Deal Management

Processing Lease Renewals

5 min read

When to start a renewal, the notice and rent rules that apply, and what TenancyDesk's Renew Lease does — and does not — carry into the new deal.

intermediate5 min read

A renewal is a new contract term for the same tenant and property. Start early: both sides need time to agree, and the law sets notice periods for changing the terms.

Notice and rent rules

  • Dubai — Law No. 26 of 2007, Article 14: a party who wants to change the terms, including the rent, notifies the other no less than 90 days before the contract expires, "unless otherwise agreed". The increase itself is limited by Decree 43/2013 — see Rent Increases in Dubai.
  • Abu Dhabi — 2 months for residential and 3 months for commercial, industrial and professional premises (Law 20/2006, Art. 20(3), as replaced by Law 4/2010). Since 3 June 2026 an ADREC measure holds renewals at 0% — see Abu Dhabi Rent Cap.
  • Other emirates differ; see the emirate guides.

TenancyDesk's lease-end alert follows the notice period of the deal's emirate.

Renewing in TenancyDesk

On a Registered deal near its end, the lease-expiry banner offers Renew Lease. Enter the new annual rent, the new lease period and, if you have it, the date the renewal was signed; choose Carry Over for the deposit or Top Up with an amount; then Create Renewal Deal.

What happens:

  • The old deal becomes Renewed, its deposit Carried Over, and it links to the new one.
  • The new deal copies the property, tenant, landlord, assigned agent and coordinator, branch, payment frequency, number of cheques and the commission rate and fees. Commission is recalculated on the new rent.
  • It starts at the Payment step — or at KYC if a party's identification is no longer valid.
  • A deposit top-up becomes a payment on the new deal.
  • An increase above the cap in force for the emirate is flagged on the new deal.

What it does not do:

  • Documents are not carried over. Upload the signed renewal contract and any updated identification to the new deal.
  • The payment schedule is not copied. Create a new one — the deal cannot leave the Payment step without it.
  • Registration is not renewed for you. In Dubai, renewing the Ejari is DLD's own Register / Renew Tenancy Contract service (AED 177.75 online, AED 220 at a Trustee centre). TenancyDesk prepares the filing; it does not submit it or touch the previous registration.

An existing tenancy whose past payments are not yet confirmed cannot be renewed until they are.

If the tenant does not renew

Record what happened: Complete Lease at the natural end, or Terminate Lease if it ends early. The deposit then waits for the move-out inspection.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Start early

    Check the notice period of the deal's emirate — Dubai 90 days before expiry unless the contract says otherwise; Abu Dhabi 2 months residential, 3 months commercial.

  2. 2

    Check the rent

    Dubai: Decree 43/2013 bands. Abu Dhabi: 0% under the ADREC measure since 3 June 2026.

  3. 3

    Renew Lease

    From the lease-expiry banner: new rent, new period, deposit Carry Over or Top Up, then Create Renewal Deal.

  4. 4

    Complete the new deal

    Upload the signed renewal and any updated ID, and create the new payment schedule — neither is copied.

  5. 5

    Register the renewal

    File the renewal with the emirate's authority yourself, then record the result on the new deal.

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