Tawtheeq

Tawtheeq, Arabic for "documentation", is the register of tenancy contracts in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, run under the Department of Municipalities and Transport. Every lease must be recorded in it. The property is registered first by its owner or the owner's management company, and each tenancy contract is then registered against it, producing a Tawtheeq certificate.

For an investor who lets an Abu Dhabi property it performs the same function as Ejari does in Dubai. The tenant needs the registered contract to connect water and electricity, to sponsor family members and to obtain other government services, and either party needs it to bring a claim before Abu Dhabi's rental dispute committees. An unregistered lease leaves a landlord in a weak position.

A difference from Dubai is that registration is normally carried out by the landlord or a licensed property management company, not by the tenant, and many overseas owners appoint a manager for that reason. Services are accessed online through Abu Dhabi's government portal, and tenancy records can be verified on DARI by contract number.

Points for owners:

• Register the unit as soon as you take handover; it must be on the system before a first tenancy can be recorded.
• Renewals and changes of rent must be registered too.
• Abu Dhabi has its own rules on rent increases and notice, which have been revised more than once. Do not assume Dubai's rental index rules apply.

For the ordinary one-year tenancy and how it works, see long-term lease.