Renting a Villa in Dubai: What the Annual Contract Really Commits You To

A Dubai tenancy is a twelve month commitment for a stated annual rent, registered with Ejari. On a villa that commitment carries obligations most tenants do not discover until something breaks.

The mechanics

• An annual rent, paid in an agreed number of cheques. Fewer cheques, better price.
• A security deposit, commonly 5 per cent unfurnished and more furnished.
• Ejari registration, which you need for utilities and visas and which protects you in a dispute. Insist on it.
• Agency commission, typically 5 per cent of the annual rent.

Who pays for what on a villa

This is where villa tenancies differ most from apartments, and where contracts are most often vague. Establish in writing, before signing:

• Air conditioning servicing and repair. On a villa this is significant and recurring. A common arrangement is that the tenant covers minor maintenance up to a stated figure and the landlord covers major items, but the figure and the definition must be written down.
• Garden and landscaping.
• Pool maintenance and chemicals, which is a monthly cost, not an occasional one.
• Pest control.
• Community fees, which are the owner’s liability but which some contracts try to pass on.

Renewal and increases

Rent increases at renewal are governed by an index rather than by whatever the landlord would like, and both sides must give notice ahead of renewal. Check the index for your area before accepting a proposed increase, and read how Dubai rent increases are calculated.

Leaving early

There is no automatic right to break a Dubai tenancy. What you have is whatever the contract says, and many contracts include an early termination clause with a penalty of one or two months rent plus notice. If there is any chance you will leave inside the year, negotiate that clause before you sign rather than after, because afterwards you are asking a favour.

We read the contract with you before you sign it. How monthly payment works covers the cheque side, and getting your deposit back covers the end.

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