---
title: "Long-term lease"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/long-term-lease
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/long-term-lease.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A long-term lease normally means a standard residential tenancy of a year, registered with the authorities; in law it can also mean a lease of 10 to 99 years."
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."
---

# Long-term lease

> A long-term lease normally means a standard residential tenancy of a year, registered with the authorities; in law it can also mean a lease of 10 to 99 years.

Also known as: Annual tenancy, Long-term rental, Long let, Yearly lease.

## What Long-term lease means for a buyer

The phrase has two meanings in the UAE, and they should not be confused.

**The everyday meaning: an annual tenancy.** Most homes are let unfurnished on a 12-month contract, registered in [Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari) in Dubai or [Tawtheeq](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tawtheeq) in Abu Dhabi. Rent is quoted per year and traditionally paid in advance by post-dated cheques, anywhere from one to twelve; fewer cheques usually earn a lower rent. The tenant pays utilities and the housing fee, and the landlord pays [service charges](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charges) and major maintenance. The tenant also lodges a [deposit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tenant-deposit).

Dubai law gives tenants considerable security. A tenancy renews on the same terms unless either party gives 90 days' notice of a change before expiry. Any rent increase is capped by the [rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index). A landlord who wants the property back to sell it or live in it must give 12 months' written notice through a notary public or by registered post. An investor should therefore not assume a let property can be vacated or re-priced quickly.

**The legal meaning: a long lease.** Dubai's property law also uses the term for leases of more than 10 and up to 99 years, which are registered with the [Dubai Land Department](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld) and behave like a form of ownership. That is covered under [leasehold](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/leasehold).

The alternative to an annual tenancy is a [short-term rental](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/short-term-rental), let by the night under a tourism permit, with different income, costs and rules.

## Related terms

- [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.
- [Tawtheeq](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tawtheeq): Tawtheeq is Abu Dhabi's official system for registering residential and commercial tenancy contracts, the counterpart of Dubai's Ejari.
- [Tenant deposit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tenant-deposit): A tenant deposit is a refundable sum the tenant pays the landlord at the start of a lease as security against damage and unpaid bills.
- [Rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index): The rental index is the Dubai Land Department's official benchmark of market rents, used to decide whether and by how much a landlord may raise rent at renewal.
- [Short-term rental](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/short-term-rental): A short-term rental is a furnished home let to visitors by the night or week under a tourism licence, in place of a standard annual tenancy.
- [Eviction notice (12 months)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eviction-notice): In Dubai a landlord can recover a let home at the end of the lease only for four reasons, with at least 12 months' notice served by notary public or registered mail.

## In depth

- [Dubai rental yields by area and property type: gross, net and what 2026 changed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/dubai-rental-yields)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/long-term-lease. 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.