Rent renewal season turns agents into referees. The landlord wants more, the tenant says no, and both expect you to take their side. Decree No. 43 of 2013 means you do not have to take sides - the law sets exactly what increase is permitted, and your job is to show the math.
The brackets
The permitted increase depends on how far the current rent sits below the average market rent for similar properties, as published in the RERA rental index:
- Rent within 10% of the index average: no increase permitted
- 11-20% below: up to 5%
- 21-30% below: up to 10%
- 31-40% below: up to 15%
- More than 40% below: up to 20% (the maximum)
Note what this means in practice: a landlord whose rent is roughly at market cannot raise it at all, no matter what neighbouring listings ask. And even a severely under-market rent can only move 20% per renewal cycle.
The 90-day rule
The increase is only half the story. Under Law 33 of 2008, a landlord must give the tenant at least 90 days written notice before the contract renewal date to change any term - including rent. Miss the window, and the increase waits a full cycle, regardless of what the index says.
This is where deals are won and lost. An agent who checks the notice deadline in February for a June renewal saves the landlord a year of forgone income.
How to use this with landlords
Do not argue. Calculate. "Here is the RERA index average for a 2BR in this community, here is your current rent, here is the bracket that puts you in, and here is the deadline to serve notice." Landlords accept numbers from the government far more readily than opinions from anyone.
How to use this with tenants
The same math protects tenants from unlawful increases. If the demanded increase exceeds the bracket - or notice came late - the tenant has solid ground at the Rental Dispute Centre, and most landlords settle when shown the calculation.
Klozer's rent increase tool runs the Decree 43 brackets and the 90-day deadline automatically and produces a branded report you can hand to either side. Look up the index figure at rentindex.dubailand.gov.ae, and always verify outcomes on official channels - this is guidance, not a legal determination.