Dubai Housing Fee Calculator

No. This is the most common misunderstanding, and several websites get it wrong. The fee is calculated only from your annual rent. Your electricity and water consumption have no effect on it whatsoever. DEWA simply collects the fee on behalf of Dubai Municipality, which is why it appears on the same bill.

Annual rent multiplied by 5%, divided by 12. DEWA's own bill explanation states it as '5% of the annual rent amount divided in 12 monthly instalments'.

UAE nationals living in their own home are not charged the housing fee. This reflects Dubai Municipality practice. Because the Dubai Municipality housing fees portal requires a UAE Pass login, the exemption is not published on a page we can link directly, so confirm your own status through that portal.

Through Ejari. DEWA is integrated with the Ejari system, so your annual rent value updates automatically when you renew your tenancy contract, and the housing fee updates with it. DEWA confirmed in February 2024 that this removed the need for tenants to visit Dubai Municipality to adjust the rent value manually.

Switch this calculator to Customize and enter the housing fee printed on your DEWA bill. It works backwards to show the annual rent DEWA is holding for you. If that figure does not match your Ejari contract, the fee is being charged on the wrong rent. The calculator shows the monthly difference and the running total, and links to the Dubai Municipality housing fees portal where the amount can be amended.

An expat who owns and lives in a Dubai property is still charged the housing fee. There is no Ejari contract in that case, so Dubai Municipality uses an estimated market rental value for the property. The Dubai Land Department Smart Rental Index, launched in January 2025, is the official reference for market rent by building.

The 5% figure here is the residential housing fee that DEWA collects. Commercial premises are handled differently: the municipality charge on a commercial property is settled through the Department of Economy and Tourism at trade licence renewal rather than on the DEWA bill. Published rates for commercial premises are inconsistent across sources, so confirm the current figure with DET directly rather than relying on a third-party number.

Yes. Because it is a straight percentage of annual rent, a rent increase raises the fee proportionally. Customize mode has a renewal field that shows the new monthly fee and exactly how much more per month and per year the increase costs you in fee alone.

No, they are separate lines. Sewerage is charged on the volume of water you use. The housing fee is a percentage of your rent. Both appear on the DEWA bill and both are collected on behalf of Dubai Municipality, which is why they are often confused.