Dubai Rent Increase Rules: The RERA Index Bands (Decree 43 of 2013)
Decree No. 43 of 2013 caps rent increases on renewal by how far the current rent sits below the average rent for similar units in RERA's rent index (Art. 1 and Art. 3). It applies across Dubai, including free zones such as DIFC (Art. 2).
| Current rent compared with the index average | Maximum increase |
|---|---|
| Up to 10% below | No increase |
| 11% to 20% below | 5% |
| 21% to 30% below | 10% |
| 31% to 40% below | 15% |
| More than 40% below | 20% |
Worked example
Rent AED 80,000; index average for similar units AED 100,000.
The rent is 20% below the average, so the cap is 5%.
Maximum new rent: AED 80,000 x 1.05 = AED 84,000. The landlord must also give 90 days' notice of the change before the lease expires (Law No. 26 of 2007, Art. 14).
Practise with the rent and Ejari questions and the maths guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much can rent increase in Dubai?
From 0% to 20% depending on how far the rent is below the RERA index average (Decree No. 43 of 2013): 0% within 10%, then 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%.
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