RERA Smart Rental Index: How Much Can Your Rent Increase?

The RERA Smart Rental Index is arguably the most important tool in a Dubai tenant's negotiating toolkit, yet most tenants have never actually used it. Launched in January 2025 and now fully operational, it replaced the older district-average rental calculator with a more granular, building-specific system that determines exactly how much a landlord can legally increase rent at renewal.

The index works on a tiered cap system based on how far below market average a tenant's current rent falls: if current rent sits within 10% of the market benchmark for that specific building, no increase at all is permitted; rent 11-20% below market allows up to a 5% increase; 21-30% below market allows up to 10%; and only rent more than 40% below market average allows the maximum 20% increase. Critically, the 2026 version of the index uses real-time, building-specific data (unit size, floor, view, building age, and amenities) rather than broad district averages, meaning two apartments in the same neighborhood but different buildings can have meaningfully different permitted increase caps, making it worth checking the specific figure for your exact building rather than assuming a general neighborhood reputation applies uniformly.

To check whether a proposed rent increase is legal, tenants can use the RERA Rent Calculator through the Dubai Land Department's website or app, entering their Ejari contract number to see current rent versus the index benchmark, the gap percentage, and the maximum permitted increase, taking only a few minutes and requiring no cost. Landlords are also required to provide 90 days' written notice before any proposed rent increase takes effect; if this notice window isn't honored, the tenancy automatically renews at the existing rent rather than the proposed new figure. Given how a landlord proposing an increase beyond what the index actually permits is issuing an illegal demand rather than simply an aggressive negotiating position, tenants who check the calculator before every renewal walk into that conversation with a specific legal number in hand, along with a clear formal complaint route through the Rental Disputes Centre if the landlord doesn't honor it.