Expat Echo Dubai

Recently it has become more of a requirement to obtain an attested lease agreement (Ejari) in order to obtain a visa for family members.  For a long time this requirement was in the legislation, but it was rarely (if ever) enforced.  Family members were able to get their visas without an attested lease being provided. Recently the authorities have started requesting the attested lease, so it has, in essence, become a requirement for people moving to Dubai with families.‎

The team at Move One Relocations answers some questions about Ejari

Who applies for Ejari – the landlord or the tenant?

The landlord/developer has to register his property with Ejari but when it comes to Ejari tenancy registration there is no rules who should do it and pay for it. Both landlord and tenant can do it, but it is more in the interest of the tenant to register the lease with Ejari due to the reasons outlined below. It is of use to the landlord only if they want to file a case with rental committee against tenant.

Apart from getting a visa for the family there are a few more possible circumstances where a person would require an attested lease:

• In some communities, community managers are enforcing rules whereby tenants cannot have access to the community facilities (pool, beach, tennis, etc) if the landlord has not paid the community fees. If the tenant has an attested lease agreement showing that he is a tenant and not an owner, and therefore not responsible for these fees, he/she will be granted access to the community facilities.‎

• DEWA, the water and electric agency, has recently announced that they will require an attested lease before connecting the utilities, although Move One Relocations have not seen this requirement applied so far, it may go into effect soon.‎

• If the tenant has a dispute with landlord and wants to file a case with Rental Committee he/she will need to have the lease agreement attested.‎

How Much Does it Cost?

To apply for Ejari the required documents and filled and signed application have to be submitted to Land department office with fee of 160 AED for registration and 35 AED for typing (total 195 AED). Within a few hours or a day after the Ejari registration will be ready for collection.‎

Required documents:

1. Tenancy Contract – original

2. DEWA bill or if it is new account the registration for the account will be sufficient

3. Passport and Visa copy of tenant

4. Trade license copy (if lease is on company name)

5. Title Deed or Municipality affection plan copy (issued by Land Department or Dubai Municipality)

6. Landlords name and nationality, property details, applicants signature and mobile number