Renting an Apartment in Dubai in 2024: An Expat’s Guide
Renting an apartment in Dubai can be overwhelming, especially if you’re brand new to the city. The rental process here is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. But don’t worry – once you know the ins and outs of what to expect, it’s actually pretty easy to find a great place that fits your budget. That being said, you’ll have to learn a few new things first!
Do you know what DEWA and du are? Are you familiar with the post-dated checks system for paying rent in Dubai? Do you prefer a “chiller-free” apartment? Furnished or unfurnished?
These are all things I knew nothing about when I moved to Dubai in 2022. So to make your quest for renting an apartment in Dubai a little less painful than mine, here’s everything I wish I’d known when I was searching for my first apartment. And please, feel free to ask any questions in the comments below and I’ll get back to you!
*Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase or booking through one of these links I may earn a small commission (which I’m so thankful for!) at no extra cost to you.
Things to Know About Renting an Apartment in Dubai
Housing Options
In Dubai, most people either rent (or buy) an apartment or a villa. Villas are super popular options for families with children. They are usually a bit removed from other areas of the city and the metro, so you will definitely need a car to get around town. If you choose to rent an apartment in Dubai Marina (like me) or Downtown Dubai, you might not even need a car!
The Best Areas to Live
This is going to depend entirely on your situation. For example, if you have a job lined up, you’ll likely want to live somewhere that gives you easy access to your workplace, or if you’re moving here with children, you’ll probably want to be within close proximity to their school. After all, traffic in Dubai is notoriously bad, and you don’t want to spend all your free time commuting!
When it comes to apartment living, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, and Palm Jumeirah are all super popular areas for expats, but they do come with a higher price tag than other areas. For access to green spaces and walking areas, The Greens and Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) are both excellent family-friendly communities.
For something more affordable, Jumeirah Village Circle is a bit more removed from the action but you’ll get much larger units and much more affordable prices than other areas of town. Or if it’s a villa you’re after, communities like Dubai Hills and Arabian Ranches might be worth looking into.
Real Estate Agents
One important thing to know is that real estate agents in Dubai don’t do all that much to help with your apartment search. They pretty much unlock the door.
Instead of using one agent to help me search like I’m used to in the US, here I have to research units myself and reach out to individual agents to show me a specific property. So understand that you’ll be working with a number of agents during your apartment search.
Long-Term vs. Short-Term Rentals
If you’re looking for a long-term rental (an annual rental), do note that you will need your Emirates ID before you can sign a lease. Another important thing to note is that you’ll need to pay a substantial sum of money upfront for an annual rental: a 5% agent fee (of your annual rent), a 10% deposit for a furnished apartment or 5% for unfurnished, as well as deposits on things like DEWA (Dubai Electric and Water Authority), du or Etisalat (internet), etc.
Another quirk about renting annually is that you’ll likely have to pay with checks from your local bank account. While direct deposits are supposedly becoming more commonplace, I still pay with checks, so it’s worth mentioning.
It’s commonplace for landlords to ask for one check – which essentially means that you’re paying an entire year’s worth of rent upfront. Paying with one check can be used as a bargaining chip on your end if you want to negotiate the price or try to “outbid” other renters who may be paying with multiple checks.
Some landlords will allow you to pay twice a year with two checks, three times a year with three checks, etc. But it’s unlikely you’ll ever pay monthly rent, like you may be used to back home!
If you don’t have an Emirates ID or can’t afford the hefty upfront costs of renting annually, there are plenty of monthly rentals, which will include utilities and don’t require huge deposits. You can find a lot of options on either Airbnb or on the many Facebook groups.
Where to Search for Rentals
From my experience, there are two helpful sites where you can look for rental properties: propertyfinder.ae and dubizzle.com. These will mainly list annual rentals but you will find some monthly options as well.
One quirk about using these sites is that a lot of the listings are old and not actually available and the pictures can be very misleading. So you’ll always want to go see the units in person.
Chiller-Free vs. Not Chiller-Free
I’m not an expert on this, since I’ve only rented “chiller-free” units. But I can at least explain the chiller-free concept to you! Obviously it gets really hot in Dubai from May until October, so air-conditioning is just a part of life here.
There are some buildings in Dubai that offer “chiller-free” apartments, which essentially means that the tenant does not pay for air-conditioning, but they do pay for the electricity for it. The AC part is just covered by the landlord.
Not chiller-free is referred to as Empower (a power company in Dubai), so you’ll pay a separate utility bill each month for this. But again, I don’t have any experience of what this monthly cost would be. Though I hear it’s not bad.
I live in the Dubai Marina and due to the high humidity in the area, I’ve always been told to leave the AC running all summer long, despite the fact that I am not in Dubai over the summers. I’ve heard horror stories of people leaving Dubai for the summer only to return to moldy homes and burst pipes because they turned off their AC.
For me, it just made sense to seek out a chiller-free unit since I didn’t want to face high electricity bills but I’m not entirely sure if it’s really cheaper or if AC costs are just factored into our annual rent!
Annual RERA Increase
There are strict laws in place that prohibit landlords from completely hiking your rent each year. As a general rule of thumb, they can’t increase rent by more than 10% per year. That being said, both landlords and tenants will want to refer to the RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) rental index, which is issued each year.
Just click here, and you can find out if you should expect an increase in your rent. Again, I’m not an expert but it does seem like landlords can price tenants out of apartments after just a couple of years. Just something to keep in mind!
Unfurnished vs. Furnished
My first year in Dubai, I opted for a furnished apartment, mainly because the last thing I wanted to do was pay more to furnish an entire apartment. Furnished apartments will generally cost more than unfurnished, especially if they’re furnished nicely, and the deposits are a bit higher. But they are super convenient, especially if you don’t plan on staying in Dubai for more than a year or two.
My second year here I ended up renting an unfurnished apartment, which ended up being a way better value. But do note that unfurnished apartments in Dubai often don’t include large appliances like a refrigerator, washing machine, or stove. So if you go this route, you’ll have some extra upfront costs.
The Process Goes Quickly
If you’re thinking you need to start looking for a new apartment months in advance, that’s not exactly how things work here. If a place is vacant, things will move very quickly and you may be able to move in in as little as a couple of days.
But even if it’s not, you generally don’t need to start seriously looking more than a month or even a couple weeks in advance. Many real estate agents won’t even show you properties if you’re not moving within a few weeks.
You’ll Need to Get an Ejari Certificate
Once you’ve signed your contract, you’ll need to get an Ejari certificate before you can move in. This is essentially a formal system that registers the contract between the tenant and landlord. You’ll need the certificate to activate DEWA (your water and electricity) in your new apartment (a process that can take a few days so plan accordingly so you’re not living in the dark!).
Document Everything
Landlords in Dubai don’t have the best reputation. I’ve had decent luck but I always make sure to take photos of everything and document any damage that was caused to the apartment by the previous tenant. That way, when I move out I won’t be on the hook for it.
Where to Buy Furniture
This is Dubai, so shopping is easy peasy. You can order stuff on Amazon.ae and get it delivered as soon as the next day (without paying for next-day shipping!). Dubai is also home to two IKEAs, which makes furnishing a new place simple and relatively affordable. There’s also JYSK, which is like a higher-end IKEA.
If you’re on a budget, you’ll find tons of people offering excellent prices on barely used furniture on Facebook Marketplace or Facebook groups like IKEA Furniture Second Hand Dubai. If money’s not an issue, then you can shop till you drop at Marina Home or Crate & Barrel!
Also, note that sales are a big part of Dubai’s culture. For example, during Ramadan and summer, Dubai’s stores often have huge sales, so these are excellent times to furnish a place or get killer deals on new stuff!
