What do I need to rent an apartment in the UAE?

When it comes to relocating to another country, the UAE is one of the first places that comes to mind for many reasons- job opportunities, excellent medical facilities, outstanding schools, and so on. Fortunately, applying for a UAE visa and getting it is effortless. Every Emirate has various requirements for individuals to be eligible to rent an apartment. More so, the purpose of relocation determines the type of apartment to rent and its location. We have listed the points you should pay attention to when rent an apartment in the UAE on the basis of emirates.

Firstly, in most cases, people who wish to reside in the UAE irrespective of the visa they are on usually stay at a hotel for a few days or weeks till they can get a comfortable apartment to rent. In this case, they will need to present their passports and visas. However, residents who can afford the luxury of staying in a hotel apartment will not need to go through the stress of renting an apartment having a tenancy contract and the hustle of moving into a new home. They can extend their hotel stay with their Emirate ID, and sometimes an employment visa is needed. Although the guest may want to verify with the hotel, they are lodging.

For ex-pats who would like to rent an apartment and have a contract with a landlord in any emirate, this article will guide you through the process.

Rent An Aparment in UAE- Abu Dhabi

One of the best decisions you can make is to live in the capital city of the UAE. Abu Dhabi, the largest Emirate, is known for family-friendly municipalities, tourism, multiculturalism, serenity, job vacancies, and affordable rent. The documents you will need to rent a property in this Emirate are:

Passport copies: Make sure your passport isn't expired. Luckily, there are several embassies in Abu Dhabi, so it is easy to renew your passport before commencing with the process.
UAE residence visa copies
Emirates ID copies
Cheque book
Payment of a security deposit (5% of the rental amount)
Signed offer letter (to secure the apartment)
Tenancy contract
ADDC: You can set up electricity and water by registering on the platform called Tawtheeq. To register for this, you will need to show the official at the municipality your passport, Emirates ID, and a copy of the signed tenancy contract and pay a deposit of AED 1000.

Rent An Apartment in Dubai

It's not uncommon to hear people say they want to work or school in Dubai more than any other Emirate. There are so many opportunities to learn, grow, and work here. Most tourists visit Dubai for the first time and decide to call it home, planning to either school or work here because of the high standard international schools, hubs for youths to interact and learn, work opportunities, and good salaries. Therefore, if you have made up your mind to be a resident of Dubai, these are the documents you will need.

Passport copy: Ensure your passport isn't expiring in less than a year.
Resident Visa copy.
Cheque book.
Emirates ID copy: Emirates ID is given to the ex-pat as soon as your employment visa and medicals are complete.
Security Deposit Cheque: You'll need to pay 10% of the annual rent for a furnished apartment and 5% of the rent for an unfurnished apartment.
Agency fee cheque: This is usually 2 to 5% of the annual rent.
Refundable security deposit: You will pay 5% of the rental amount to secure an apartment. This fee is refundable upon exiting the apartment.
Tenancy contract: to show you have signed to rent the apartment. The documents you'll need to get a tenancy agreement include copies of your passport, resident visa, Emirates ID, and payment confirmation of security deposit.
Bank statement.
Tenancy contract with Ejari: This is a mandatory platform where contract registration is administered by the Dubai Land Department to authenticate the tenancy agreement between tenants and landlords. Documents you will need for this are your original copy of the signed tenancy contract, payment confirmation of security deposit and cheques, copy of Title Deed. Other required documents are passport copy, residence visa copy, Emirates ID copy, passport copy of landlord, DEWA Premises Number (9- digits), and an Ejari registration fee of 220 at a typing center or 172 via a mobile app.
DEWA Connection: Once your Ejari contract has been registered; the DEWA connection will be in process. To finalize the process, you will need your Ejari contract number, Emirates ID, passport, and payment of a refundable deposit of AED 2,000 for apartments and AED 4,000 for villas.
Move-in form: If you are required to submit a NOC before moving in, you will need to have your Ejari Certificate, passport and visa copies, copies of tenancy, and a filled move-in form.

Rent An Apartment in Sharjah

Sharjah is the third largest Emirate in the UAE, and it is at the border of Dubai. Residents opt to live in Sharjah for a variety of reasons such as proximity to Dubai for work and school purposes, cheaper rent in Sharjah, affordable lifestyle, being in a culturally-inclined city, and so on. Though it isn't as glamorous as Dubai in terms of buildings and places of interest, there are still several fascinating architectural designs, incredible place of attractions, big malls, and so on to keep you excited in Sharjah. The government recently made the residential area for families strictly for that purpose; therefore, some single men are out of those family residential areas in Sharjah. Consequently, it is essential to know more about the place you would want to rent an apartment. The documents you will need to rent an apartment in Sharjah include:

Passport copy (if married, couple's passport copies).
Emirates ID (If married, Emirates ID of the couple).
Marriage certificate (for family residents in some cases).
Resident visa (although Sharjah doesn't issue residency visas, you can rent an apartment if you have a resident permit of other emirates).
Cheque book.
Salary certificate.
Rental agreement fee: this is 2% of the annual rent.
Municipality: you will need the tenancy agreement to get the payment receipt from both municipality and SEWA.

Rent An Aparment in Ajman

Just like Sharjah is to Dubai, Ajman is to Sharjah. This northern Emirate is an affordable place for those who want to live in Ajman and work in either Dubai or Sharjah. With its nearness to Dubai, many residents don't often explore Ajman. There are several malls, places of interest, and markets with great deals. To rent an apartment, you will need:

Passport copy (if married, couple's passport copy)
Emirates ID (If married, Emirates ID of the couple)
Marriage certificate (for family residents in some cases)
- Resident visa (although Ajman doesn't issue a residency visa; you can rent an apartment if you have a resident permit of other emirates).
Tasdeeq: Quite similar to Ejari in Dubai, Tasdeeq is used to regulate and formalize rental contracts in the Emirate of Ajman. To complete this registration, you will need a request form from the Lease Contracts Division, three copies of the tenancy contract, and the Emirates ID of both landlord and tenant. Furthermore, other documents are a copy of the landlord's title deed, ownership of apartments in towers/ No Objection Letter from the General Organization for Real Estate Investment, and a copy of the commercial license for companies and institutions. You will also need to pay a minimum attestation fee of 400 AED.
FEWA Activation: FEWA is responsible for the activation of water and electricity in four emirates- Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah. For your convenience, you can now register online and pay a deposit of either AED 1,000 or AED 2,000, how easy is that? The documents needed for this registration include a copy of Emirates ID (front and back), a tenancy contract approved by the municipality (for tenants), and a title or ownership deed (for owners).

5. Umm Al Quwain

One of the smaller Emirates is known for its greenery, cultural appreciation, and agriculture. Ex-pats who reside in this Emirate either work in neighboring Emirates like Sharjah or Ajman or decide to get a job in this Emirate. It is common to see ex-pats, who work in companies that provide temporary accommodation for the duration of their work in other Emirates, that opt to live in places like Umm Al Quwain so when their duty is over, they come home to Umm Al Quwain.

Required documents for a rental contract in this Emirate include.

Original passport and copies (present original passport and submit the copies)
Original sale agreement or contract
Emirate ID (and that of your spouse)
Spouse residence visa (for attestation of tenancy contract)
Certified authentic stamp on the sale agreement
Registration fee (2% of the rental price)
Payment of administration fee of AED 44.
Tenancy agreement
Attestation of the tenancy agreement by the head of the Contracts and Properties Department.
FEWA Activation: to activate water and electricity in the apartment, you will need to register online and pay a deposit of either AED 1,000 or AED 2,000. The documents required for this registration include a copy of Emirates ID (front and back), a tenancy contract approved by the municipality (for tenants), and title or ownership deed (for owners).

6. Ras Al Khaimah

This Emirate is known for its natural reserves, tranquil nature, and family-friendly ambiance. It is not as developed as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but it still sees a lot of ex-pat residents yearly. To rent an apartment in this Emirate, you will need;

A copy of your Emirates ID.
Passport copies.
A Copy of your residence visa/permit.
Cheques.
A copy of your payslip.
Tenancy agreement (a signed document between the landlord and the tenant, you can do this online). The documents needed for this include a tenancy contract, title deed, Emirates ID for lessee and lessor, and a trade license for corporate customers, in cases where the lessee or the lessor is an organization.
A service charge is required for the online tenancy contract registration, which is AED 25 and 5% of the lease contract amount.
FEWA Activation: to activate water and electricity in the apartment, you will need to register online and pay a deposit of either AED 1,000 or AED 2,000. The documents required for this registration include a copy of Emirates ID (front and back), tenancy contract approved by the municipality (for tenants) and title or ownership deed (for owners).

Rent Aparment in Fujairah

Fujairah is one of the seven emirates of the UAE. It boasts of the most iconic landscape, cultural preservation, and historical importance. Tourists from other countries as well as other emirates call this city a destination that provides a distraction from the stresses of everyday life. Some tourists from other emirates, who visit Fujairah, decide to call it home for reasons like – the climate (it is colder than other emirates, the cost of rent is affordable, it is the only Emirate that has a variety of topological scenery and much more)

To rent an apartment in this city, you will need to be a resident of the UAE. Therefore, these documents are required;

Emirates ID.
Residence visa.
Copies of passport.
Cheques.
Tenancy contract.
Municipality Legal Affairs Department: The Fujairah Municipality Legal Affairs Department is usually responsible for settling disputes between tenants and the owners of buildings. After considering the tenancy contract, they get involved in legally resolving the issue.
FEWA Activation: to activate water and electricity in the apartment, you will register online and pay a deposit of either AED 1,000 or AED 2,000. The documents needed for this registration include a copy of Emirates ID (front and back), a tenancy contract approved by the municipality (for tenants), and a title or ownership deed (for owners).