Tenancy Contract Attestation in UAE is required for both, Emirates and Expatriates if they have a home or an apartment or any other property and wants to rent it to a family member, friend, or a tenant. Moreover, a Tenancy Contract Attestation is also required when a person is a property dealer, providing tenant placement services in UAE, or wants to rent a property.
Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE requires a tenancy contract to stipulate all the responsibilities of the tenant and the owner of the property. A tenancy contract is an agreement that sets out everything between the tenant and the landlord by providing all the information regarding the tenancy of the property. After writing the tenancy contract, the Tenancy Contract Attestation should be done with the respective authorities. If the situation arises that the tenant does not understand or agree with certain terms and conditions it is important that the contract should not be signed and attested. In such a case, the tenant must seek advice from their lawyer first.
In UAE, the landlord is required to provide the tenant with copies of the tenancy contract before the Tenancy Contract Attestation. Moreover under UAE law, an agreement can not be made between the tenant and landlord if they can not fulfill the obligations written for the tenancy. Therefore, a tenant must read and understand all the terms written within the tenancy contract before signing it and sending it for attestation.
Also Read: True Copy Attestation Guide
The Procedure of Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE
The Procedure of Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE involves the following steps:
1. First the tenant and the landlord are required to write the tenancy contract with full address, rent of the property and the rent period.
2. Once the landlord and tenant are satisfied with the terms and conditions of the Tenancy Contract, they must sign it and then review the requirements of the Tenancy Contract Attestation before sending it to the respective authority.
3. The landlord and tenant after reviewing should submit the requirements of Tenancy Contract Attestation to the respective authority which includes:
- Passport copy of the tenant and the landlord
- Visa copy of the tenant and the landlord
- Emirates ID of the tenant
- The tenancy contract
- In case of the renewal of the contract, a previous tenancy contract should be provided
- A certificate of title has to be provided by the landlord
- In case the tenant resides with family members then passport copy, Visa copy and Emirates ID of the family members should also be provided
4, After submission of the requirements of Tenancy Contract Attestation, the landlords and tenants must register the tenancy contract by the respective authority in each Emirate.
5. In the UAE, the landlord makes a payment of the registration fee for the Tenancy Contract Attestation which is two percent of the tenancy value.
6. The lawyer or the notary public of the respective authorities then sends the tenancy contract to the applicable government department in each of the seven Emirates of UAE for the Tenancy Contract Attestation.
7. The regulatory service for the Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE provided by the applicable government department in the seven Emirates of UAE are:
- Dubai uses Ejari system for attestation
- Abu Dhabi uses the Tawtheeq system
- Sharjah uses Sharjah Municipality for Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE
- Tenancy Contract Attestation in Ajman uses the Tasdeeq system
- Umm Al-Quwain uses Umm Al-Quwain Municipality
- Similarly, Fujairah uses Fujairah Municipality
- Ras Al Khaimah uses Ras Al Khaimah Municipality
8. After completion of the procedure of Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE, the contract is valid for a certain number of years.
Tenancy Contract Attestation in UAE makes it possible for both, the landlord and the tenant to get their tenancy contract legalized and thus prevents any case of illegal practice such as forgery. The regulatory service provided by the applicable government department makes the procedure of Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE free from forgery as they handle the documents attestation process carefully and review every document provided.
The increase in the rent of the property is only possible once the procedure of tenancy has been completed. The procedure of Tenancy Contract Attestation in the UAE requires approvals from several departments. Thus, hiring a lawyer or notary public saves the time of the landlord by not queuing up in the government department and thus makes the procedure of Attestation of Tenancy Contracts in UAE a little less lengthy.
There are some differences in the procedure of Tenancy Contracts Attestation all over UAE and mostly depend on the respective government department in UAE. Going through the procedure of Tenancy Contracts Attestation ensures that the tenancy contract includes all the rights and obligations of the tenant as well as the landlord in order to meet the requirements of the legalization process in the United Arab Emirates.
Also Read: How To Get Documents Attested From UAE Ministry Of Foreign Affairs
Hassan Humaid Al Suwaidi is a UAE Citizen and the founder of the firm HHS Lawyers. He has a vast experience of 20 years of dealing with high-value and complex notary requirements. Hassan has been involved in some of the largest legal settlements in the UAE and is commended for his ability to attain the most favourable outcomes for his clients.
