---
title: "Rental index"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/rental-index.md
type: glossary-term
description: "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."
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."
---

# 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.

Also known as: RERA rental index, Smart Rental Index, RERA rent calculator, Rent increase calculator.

## What Rental index means for a buyer

Dubai limits rent increases for sitting tenants. The mechanism is the rental index, approved by [RERA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rera), which gives the average rent for similar property in the same area. When a tenancy comes up for renewal, the landlord may raise the rent only if the current rent is well below that benchmark, and only by a set amount.

The bands come from Decree No. 43 of 2013:

- rent up to 10% below the index average: no increase
- 11% to 20% below: up to 5%
- 21% to 30% below: up to 10%
- 31% to 40% below: up to 15%
- more than 40% below: up to 20%

Since January 2025 the benchmark has been the Smart Rental Index, which assesses rents at the level of the individual building and its quality, not just the district. The result for any property can be checked with the calculator on the DLD website or in [Dubai REST](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dubai-rest), using the [Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari) details.

An increase also needs notice: the landlord must tell the tenant at least 90 days before the contract expires, or the rent stays as it is for the next term.

Why investors should care. The index protects tenants in a rising market, so a let property's income adjusts to market rents slowly; a home bought with a tenant in place may earn less than the advertised market rent for years. It sets a ceiling, not a floor: when rents fall, tenants negotiate down or move. Model [net yield](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/net-yield) on the rent in the contract. The index applies to Dubai only.

## 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.
- [Long-term lease](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/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.
- [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.
- [Net yield](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/net-yield): Net yield is annual rent minus all running costs and empty periods, divided by the full cost of buying the property, shown as a percentage.
- [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/rental-index. 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.