Renewal time is when many Dubai households quietly change shape β a flatmate leaves, a partner moves in, or you swap the small bedroom for the master. It feels like a private arrangement, but if your name, room, or rent share changes, your Ejari needs to change with it. Renewing without updating those details can leave the wrong person legally recorded as tenant, and that matters for DEWA, deposits, and disputes.
A renewal is not always a simple extension
If nothing has changed β same tenants, same unit, same landlord β renewing Ejari is usually straightforward: a renewed tenancy contract for the next term, registered again through the Dubai Land Department via the Dubai REST app, the DLD website, or a trustee centre. The fee for a renewal is typically around AED 170 to AED 220 in total, depending on the channel and service charges, so confirm the current amount on Dubai REST before you pay.
As soon as the people or the unit change, treat it as a fresh registration, not a rubber stamp. The old Ejari may need to be cancelled first, and a new contract drawn up reflecting who actually lives there. Agents sometimes suggest just renewing the old paperwork to save time β resist that if the names no longer match reality. The certificate is a legal record, not just an admin form for DEWA.
Adding a co-tenant properly
Adding a co-tenant means adding their name to the tenancy contract itself, with the landlord’s written agreement, and then registering that updated contract for Ejari. You will typically need the new co-tenant’s Emirates ID and passport copy, the landlord’s title deed and ID, and the signed contract naming all tenants. Decide before you sign how the deposit and rent will be split, and who is responsible for the full rent if one person leaves early, and have that written into an addendum β Ejari records the tenants, but it does not sort out your internal money arrangements.
- Get the landlord’s written consent to add the co-tenant before drafting anything
- Update the tenancy contract so all tenants are named, with IDs matching exactly
- Cancel the old Ejari if the trustee centre or Dubai REST advises it for a name change, then register the new contract
- Update DEWA account details if the account holder is changing
- Share copies of the new Ejari certificate with all named tenants
Some buildings also require a management no-objection certificate for additional occupants, so check the rules in places like JLT or Discovery Gardens.
Switching rooms within the same property
If you are moving from one room to another inside the same flat or villa, and the contract describes the whole unit rather than a specific room, the Ejari for the unit may not need to change at all β but your internal agreement with flatmates should be updated in writing, especially if your rent changes. If you have separate contracts per room, which happens in some shared villas, switching rooms means ending one contract and starting another, with the Ejari cancelled and re-registered accordingly.
If you are moving to a different unit in the same building β say, from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom on another floor β that is a new tenancy for Ejari purposes, even if the landlord and building are identical. The old Ejari should be cancelled after move-out from the first unit is complete, and a new Ejari registered for the new unit, using its own title deed details and unit number.
Timing and checks before you renew
Start the conversation with your landlord or agent at least a month before the current contract ends, especially if people are changing. Either side wanting to change terms at renewal generally needs to give notice well in advance β typically 90 days for rent changes β so do not leave a co-tenant change to the last week. Bring IDs for everyone who will be named, confirm the exact spelling matches the Emirates IDs, and check that the landlord details on the new contract still match the current title deed, in case the property has been sold since you first moved in.
A renewal that reflects real life β the right names, the right unit, the right rent β protects everyone in the home. It takes one extra conversation and one careful registration, and it means the next year starts with paperwork as settled as the flat itself.