AED
Dubai has introduced a landmark rental reform that could reshape how hundreds of thousands of residents pay their rent each year.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) officially launched the Flexi Rent initiative this week, giving tenants the option to pay rent in monthly, quarterly, or annual instalments, a significant departure from the city’s long-standing norm of settling an entire year’s rent upfront through post-dated cheques.
The scheme, unveiled by Khalid Al Shaibani, Director of the Rental Affairs Department at the DLD, is now live through 12 participating real estate companies, including Deyaar, Wasl, Dubai Investment Real Estate, Driven Properties, and Harbor Real Estate.
How It Works
Under the new programme, tenants renting through a participating company can request a restructured payment plan splitting annual rent into instalments of up to 12 months without paying any more in total. The rent amount stays the same regardless of how it is paid.
Beyond monthly payments, the scheme includes a broader set of concessions. Participating companies can offer grace periods on late payments, redesign existing payment schedules, and in select cases, waive the annual rent increase for the current year. Fees for bounced cheques are also eligible for waiver under the new agreement.
Payment can be made by credit card, debit card, or cheque.
Critically, the scheme is not limited to new leases. Existing tenants renewing their contracts are also eligible to apply for revised payment terms directly with their landlord or property manager.
Scale of the Market
The announcement comes against the backdrop of a rental market that registered close to 1.2 million tenancy contracts in 2025 alone. Rents across Dubai rose approximately 4.1 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, with apartment rents climbing 4.9 per cent, according to CBRE data.
Al Shaibani framed the initiative as part of a wider government push to improve liveability in the emirate. “We want to emphasise that affordable leasing is not the end of the road, but rather the beginning of a new era of real estate innovation,” he said at the launch.
More to Come
The DLD confirmed that Flexi Rent is the first in a series of rental affordability measures planned for 2026. Further initiatives focused on market stability are expected to be announced within the next two months, with additional companies set to join the programme in subsequent phases.
“We will continue in the coming months to launch more initiatives and high-quality solutions that enhance customer experience and strengthen the resilience of the real estate market,” Al Shaibani added.
