Q: I am a landlord and trying to increase the villa rent in accordance with the DLD rent evaluation certificate basis. 90 days before the current lease expires, I sent the tenant a registered mail and email along with a rental evaluation certificate asking to increase the rent as per DLD valuation. The evaluation certificate showed an increase of 40% in the current rent. My tenant refused the rent increase according to the DLD evaluation certificate and he told me by phone about 30 days before the end of the rent contract that he will deposit the rent with RERA without any increase in the rent. What are my options?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Would you clarify whether the Rent Valuation Certificate supersedes RERA's Index for the rent renewal contract process? My tenancy contract is dated 05.10.2023 for renewal. I agreed to increase the rent according to RERA's Index and sent him the RERA index calculation certificate, which shows a 5% increase. However, he replied that, according to Law 43 of the year 2013, the rental index is not the sole reference for the benchmark rent that you have shared. According to the law, he can request a rent evaluation certificate for this apartment, which is currently 20% higher than my rent. Therefore, the rent will now have to be according to the Rent Valuation Certificate. I proposed to him to increase the rent by 7.5% instead of the 5% calculated by the RERA calculator. However, he insists on a 20% increase.

Q: Hi, I am a landlord and getting 105k as rent. The renewal is coming and the RERA index shows no increase but I got RVC which says the rental value is AED 150k. How much can I ask for an increase from the tenant?

Q: Hello all, I'm renting a villa in the Springs area. Last year, the landlord made an evaluation certificate in March 2023 and 90 days before renewal, the property management company informed me that based on the evaluation certificate, the landlord would increase the price by 20%, I accepted it. Current contract from July 2023 till July 2024, rent value 160,000. In March 2024, I received an email from the landlord (92 days before renewal) that he wanted to increase rent again by 20% and attached the same certificate from March 2023 which has been used for the 2023 contract renewal. The certificate states that validity is 1 year. So when they sent an email with a notification, the certificate was still officially valid. Can the landlord use the evaluation certificate twice to increase property rent in 2023 and then in 2024? Why evaluation certificate is valid for 1 year if the market changes every month? How can I check that the certificate is not "fake"? Can the landlord use a certificate issued in March 2023 to increase the rent for the property, considering that the contract renewal date is in July 2024?

An interview-format article covering the topic of residential retail properties pertaining to the liability for property maintenance and the repercussions of defaulting on rent payments in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

This Decree determines the maximum percentage of rent increase for real property in the Emirate of Dubai when renewing lease contracts.

The provisions of this Law apply to real property leased out in the Emirate of Dubai, including vacant and agricultural lands, but excluding hotel establishments and real property provided by natural or legal persons as accommodation to their employees at no charge.