When you change bank accounts in Dubai, your old post-dated tenancy cheques do not update themselves — you must agree the swap with your landlord or agent, hand over replacement cheques from the new account, and get every old cheque back in your hand before you close the old account. Do it in writing, cheque number by cheque number, and never leave an old cheque outstanding with a closed account behind it: a bounced tenancy cheque creates legal and banking problems you do not want.
Quick facts
- Cost: Usually free between you and the landlord; your bank may charge a small fee for a new chequebook, typically around AED 25-100 — check your bank’s app for the current fee. A typing centre is not normally needed.
- Time needed: One meeting or courier exchange once replacements are ready — allow 3-5 working days for a new chequebook to arrive after opening the account.
- Where it happens: With your landlord or their property management company, and your old and new banks.
- Key document: A signed acknowledgement listing old cheque numbers returned and new cheque numbers received — keep it with your Ejari and tenancy contract.
Step-by-step: replacing your tenancy cheques safely
- Open the new account and get the chequebook first. Do not start the swap until the new account is active, funded and you physically hold its chequebook. Check your name is printed exactly as on your tenancy contract — landlords can refuse cheques in a different name format.
- List every outstanding cheque. From your tenancy contract’s payment schedule and your old bank’s app or statement, list each uncashed cheque: number, date and amount. Most Dubai tenancies use 1, 2, 4 or 6 cheques a year, so check how many remain in the current term and whether any cheque for the next renewal has already been handed over.
- Ask the landlord or agent in writing. Email (do not rely on a phone call) explaining you have changed banks, that you will provide replacement cheques for the same dates and amounts, and that you need the originals of the old cheques returned at the exchange. Reasonable landlords agree readily — they want cheques that will clear.
- Write the replacement cheques carefully. Match each old cheque exactly: same payee name (the landlord or management company as on the contract), same amount in words and figures, same date. Mark them as replacements in your covering letter. Do not post-date differently or round amounts — any change needs the landlord’s written agreement.
- Exchange in person where possible. Hand over the new cheques and receive the old cheques back in the same meeting. Count them against your list. If a management company insists on receiving replacements before releasing originals, use a courier with a signed delivery note and a written commitment of the return date — and keep the old account open and funded until the originals are in your hand.
- Get the signed acknowledgement. Both sides sign a simple statement: “Received new cheques [numbers] in replacement of old cheques [numbers], originals returned to tenant on [date].” Take photos of the returned cheques and the signed note immediately.
- Destroy the returned cheques. Write “CANCELLED” across each returned cheque, cut through the signature and account number area, and keep the pieces or clear photos with your tenancy file until the tenancy ends. Never bin an intact signed cheque.
- Only then close the old account. Confirm with your old bank that no cheques or direct debits remain outstanding, get a clearance or no-liability letter if the account held loans or cards, and keep statements for your records. If any old cheque could not be recovered, tell the bank in writing and follow their stop-payment process — fees apply, typically around AED 100-200 per cheque — check the bank’s schedule for the current fee.
Documents and records to keep together
Keep one file — paper or scanned — containing your tenancy contract and Ejari, the original payment schedule, the landlord’s email agreeing to the swap, the signed acknowledgement with both sets of cheque numbers, and photos of the returned, cancelled cheques. If a dispute ever arises about a payment, this file answers it in minutes. Property management companies change staff often; the tenant with the paperwork wins the argument.
If your landlord holds a security cheque as well as rent cheques, include it in your list and ask for it to be replaced and returned in the same exchange — security cheques are the ones tenants most often forget when changing banks.
Common mistakes to avoid
Closing the old account first. If the landlord presents an old cheque against a closed account, it will bounce even though you “paid” with a replacement that was never exchanged. Sequence matters: replacements agreed, originals returned, then closure.
Accepting “we will destroy them for you”. Always get the physical originals back. A photocopy or a promise is not protection if a cheque later surfaces at a bank.
Forgetting cheques held by different parties. In some buildings the agent holds the next cheque while the landlord holds the rest — confirm who holds each cheque on your list and collect from each holder against a signature.
FAQ
Can my landlord refuse to swap my tenancy cheques?
A landlord can insist on the contract being followed, but most agree to a like-for-like swap because a cheque on your active account is safer for them too. Put the request in writing, offer identical dates and amounts, and involve the management company — refusal is rare when the exchange is clean.
What if one old cheque has already been cashed?
Then it needs no replacement — your list should only cover uncashed cheques. Verify cashed cheques in your old bank’s app before the meeting so the numbers both sides sign for are accurate.
What happens if a lost old cheque is presented later?
Contact your bank immediately to confirm the stop-payment instruction, and show the landlord the signed acknowledgement proving the replacement. If money leaves your account wrongly, raise a dispute with the bank the same day with your paperwork.
