---
title: "DEWA"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dewa
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/dewa.md
type: glossary-term
description: "DEWA is Dubai's state-controlled electricity and water utility; every home needs an active DEWA account in the name of the owner or the tenant."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# DEWA

> DEWA is Dubai's state-controlled electricity and water utility; every home needs an active DEWA account in the name of the owner or the tenant.

Also known as: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

## What DEWA means for a buyer

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) supplies power and water to almost every home in Dubai. Each property has a DEWA premise number, and the account is held by whoever occupies it: the owner if it is empty or owner-occupied, the tenant if it is let.

An owner meets DEWA at two points. At [handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover) of a new home you open an account using your [title deed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed) or [Oqood](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/oqood) details and pay a refundable security deposit and a connection fee; the deposit is higher for villas than for apartments. When you let the property, the tenant opens their own account using the [Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari) number, and yours is closed with a final bill.

The DEWA bill also carries charges that are not for electricity or water. The main one is Dubai Municipality's housing fee: tenants pay 5% of their annual rent, spread across the monthly bills. Owner-occupiers pay a lower rate based on the property's assessed rental value. Sewerage charges appear on the bill too.

Cooling is often billed separately. In buildings on district cooling, a provider such as Empower invoices a [chiller fee](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/chiller-fee) alongside DEWA, so do not assume the DEWA bill is the whole utility cost. Other emirates have their own utilities, so DEWA applies only to Dubai.

## Related terms

- [Chiller fee / district cooling](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/chiller-fee): A chiller fee is the charge for air-conditioning supplied from a central or district cooling plant, billed separately from electricity in many UAE buildings.
- [Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari): Ejari is Dubai's mandatory online register of tenancy contracts, run by the Dubai Land Department; a lease is not fully enforceable until it is recorded there.
- [Handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover): Handover is the point at which a finished off-plan home passes from the developer to the buyer, once the final instalment and handover fees are paid.
- [Makani](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/makani): A Makani number is the unique 10-digit code Dubai Municipality assigns to every building entrance, used as a precise address for navigation and services.

## In depth

- [Dubai property buying costs in 2026: every fee, off-plan and resale](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/dubai-property-buying-costs)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dewa. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.