Annual contract
One tenant, rent paid upfront by cheque, utilities on the tenant, the contract registered in Ejari. Rises on renewal are capped by the Land Department scale, but the income is predictable.
Service
Letting your apartment in Dubai
No. 1 for letting apartments in Dubai for English-speaking owners and investors: we choose the format for the district, prepare the flat, find and vet the tenant, register the contract in Ejari and run the property afterwards. Gross yields in Dubai are 5–8% a year; net is usually 1.5–2.5 percentage points lower, and vacancy widens that gap.
Let your apartment
Name and number — we will come back with a rent estimate for your building and a plan to get it let quickly.
Vida Residence Downtown: ready apartments beside the Burj
The full write-up is on the video page.
The market favours owners: roughly three quarters of Dubai’s rental market is long-term, a year’s rent is paid upfront by cheque, and the UAE has no personal income tax on rental income. In 2024 the city welcomed 17 million tourists, 19% more than the year before, which feeds short-let demand.
The work is led by a RERA-licensed broker: a rent based on closed contracts in your building, viewings, tenant checks, the contract and Ejari. For furnishing, home staging and holiday-home operation we bring in invited specialists who are not on our staff, and we stay involved until the result.
Shared accommodation in Dubai: what Law No. 4 of 2026 changes for owners and sublets
Sharing in Dubai is not banned, but Law No. 4 of 2026 puts it under one permit from Dubai Municipality, caps occupancy at about 5 sq m per person and ends bed-space sublets.
Read the full article →Annual contract or short-let: which should you choose?
Location decides. By the sea, in Downtown and near landmarks short-lets are stronger; in family and residential districts an annual contract wins. Compare net income over twelve months, not a winter nightly rate.
Short-let
Higher gross income, but a small business: a DTCM permit, full furnishing, cleaning and seasonality. An operator typically takes 15–25% of revenue, and utility bills stay with the owner.
Mid-term let
One to three months for people relocating or on assignment: rent above the annual rate, less work than nightly letting. It suits the summer months.
How much of the rent does the owner actually keep?
Gross yields in Dubai are usually 5–8% a year, and net comes out 1.5–2.5 percentage points lower. The difference goes on the service charge, the letting fee, management, vacancy between tenants and repairs.
The service charge is the main deduction: billed per square foot per year, due whether the flat is let or empty, and able to differ twofold between two buildings in one district. It rises 7–10 years after handover.
One empty month is 8% of the year’s income gone, and it hurts the numbers more than any fee.
How an annual contract works: cheques, deposit, Ejari
The tenancy runs for a year and is paid upfront in 1, 2, 4, sometimes 6 or 12 cheques. The number is negotiable: the gap in rent between one cheque and twelve reaches 8–12% of the annual sum.
The deposit is usually 5% of annual rent for an unfurnished flat and 10% for a furnished one. The condition at handover is recorded in an inventory with dated photographs, which decide deposit disputes.
Ejari registration is mandatory. Without it the tenant cannot connect DEWA or sponsor a family visa, and the owner cannot rely on the contract at the Rental Disputes Centre (RDC).
What do you need to run a short-let?
Two permissions: a holiday-home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DTCM) and the consent of the building itself — not every tower allows short-lets. Confirm both in writing.
The format pays where demand is short by nature: the coastline, Dubai Marina, JBR, Downtown. Dubai trades confidently from October to April and weaker in summer, so the full-year result sits closer to a long let than winter figures suggest.
Why is my Dubai apartment not letting?
The cause is almost always on the owner’s side: an off-market price, weak photographs, a passive agent or the wrong format for the location. If the first week or two bring neither enquiries nor viewings, the rent is too high.
Benchmark against closed contracts in your building. A liquid flat finds a tenant within a few weeks; a void longer than six to eight weeks means the price, the presentation or the channel has to change.
How much can the rent go up at renewal?
Increases follow the Land Department scale in force since 2013. If the rent is no more than 10% below market, no rise is allowed; a gap of 11–20% permits up to 5%, 21–30% up to 10%, 31–40% up to 15%, and more than 40% up to 20%.
The tenant must be told of new terms at least 90 days before the contract ends, otherwise it renews unchanged. A flat let 35% below market becomes only 15% dearer, so the opening rent has to be set correctly.
How we let the apartment
The work runs in four steps, from rent to management; the owner does not need to be in Dubai, as everything is done under power of attorney.
- 1
A market rent
Set from closed contracts in your building, not from expectations. A fast tenant almost always beats a few extra percent after months of vacancy.
- 2
Preparation
Small repairs, air-conditioning service, furnishing and home staging where needed. Then a professional shoot, which multiplies enquiries.
- 3
Tenant and contract
Viewings, tenant checks, a contract setting out the deposit and its return terms, dated cheques for the whole term, an inventory with photographs, Ejari registration.
- 4
Management
Payments, repairs on request, notice of new terms 90 days ahead, Ejari renewal and reporting. For short-lets: booking platforms, dynamic pricing and cleaning.
Who does the work?
The letting is handled by a RERA-licensed broker personally — from the rent appraisal and viewings to registration and renewal. For furnishing, home staging, photography and holiday-home operation we bring in invited independent practitioners: they are not on our staff, and we stay involved until the result.
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Let your apartment
Name and number — we will come back with a rent estimate for your building and a plan to get it let quickly.
Let your apartment
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More on this from our channel
Reviews and explainers from our English YouTube channel.
Frequently asked questions
Do owners pay tax on rental income in the UAE?
The UAE has no personal income tax on rent. An owner’s costs are the service charge, maintenance, management and insurance. Your country of tax residence may still tax the income — that question is settled at home.
Does the flat need to be furnished?
For short-lets, yes, and fully. For an annual contract it depends on the district: in central locations furnished flats let faster and for more, while in family communities tenants often arrive with their own furniture.
Can I let the flat without living in Dubai?
Yes — that is how most of our clients do it: viewings, the contract, Ejari and rent collection run under power of attorney, and reports arrive remotely.
What if the tenant stops paying?
Serve a notice through a notary or by registered mail demanding payment within 30 days. If nothing arrives, file a claim at the RDC: the fee is 3.5% of annual rent, no less than AED 500 and no more than AED 20,000.
See also
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