The Abu Dhabi rent ceiling: 5% under Law No. 20 of 2006, Art. 16(2), and the ADREC measure that holds renewals at 0% since 3 June 2026 — plus notice periods and the dispute committee.
What applies today
Since 3 June 2026, an Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) measure holds renewals at 0%: residential, commercial and industrial renewals stay at the last rent registered on Tawtheeq, until further notice. The measure is not retrospective, and no end date has been announced.
️ Do not plan around an end date. In 2016 and again in 2026 this figure changed on the day the change was announced.
The statutory ceiling beneath it
Law No. 20 of 2006, Article 16(2): "The landlord may not increase the rent specified in the contract except once each year by no more than five percent (5%) of said rent. It is permissible, by decision of the Chairman of the Executive Council, to increase, to decrease or cancel this percentage as deemed appropriate." The 0% measure uses that second sentence; the 5% returns if and when the measure is lifted.
Example: current rent AED 80,000. Today the renewal stays at AED 80,000. Under the 5% ceiling it could rise to at most AED 84,000.
Notice to change terms or not renew
Law 20/2006, Article 20(3), as replaced by Law No. 4 of 2010: a party who does not wish to renew, or wants to change the terms, notifies the other in writing — two months before expiry for residential premises, three months for commercial, industrial, professional and artisanal premises. The duty binds either party.
Without that notice, the contract renews for a similar term on the same conditions — the same rent. And even with notice, the 0% measure means no increase is lawful at present.
Disputes
Rent disputes go to the Rent Dispute Settlement Committee, which reports to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and is chaired by a judge (Law 20/2006, Art. 24, as replaced by Law 4/2010). Under Article 28, its ruling is final where the value does not exceed AED 100,000; above that it can be appealed within 15 days, and cassation is available where the value exceeds AED 500,000, also within 15 days. ADREC's settlement centre is a separate service, not a step the law requires before the Committee.
ADGM
Abu Dhabi Global Market has its own rule: section 61 of the Real Property Regulations 2024 caps an increase at 5%, with written notice no less than 90 calendar days before the term ends — and it applies only to a short-term residential lease (a term of more than 6 months and less than 4 years). Commercial and industrial leases, and residential leases of 6 months or less or of 4 years or more, are outside it.
Whether the ADREC 0% measure reaches ADGM is not settled by either text: the ADREC release says "across the Emirate" and names no exception.
In TenancyDesk
- Renewals — when an Abu Dhabi deal is renewed, the new rent is checked against the ceiling in force on the renewal date (0% now, 5% beneath it), and an increase above it is flagged on the deal.
- Tawtheeq — the deal's Tawtheeq tab lists what the deal still lacks for registration, exports the data and documents, and records the submission and the result. You file with the authority yourself.
- Lease end — the lease-end alert for Abu Dhabi deals follows Abu Dhabi's own notice periods, not Dubai's.
- Disputes — TenancyDesk's dispute evidence package is built for Dubai's Rental Disputes Centre. It is not formatted for the Abu Dhabi committee.
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