract expires. Both may agree otherwise. Another FAQ answer says the owner can increase rent based on the rental index, with 3 months' prior notice to the tenant.
Is the rental index binding?
DLD's FAQ says the rental index "is indicative and is not mandatory for the new lease" (FAQ read 9 October 2026). It says the index becomes mandatory when the two parties disagree about the increase on renewing a contract.
The FAQ also says the owner may raise the rent only after consulting the Rental Increase Calculator and knowing the increase allowed by area. It names the building's condition, its services, its location and its age as factors.
The FAQ's answers on the Smart Residential Rent Index say increase rates depend on the gap between the rent and the market rent. They give a range "from 0% to 20%" (FAQ read 9 October 2026).
How do I run DLD's calculation?
DLD's Rental Index service page lists what the customer enters: the contract's expiry date, property type, area, number of rooms and annual rent (read 9 October 2026). It lists DLD's website (Ejari system), the Dubai REST app and the DubaiNow app as channels.
The calculator page, read with a plain download on 9 October 2026, shows the input fields but no bands or results. Keyva did not run it.
What if landlord and tenant disagree?
DLD's FAQ says that if the two do not agree, the committee sets the rent (FAQ read 9 October 2026). It names RERA's criteria for rent increases, the emirate's general economic situation, the property's condition and rents for similar properties in the same area.
Keyva's own pages
Keyva's cost of moving page prints typical rents of AED 87 per sq ft for new lets and AED 66 per sq ft for renewals, from 587,750 residential Ejari contracts starting in the trailing twelve months (Dubai Land Department file dated 8 October 2026, page read 9 October 2026). Its rent increase page applies the decree's bands to recorded new-let rents and names RERA's calculator as the authoritative one.
Keyva is independent and is not part of, or endorsed by, the Dubai Land Department.
Prepared 9 October 2026 from pages read that day.