Dubai housing fee:
how the 5% on your DEWA bill works
Seeing a “housing fee” on your DEWA bill? It’s Dubai Municipality’s charge of 5% of your annual rent, taken from your Ejari and collected in 12 monthly instalments by DEWA — about AED 417 a month on AED 100,000 rent. Owners pay 5% of the RERA rental value, UAE nationals are exempt. Use the calculator below, check why your fee may be wrong (old rent, missing Ejari) and fix it with Dubai Municipality in about three working days.
The short answer
| Tenants | 5% of the annual rent on your Ejari, split into 12 monthly instalments. |
| Owners living in their own home | 5% of the property’s estimated annual rental value under the RERA rental index. (The old “0.5% of the purchase price” method dates from 2008 and is no longer how it is described.) |
| UAE nationals | Exempt. |
| Commercial units | The 5% residential formula doesn’t apply; businesses pay Dubai Municipality fees assessed at trade-licence renewal. |
Calculate your housing fee
| AED 50,000 rent | AED 2,500 a year · AED 208.33 / month |
| AED 80,000 rent | AED 4,000 a year · AED 333.33 / month |
| AED 100,000 rent | AED 5,000 a year · AED 416.67 / month |
| AED 150,000 rent | AED 7,500 a year · AED 625 / month |
How it gets onto your DEWA bill
Why your housing fee might be wrong
- You renewed at a lower rent but DEWA still bills on the last registered rent.
- The renewal wasn’t registered, so an old contract is still applied.
- There is no Ejari on the account, so the fee may be estimated from the RERA index for the area — often higher than your real rent.
- The previous tenant’s data is still linked, or the unit is classified wrongly.
- You are a UAE national but the DEWA account isn’t marked as such.
Check the rent on your Ejari
Apply to amend the fee with Dubai Municipality
Overpaid? You get it back
Who pays in special cases
- Bills included in the rent — the fee is billed to whoever holds the DEWA account, so a landlord who keeps DEWA in their name pays it (and usually prices it into the rent). If your contract is unclear on who bears it, that’s a tenancy question for the RDC.
- Vacant apartment — most sources agree the owner keeps paying while a DEWA account is active, so owners deactivate DEWA between tenants.
- Moving out mid-year — the fee is billed monthly with DEWA, so it stops or moves with your account (see DEWA Move-to); there is no prepaid lump sum to refund.
- Shared housing — under Dubai’s 2026 shared-housing law the landlord pays electricity and water by default.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Dubai housing fee calculated?
Tenants pay 5% of the annual rent registered on Ejari, divided into 12 monthly instalments on the DEWA bill. For AED 100,000 rent that is AED 5,000 a year, or AED 416.67 a month.
Why is my DEWA housing fee still based on my old rent?
Usually because the renewal at the new rent wasn’t registered on Ejari or didn’t sync to DEWA. Check the rent on your Ejari, then apply to amend the fee with Dubai Municipality if it is still wrong.
Do property owners pay the housing fee in Dubai?
Owners living in their own home pay 5% of the property’s estimated annual rental value under the RERA rental index. When the property is rented out, the tenant pays through their DEWA account.
Do UAE nationals pay the housing fee?
No. UAE nationals are exempt; if you are charged, update the DEWA account to citizen status and apply for an amendment.
How do I reduce my housing fee after renewing at a lower rent?
Make sure the renewal is registered on Ejari. If the fee doesn’t update, use Dubai Municipality’s “Apply to Amend Dubai Municipality Residential Fee” service with UAE PASS; it is free and takes about three working days.
Is the housing fee charged on a vacant apartment?
Most sources say yes, to the owner, while a DEWA account is active. Deactivating DEWA when the unit is empty stops the charge.