Sharjah Tenancy Law: A Guide to Law No. 5 of 2024

Rent: a freeze, then "fair rent" — no percentage cap

• The rent is frozen for the first three years.
• After the freeze there is no statutory percentage cap: an increase is to the "fair rent" set by the committee, under controls in Executive Council Resolution No. 43 of 2024.
• If the tenant accepted an early increase, there is no further increase for two years.

Certification of the lease (Article 4)

• The landlord certifies the lease — and any renewal — and pays the fees within 15 days. The Law's English says "from the date of its drafting"; the Municipality's contract template says "from the date of its execution".
• If the landlord refuses, the tenant can ask the emergency judge at the Rental Disputes Center to compel certification; the Municipality can ask the judge too, at any time.
• An administrative fine is imposed on the landlord on top of the fees; the Municipality's template sets it at twice the attestation fee.
• Government entities in Sharjah refuse an uncertified lease in their transactions and services — except the Rental Disputes Center, where either party can still bring a claim using all forms of evidence.

Security of tenure

The landlord may not seek to evict before 3 years (residential) or 5 years (commercial, industrial, professional), except on the Law's grounds. This protects the tenant; it is not a minimum lease term and does not stop the tenant from leaving early.

Early termination by the tenant (Article 19)

A tenant who ends the lease early pays compensation of "not less than 30% of the rent for the remaining term, unless the parties agree otherwise".

Serving notices

The Law does not prescribe a notary or registered post. The Municipality's contract template makes the parties' phone numbers and e-mail addresses in the certified contract their officially designated addresses for notifications, and asks the parties to tell the Municipality when they change. Keep proof of what you sent.

In TenancyDesk

On a Sharjah deal, the Sharjah Municipality Attestation tab:

• prepares the attestation — what is still missing, export, and the submission and result you record;
• shows the 15-day attestation deadline, counted from the Contract Signed Date you entered on the deal;
• tracks the Rent Freeze, Early Termination and subletting consent under the Law;
• offers calculators for the Early Termination Penalty (Article 19) and an eviction-notice date — starting points, not legal advice.

TenancyDesk does not file with the Municipality.