Abu Dhabi Rental Laws: A Complete Guide for Tenants and Landlords

Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Checked against the text of Abu Dhabi Law No. 20 of 2006 as amended, the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre's June 2026 rent cap announcement and the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Sources are listed at the end.

Key Takeaways

• Renting in Abu Dhabi is governed by Law No. 20 of 2006, as amended by Law No. 4 of 2010. Every tenancy contract must be in writing (Article 3) and registered in Tawtheeq.
• Since 3 June 2026 the annual rent increase cap is 0 percent for residential, commercial and industrial tenancies, until further notice. Before that it was 5 percent.
• To end or change a residential lease, either party must give two months' written notice before expiry, three months for commercial premises (Article 20, Law 20/2006).
• During the term a landlord can only seek eviction on the grounds in Article 23 of Law 20/2006, such as unpaid rent, unauthorised subletting or demolition of a building more than fifteen years old.
• Disputes go to the Rental Dispute Settlement Committees under the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, and only a Tawtheeq-registered contract can be filed on.

What Does Abu Dhabi Tenancy Law Cover?

Abu Dhabi's tenancy law is Law No. 20 of 2006 concerning the leasing of premises and the relationship between landlords and tenants, as amended by Law No. 4 of 2010. It applies to all real estate rented for residential, commercial, industrial, professional or vocational use in the emirate (Article 2). Exempt, and regulated separately by the Executive Council, are agricultural land, government-owned housing land, land allocated to ADNOC for petroleum services, hotel and tourism property including furnished apartments (Article 29), and housing occupied as a condition of employment.

If you are renting a standard apartment, villa, office or shop, you are covered. A furnished let is not, so check which rules apply before you sign. The rules below are the law's own, with the article numbers so you can check them.

Signing and Registering a Tenancy Contract

All tenancy agreements in Abu Dhabi must be in writing (Article 3). If the paperwork is missing, the tenant may still prove the tenancy by any means of proof, and where the agreed rent cannot be shown, the committee sets a "similar rental" from comparable properties (Article 4).

The contract then has to be registered in Tawtheeq, Abu Dhabi's tenancy register, under Executive Council Resolution No. 4 of 2011. The landlord, or a property manager acting for them, registers it on TAMM for AED 50. Without registration ADDC will not connect utilities, there is no reference rent for the rent cap, and no dispute can be filed. It is the Abu Dhabi equivalent of Ejari in Dubai.

Expatriate tenants also pay a municipality fee of 5 percent of the annual rent, minimum AED 450, collected monthly on the ADDC bill under Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2018. UAE nationals are exempt for their residential leases. If the year's rent itself is the obstacle, Keyper lets you pay your rent monthly in 12 card payments while the landlord is paid upfront.

What Are the Landlord's Responsibilities?

The landlord must hand over the property in a condition suitable for the agreed use (Article 5). If it is unusable at handover, the tenant can ask the committee to cancel the contract or reduce the rent (Article 6). During the tenancy the landlord must keep the property fit for use and carry out all necessary repairs, unless the contract says otherwise (Article 7). That means urgent repairs that protect the property, and repairs the tenant needs in order to use it. If the landlord is notified and still delays, the tenant can apply to the committee for permission to do the work and deduct the cost from the rent (Article 8). Minor, customary "rental repairs" are the tenant's job (Article 14).

What Are the Tenant's Responsibilities?

• Pay rent on time. Residential rent is due within 21 days of the agreed date, commercial rent within 30 days, unless agreed otherwise (Article 11, Law 20/2006), whichever payment method you use.
• If the landlord refuses payment, deposit the rent with a national bank in the committee's name and notify the committee. The receipt discharges you for that amount (Article 11, Law 20/2006).
• Use the property as agreed (Article 12, Law 20/2006), and do not alter it without written permission unless the change causes no damage (Article 13).
• Do not sublet or assign without the landlord's written permission. Permission given afterwards counts the same, and a sublease cannot outrun the main lease (Article 17).
• Pay for utilities and any damage you cause from handover until you return the property (Article 15, Law 20/2006). A tenant who stays on after expiry pays rent until the property is actually returned (Article 22).

Can a Landlord Increase the Rent in Abu Dhabi?

Not during the contract. The rent agreed in the lease binds both parties for the whole term (Article 16, Law 20/2006). At renewal, Article 16(2) caps the increase at 5 percent a year and lets the Chairman of the Executive Council raise, lower or cancel that figure. It is currently cancelled, which is why older guides still quote 5 percent.

On 3 June 2026 that percentage was set to 0 for residential, commercial and industrial property, temporarily and until further notice. Renewals reference the rent on the last registered Tawtheeq contract, and a landlord who exceeds the cap can be ordered to reduce the increase and fined up to one year's rent (Article 16(5), Law 20/2006). Breaches can be reported to ADREC.

How Much Notice Must a Landlord Give?

A lease runs to the end of its term and renews by agreement. If it expires and the tenant stays on with the landlord's knowledge and without objection, it renews for a similar term on the same conditions (Article 20(2), Law 20/2006). A party who does not want to renew, or wants to change the conditions including the rent, must tell the other in writing. That is two months before expiry for residential property, and three months for commercial, industrial or professional property (Article 20(3), Law 20/2006). Many people search for a "60 day" notice, and two months is the law's wording.

Before Law No. 4 of 2010, a landlord could not ask a tenant to leave at expiry. Since the amendment, a landlord may decline to renew at the end of the term provided the notice above is given, and the renewal timeline runs from that date. During the term, the landlord needs one of the grounds in the next section.

When Can a Landlord Evict a Tenant?

Subject to the notice rules in Article 20, a landlord may ask a tenant to leave during the term only on the grounds in Article 23 of Law 20/2006:

• Non-payment of rent beyond the Article 11 of Law 20/2006 periods. No eviction is awarded if the tenant pays the rent due plus the landlord's litigation costs before the dispute is decided, but a second delay without an acceptable excuse can lead to eviction.
• Assigning or subletting without the permission allowed under Article 17.
• Overcrowding, meaning more occupants than is generally accepted for the property.
• Use contrary to the contract, harmful to the landlord's interest, or for a purpose other than the one rented for.
• Use harmful to health, disturbing to others, or contrary to public order or morals.
• Demolition or structural change: the building must be more than fifteen years old, the landlord must hold the permits, and the work must be impossible with the tenant in place as confirmed by the committee. The tenant gets six months to leave from the date the permits are issued and has priority to lease the rebuilt property. If the work is not carried out, the tenant can be awarded re-occupation and compensation of up to one year's rent.
• The landlord's own occupation, provided the landlord owns no other habitable property in the same municipality, serves notice six months before expiry, and then lives there for one uninterrupted year. Failing to move in within three months, staying less than a year or re-letting gives the tenant re-occupation or compensation of up to one year's rent.

In every case the committee may give the tenant a grace period of up to six months. Changing the locks or cutting utilities is not an eviction route the law provides, and a notice only counts if it is served the way the law requires.

Can You Sublet a Property in Abu Dhabi?

Not without the landlord's written permission. Under Article 17 a tenant may not assign or sublet, in whole or in part, without the lessor's written consent, though permission given after the event has the same effect.

The contract can grant the right in advance. Where it does, the sublease terms may differ from the head lease, provided they do not contradict it, do not breach Article 16, and the sublease does not outlast the original. Subletting without consent is a ground for eviction under Article 23 of Law 20/2006, so get it in writing first.

What If the Property Is Sold or a Party Dies?

If ownership transfers, the tenancy continues against the new landlord (Articles 18 and 19, Law 20/2006). The contract also survives the death of either party and runs to expiry, although the tenant's heirs may ask to end it (Article 21).

Where Do Rental Disputes Go?

Not to the ordinary civil courts. Law No. 20 of 2006 created committees within the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, chaired by judges, to decide landlord and tenant disputes quickly (Articles 24 and 25). The Judicial Department calls them the Rental Dispute Settlement Committees, each formed of a chair judge and two judge members. Before filing:

• The contract must be registered. Decision No. 25 of 2018 on the committees' procedures applies to leases registered with the municipality, as Khaleej Times reported when the rules took effect in October 2018.
• Fees are set under the Abu Dhabi Judicial Fees Law and vary with the claim. The Judicial Department's FAQ says you are told the fee during registration. Rental cases skip the prior mediation referral that applies to other civil cases.
• Appeals depend on the value of the dispute. Article 28, Law 20/2006 makes the committee's decision final below AED 50,000, appealable within fifteen days up to AED 300,000, and challengeable at the Cassation Committee above that. The 2010 amendment reportedly raised both figures, so confirm them with the Judicial Department.

The Judicial Department's call centre is 600 599 799, and cases can be registered through the ADJD website, licensed law firms or registered typing centres.

FAQs

Can a landlord increase rent without notice in Abu Dhabi?

No. A landlord who wants to change the rent must notify the tenant in writing two months before expiry for a home and three months for commercial premises (Article 20(3), Law 20/2006). Without that notice the lease renews on the same terms, and the permitted increase is 0 percent in any case.

How much notice is needed for a rent increase?

In Abu Dhabi, two months before expiry for a home, three months for commercial, industrial or professional premises, in writing. The same applies to a non-renewal.

Can my landlord increase my rent every year?

In Abu Dhabi, Article 16(2) of Law No. 20 of 2006 caps it at 5 percent a year, a figure the Executive Council Chairman can raise, lower or cancel, and it has been 0 percent since 3 June 2026. If a landlord exceeds it, take it to the Rental Dispute Settlement Committee. Dubai instead uses the slabs in Decree No. 43 of 2013.

Can a landlord increase rent after 1 year?

In Abu Dhabi, only at renewal, once a year, within the cap in force, currently 0 percent. The year runs from the last lease or increase, whichever is sooner (Article 16(4), Law 20/2006).

Can a landlord raise rent mid-lease?

No. Under Abu Dhabi's Law No. 20 of 2006 the agreed rent binds both parties for the full term (Article 16(1)). Any change takes effect only at renewal, after written notice.

Is it legal for a landlord to evict without a reason?

In Abu Dhabi, at the end of the term yes: since Law No. 4 of 2010 a landlord may decline to renew with two months' written notice on a residential lease. During the term no: they need an Article 23 ground and a committee order.

Before You Sign in Abu Dhabi

Get the contract in writing, check that it is registered in Tawtheeq, diarise the two-month notice date and keep every payment receipt. Those habits matter as much as the law itself when renting in Abu Dhabi, and Dubai's rules differ enough to check if you are moving between emirates. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

• Law No. 20 of 2006 as amended, text published by ADREC on DARI (Articles 2 to 29)
• ADREC: Temporary update to the annual rental cap increase, 3 June 2026 (0 percent cap)
• ADREC: Tenancy rules and regulations (Resolution No. 4 of 2011)
• Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2018, Article 4 (municipality fee)
• TAMM: Register a New Lease Contract (AED 50 fee)
• Abu Dhabi Judicial Department: Rental Dispute Settlement Committees (composition, contact details)
• Abu Dhabi Judicial Department: FAQs (fees, registration channels)
• Khaleej Times, 23 October 2018 (Decision No. 25 of 2018)
• Mondaq: Tenancy Law of Abu Dhabi and its amendments, October 2019 (Law No. 4 of 2010, cap history)