How the Dubai rent increase rule actually works
In Dubai, a landlord cannot raise your rent by any amount they like. The cap is set by Decree No. 43 of 2013, which ties the maximum increase to how far your current rent sits below the market average for comparable units in your area. The further below market you are paying, the larger the increase a landlord is allowed to ask for — up to a hard ceiling of 20%.
This is a genuine government regulation, not a market convention. But it only bites at renewal, and only if the gap to market is wide enough. If your current rent is already close to the market average, the legal increase is zero.
The Decree 43 sliding scale
The brackets below are measured by how far your current rent is below the market average rent for similar properties. Work out the gap, find the band, and that is the maximum percentage a landlord may legally add at renewal:
- Up to 10% below market: no increase allowed (0%).
- 11% to 20% below market: up to a 5% increase.
- 21% to 30% below market: up to a 10% increase.
- 31% to 40% below market: up to a 15% increase.
- More than 40% below market: up to a 20% increase — the maximum.
These are ceilings, not entitlements. A landlord can ask for less than the bracket allows, or for nothing at all. What they cannot do is exceed the band your rent falls into.
The one number this tool can't give you — and why
Everything turns on the market-average rent, and that figure is live and proprietary. It comes from the official RERA rental index, published through the Dubai REST app and the Dubai Land Department's online services. Only that official calculator knows the current index value for your exact building, unit type and area.
So this tool deliberately does not invent or estimate the market average — that would make the answer worthless. Instead, you get the market-average figure from the official RERA calculator, type it in here alongside your current rent, and this tool does the Decree 43 bracket maths for you. Treat it as a clear, sourced second opinion on the official result, not a replacement for it.
How to find your market average on the official calculator
Pull the official figure first, then come back here:
- Open the Dubai REST app (or the DLD / Dubai Land Department website's rental-index service).
- Find the Rental Index / rent-increase calculator and enter your area, property type, number of bedrooms and current rent.
- It returns the average market rent for comparable units and the permitted increase for your case.
- Bring that average rent figure into the calculator above to see the bracket and your maximum new rent broken down line by line.
The 90-day notice rule
Even where an increase is permitted, the landlord cannot spring it on you. Under Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008), a landlord must give at least 90 days' written notice before the renewal date to change any term of the tenancy — including the rent. Miss that window, and the existing rent rolls over for another year on the same terms.
In practice this means: if you have not had written notice of an increase at least 90 days before your contract ends, the rent should not change at the next renewal. Keep the dated notice — it is your evidence.
What to do if a landlord asks for more than the cap
If a landlord demands an increase above your Decree 43 bracket, or tries to raise the rent without proper notice, you are not obliged to accept it. The route is the Rental Dispute Centre (RDC), the dedicated tribunal run by the Dubai Land Department for landlord–tenant disputes. You can file a case there to have the legal increase determined and enforced.
Before it gets that far, it usually helps to put the maths in front of the landlord: the official RERA index result plus the Decree 43 bracket. Many disputes end there, because the cap is not a matter of opinion.
Dubai only — other emirates differ
This calculator and the Decree 43 scale apply to Dubai only. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the other emirates run their own rules and caps, so do not apply these brackets outside Dubai. If you are weighing whether to keep renting or buy instead, our rent vs buy calculator compares the true multi-year cost of each. And before you sign anywhere, factor in the ongoing service charges an owner pays that a tenant does not.
Read the rules in full
For the detail behind the brackets, the notice period and the dispute process, see our Dubai rent increase rules guide. You can also browse all calculators on the site. Remember: this tool estimates the legal ceiling from the figures you enter — it is for estimation only, not financial or legal advice, and the official RERA index is the authority on the market-average rent.