RERA Rental Index
The RERA Rental Index (officially the Rental Index Calculator) is Dubai's official database of permitted rental price ranges, maintained by RERA and accessible via the Dubai REST app. Under Decree No. 43 of 2013, a landlord's rent increase at renewal is only legal if the new rent does not exceed the index value for that specific area and property type. Tenants use the index to verify whether a proposed increase is legally permissible.
In Depth
The RERA Rental Index is updated periodically to reflect current market conditions. It provides a median market rent figure for each property category (studio, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, villa, etc.) in each Dubai area. The permitted rent at renewal is determined by comparing the current rent against this median and applying the Decree 43 tiered caps.
To use the index, a tenant enters: the property location (area), the property type (apartment, villa, townhouse), the number of bedrooms, and sometimes the floor level or specific sub-community. The tool returns the applicable rental range and, if combined with the current rent, shows the maximum permissible increase.
A landlord who proposes a rent increase that would take the annual rent above the RERA Index ceiling is in violation of Decree No. 43 of 2013. The tenant can reject the proposed new rent, and if the landlord insists, the tenant can file at the RDSC specifically for a ruling on the lawful rent — the RDSC will issue an order fixing the rent at the permitted amount.
The index is distinct from actual market listings on property portals like Bayut or Property Finder. The RERA Index is the legal benchmark; market portal prices are aspirational and may exceed it. A landlord cannot justify an above-index increase by pointing to competitor listings.
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