Ejari Help · Dubai

Ejari help: the nine problems
that actually block registration

Updated August 2026 · Government fee AED 177.75 · DLD call centre 800 4488

Most Ejari problems are not really Ejari problems — they are document mismatches, an expired certificate nobody warned you about, or a landlord who will not hand over a Title Deed. Below is what each one looks like, why it happens, and the exact fix, with no forms to fill in and nothing to email us first.

Start here: which kind of problem is it?

Almost every Ejari problem falls into one of three buckets, and they need different fixes:

A document problem	The filing is refused because the paperwork disagrees with itself — contract vs Title Deed, wrong form, missing upload. Fixable by you today, no fee
A timing problem	The registration expired, or an old one is still open on the unit. Fixable by filing, no penalty
A counterparty problem	The landlord will not cooperate. This is a legal question, not an administrative one — and it has a legal remedy

The nine cases below cover what actually blocks registrations in practice. If yours is the third kind, skip to the landlord section — that is where the law matters more than the form.

MOST COMMON

Application rejected: details do not match the Title Deed

What you see: The application comes back refused, often with no useful reason given.
Why it happens: RERA cross-checks the tenancy contract against the Title Deed. Building name spelled differently, a missing unit number, an area of 92 m² on one and 92.3 m² on the other — any of these is enough.

Fix: Open the Title Deed and copy its wording exactly into the contract: building name, unit number, plot number, area, property type. Refile — there is no penalty and no second fee. Ejari Helper reads both documents and fills the DLD contract so the fields match by construction, AED 15.

The contract is not on the DLD Unified form

What you see: The typing centre or the app rejects the upload, or the agent sends the contract back.
Why it happens: Ejari expects the Dubai Land Department Unified Tenancy Contract. Agency letterheads and generic lease templates are routinely bounced.

Fix: Re-issue on the official form. The commercial terms do not change — only the paperwork. Free DLD template plus a field-by-field guide.

Ejari has expired and things are now blocked

What you see: DEWA refuses a change, GDRFA will not process a visa, or the school asks for a current certificate.
Why it happens: The certificate expires with the contract, normally after one year. Nothing warns you.

Fix: Sign the renewed contract, then renew the registration for AED 177.75. No late fine, no back-fees, and services unblock as soon as the new certificate issues. Renewal guide · what late Ejari really costs.

DEWA will not accept the Ejari

What you see: Move In is refused even though you are holding a certificate.
Why it happens: Three usual causes: the certificate has expired, the Premises No. (DEWA) on it does not match the unit DEWA has on file, or the registration was cancelled and never redone.

Fix: Check the expiry date and the premises number first — how to read the premises number. If both are right, the issue is on the DEWA account, not the Ejari: DEWA activation walkthrough.

An old Ejari is still active on the property

What you see: Your filing is blocked because the unit already has a live registration.
Why it happens: The previous tenant moved out without cancelling. An open registration on the unit blocks the next one.

Fix: Cancellation is free and the landlord or the departing tenant can do it. Ask the landlord to close the old registration, then refile. How cancellation works.

You cannot find your Ejari number

What you see: A form asks for the Ejari number and you have no idea which number it means.
Why it happens: The certificate carries two numbers that look equally official — the Ejari contract number and the DEWA premises number — and they do different jobs.

Fix: The Ejari number sits at the top of the certificate in the form 22-99999/2026 and changes every year. The 9-digit premises number identifies the property and never changes. Which number is which.

The certificate will not download, or the status is stuck

What you see: Dubai REST shows the contract but no certificate, or nothing at all.
Why it happens: Either the application is still with the RERA reviewer, or you are logged into a different UAE Pass identity from the one that filed it.

Fix: Check the status through Dubai REST, the DLD portal, or by sending the Ejari number to 4488. Every way to check status and re-download the certificate.

8. The landlord will not hand over documents

What you see: The landlord stalls on the Title Deed or their Emirates ID, so you cannot file at all.
Why it matters: Article 4 of Law No. 26 of 2007 puts the registration duty on the landlord in the first place. A landlord withholding the documents is obstructing their own legal obligation, not doing you a favour by cooperating.

Fix: Put the request in writing — email or WhatsApp, so it is timestamped — and keep the reply or the silence. That record is what the Rental Dispute Centre will want if it goes that far. Most landlords produce the documents once the request is written down.

9. The rent is going up more than it should at renewal

What you see: Renewal is offered at a rent well above what you pay now, and Ejari renewal is being used as the deadline.
Why it happens: The increase has to sit inside the caps in Decree No. 43 of 2013, and the landlord has to have given 90 days' written notice before the contract ends. Neither is automatic and both are frequently missed.

Fix: Check the legal maximum for your property with the RERA rent increase calculator before you sign anything, then read how the caps and the notice rule work. An increase above the cap, or without notice, is not enforceable.

⚖️ Your case is not in the list?

Describe it to the AI rental lawyer — grounded in Law 26/2007, Law 33/2008 and Decree 43/2013, with the article numbers cited back to you. AED 50 for 30 minutes, first question free.

Ask about my Ejari problem →

Official help vs independent help

Dubai Land Department call centre	800 4488 — the official line for registration and system questions
dubailand.gov.ae	The official portal. Registration itself always happens here or in Dubai REST
Rental Dispute Centre	rdc.gov.ae — for disputes with a landlord, not for filing problems
Ejari Helper (this site)	Independent. We prepare the DLD contract and answer tenancy-law questions. We are not a government office and we do not file on your behalf

Anyone who asks you to email an Emirates ID and a signed contract before telling you the price is not a government service. The government fee is published and fixed at AED 177.75 — see the full breakdown.

Frequently asked questions

Why was my Ejari application rejected?

In most cases the property details on the tenancy contract do not match the Title Deed exactly — a different building name, a missing unit number, or a floor area that differs by a square metre. RERA compares the two documents character by character. Correct the contract to mirror the Title Deed wording and refile; there is no penalty and no second fee for a resubmission.

My landlord will not give me the Title Deed. What can I do?

You cannot register without it — it is a mandatory upload. Law No. 26 of 2007 places the registration duty on the landlord in the first place, so refusing to supply the documents obstructs their own obligation. Put the request in writing, keep the reply, and if it continues you can raise it at the Rental Dispute Centre.

Can I register Ejari without my landlord?

You can file the application yourself — you do not need the landlord present or logged in. What you do need is their documents: the Title Deed and their Emirates ID or passport copy, plus a contract they have signed. With those in hand, the tenant can complete the whole filing alone.

My Ejari expired. Is there a fine?

No published late fine, and the fee does not increase — renewal is AED 177.75 however late you are. The cost is what stays blocked until you renew: DEWA changes, GDRFA visa processing, school registration and Rental Dispute Centre filings. There is no back-dating and no separate late procedure; you simply renew.

DEWA says my Ejari is not valid. Why?

Usually one of three things: the Ejari has expired, the premises number on the certificate does not match the property DEWA has on file, or the registration was cancelled when the previous tenant moved out and never re-registered. Check the certificate is in date and that the Premises No. (DEWA) field matches your DEWA account.

There is still an old Ejari registered on my new apartment.

The previous tenant did not cancel theirs. An active registration on the unit can block your own. Cancellation is free and can be done by either party or by the landlord, so ask the landlord to have the old registration closed — then your filing goes through normally.

My tenancy contract is not on the DLD form. Will Ejari accept it?

Ejari expects the DLD Unified Tenancy Contract. A contract written on an agency's own letterhead is frequently bounced back. Re-issue the agreement on the official form with the same commercial terms — the signatures and the agreed rent do not change, only the paperwork does.

Where do I get real help — is there an Ejari helpline?

The Dubai Land Department call centre is 800 4488 and the official portal is dubailand.gov.ae. Ejari Helper is an independent service, not a government office: we prepare the DLD contract and answer Dubai tenancy-law questions, but the registration itself is always filed with DLD.

Ejari help: the nine problemsthat actually block registration