Dubai rents rise: Landlords, tenants resolve rental disputes on renewals using RERA systems

Dubai rents rise: Landlords, tenants resolve rental disputes on renewals using RERA systems

Dubai: With residential rents in Dubai up more than 25 per cent, more tenants and landlords are engaged in ways to try and find some way to arrive at an agreement on increases during renewals. Landlords are resorting to the RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency) Valuation Certificate to see if they are eligible to ask for an increase. The process has RERA officials providing the required service and recommending whether the demand is justified or not. If the rent for that property or building is increased, landlords can ask their tenant – mostly the existing one – to sign up for the increased lease. At the same time, tenants are still using the RERA Rental Calculator to try and convince their landlords as to what should be an optimum rent to pay at a time when rates have been climbing. This is what’s setting off the tussle between two different ways of calculating rent and rent increase. “While we are seeing some landlords leverage the rental valuation certificate to increase rents during renewals, until RERA officially announces that the rental valuation certificate supersedes the RERA rental index, the RERA rental index remains applicable for rental renewals,” said Prathyusha Gurrapu, Head