Your tenancy contract is approaching renewal, and the landlord has proposed a higher rent. How do you know whether the increase is allowed? Dubai provides an official Rental Index through the Dubai Land Department to help tenants, landlords, and property managers check the applicable rental value and permitted increase. This tool is still commonly referred to as the RERA Rental Calculator.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to use it, how rental increase limits work, what the 90-day notice rule means, and what to do with the result.
The RERA Rental Calculator is the common name used for Dubai’s official rent-increase checking tool. Today, the service is provided by the Dubai Land Department through its Rental Index, which helps users compare the current annual rent with the applicable rental value for the property.
Landlords, tenants, and property managers can use the result to understand whether a rental increase may apply at renewal and, if so, the maximum percentage permitted under Dubai’s rent-increase framework.
RERA, or the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, operates within Dubai’s real estate regulatory framework, while the Dubai Land Department provides the current online Rental Index service.
So, although people still commonly search for the “RERA Rental Calculator,” the official tool you should rely on is the DLD Rental Index.
Dubai Land Department introduced the Smart Rental Index in January 2025 to improve how residential rental values are assessed across Dubai.
Instead of relying only on broad area-level averages, the newer system considers more detailed building-level factors, including location, building quality, maintenance, facilities, and other property characteristics used in DLD’s classification framework.
For tenants and landlords, the practical takeaway is simple: older articles may still refer to the traditional “RERA Rental Calculator,” but the current reference point is the DLD Rental Index and Smart Rental Index framework.
That makes it especially important to use the live DLD tool for an actual renewal rather than relying on old rent tables, outdated screenshots, or third-party calculators.
The official rental increase calculator is available through the Dubai Land Department Rental Index. You can also access related rental services through channels such as the Dubai REST app and Ejari.
Go to the Dubai Land Department’s Rental Index rather than relying on an old screenshot or an unofficial third-party calculator. This helps ensure you are using the current rental data and rules.
Choose the category that applies to the tenancy. The available options can include residential, commercial, industrial, industrial land, and staff accommodation.
Provide the information requested for the property. Depending on the property type and search method, this may include:
Make sure you enter the annual rent, not the monthly amount, when the calculator asks for the current rental value.
The tool will show the applicable rental value and whether an increase may be permitted based on the information entered.
Pay particular attention to:
This result should be checked before agreeing to a new renewal amount, especially if the proposed increase is higher than expected.
Dubai’s rental increase limits are set out in Decree No. 43 of 2013. The permitted increase depends on how far the current annual rent is below the applicable average rental value.
The key point is that a landlord does not automatically have the right to raise the rent by 20%. That is only the highest permitted band.
For example, if the current rent is 15% below the applicable average rental value, the maximum increase is 5%. If the rent is already within 10% of the average, no increase is permitted under this framework.
For an actual renewal, use the current DLD Rental Index rather than estimating the increase manually.
Suppose the current annual rent for a Dubai property is AED 80,000, while the applicable average rental value shown by the DLD Rental Index is AED 100,000.
The difference is AED 20,000, which means the current rent is 20% below the average rental value.
Under Dubai’s rental increase framework, a property priced 11%–20% below the average rental value falls into the 5% maximum increase band.
The calculation would be:
AED 80,000 × 5% = AED 4,000
So, the maximum renewed annual rent in this example would be:
AED 84,000
This is only an illustrative example. For an actual tenancy renewal, landlords and tenants should use the current Dubai Land Department Rental Index because the applicable rental value depends on the specific property details entered into the official system.
Generally, yes. Under Article 14 of Dubai’s tenancy law, either party that wants to change the terms of a tenancy contract must notify the other party at least 90 days before the contract expires, unless both parties have agreed otherwise.
Dubai Land Department also states that a rent increase supported by the Smart Rental Index will not apply if the landlord did not provide the required 90-day notice before expiry.
This means two conditions matter at renewal:
Tenants and landlords should therefore check both the calculator result and the notice date before finalizing a revised rental amount.
The calculator result is most useful before renewal negotiations begin. It gives both parties a common reference point for discussing the new rent.
The DLD Rental Index should be treated as the official reference point for the calculation, but the final renewal process also depends on factors such as notice timing and the terms of the tenancy agreement.
If the proposed rent increase does not match the result from the official calculator, start by checking the property and tenancy details entered into the DLD Rental Index.
It is also important to confirm whether the required renewal notice was provided on time.
Keep copies of relevant documents, including:
If the tenant and landlord still cannot agree, the dispute may need to be handled through Dubai’s formal rental dispute process.
Neither party should rely only on a verbal calculation or an unofficial third-party calculator. Using the current DLD result and keeping clear documentation makes it easier to understand the basis of the proposed increase and resolve disagreements.
For landlords and property managers handling multiple leases, checking the rental increase only when a tenant asks about renewal can create unnecessary last-minute work. A simple renewal schedule makes the process easier to manage.
Start reviewing contracts well before the legal notice window:
The 120-day point is an operational recommendation, not a legal deadline. It simply gives the property team enough time to review each contract properly.
Where a change to the lease terms is proposed, make sure the required notice is sent within the applicable timeframe and keep a record of the communication.
Update the contract records, rental amount, invoicing schedule, receivables, and any related property-management information.
For larger portfolios, this process becomes much easier when contract expiry dates, rent, invoices, payments, and renewal activity are tracked in one system rather than across separate spreadsheets and reminders.
Checking one lease against the RERA Rental Calculator is relatively simple. The challenge increases when a landlord or property manager is handling dozens or hundreds of contracts with different expiry dates, tenants, rental values, invoices, and maintenance requirements.
This is where a connected rental management system can help.
HAL Rentals brings property, owner, renter, and contract information into one system. It also supports contract-ending-date visibility, rent and receivables tracking, invoicing, pending-payment monitoring, expected monthly yield, and maintenance management.
That can make the operational side of renewals easier to manage across a larger portfolio.
The official DLD Rental Index should still be used to determine the permitted rental increase for a Dubai tenancy. HAL does not replace that calculation; it can help property teams manage the surrounding workflow, including contract tracking, billing, payments, and renewal administration.
The RERA Rental Calculator is the common name for Dubai’s official rent-increase checking tool. The current service is provided through the Dubai Land Department Rental Index.
Use the Dubai Land Department Rental Index rather than relying only on third-party calculators. DLD also provides related rental services through channels such as Dubai REST and Ejari.
Under Decree No. 43 of 2013, the maximum increase is 20%. However, that percentage applies only when the existing rent is more than 40% below the applicable average rental value.
No. A 20% increase is the highest band under the current framework, not an automatic annual entitlement. The permitted increase depends on how the existing rent compares with the applicable rental value shown by the official index.
Generally, yes. Article 14 of Dubai’s tenancy law requires at least 90 days’ notice before changing tenancy terms, unless the parties have agreed otherwise.
Depending on the property and search method, you may need the contract expiry date, property type, area, building details, bedroom count, current annual rent, and Ejari or tenancy information.
People still commonly use that name, but Dubai’s current official service is the DLD Rental Index. Residential rental valuation now operates within the Smart Rental Index framework introduced in 2025.
