Dubai rent is paid by cheques - the default. Number signals negotiating position and cash flow.
1 cheque annual
- Full rent upfront
- Landlord may offer 5-10% discount
- Best if cash-rich
2 cheques bi-annual
- Two payments 6 months apart
- Rare - most prefer 4
4 cheques - STANDARD
- Most common option
- Cheque 1: day 1
- Cheque 2: month 4
- Cheque 3: month 7
- Cheque 4: month 10
6 cheques
- Landlord may charge 2-5% premium
- Bi-monthly cheques
- Good for tight cash flow
12 cheques monthly
- Landlord charges 5-10% premium
- Monthly cheques
- Best for salary-based tenants
Structuring the schedule
1
Confirm contract start
Determines cheque 1 date.
2
Choose payment mode
4 cheques standard. Others need agreement.
3
Auto-generate schedule
tenancycontract.com calculates dates + amounts.
4
Include in Section 5
Schedule appears in financial terms.
5
Write actual cheques
Post-dated to landlord's registered name.
Security deposit cheque
- Separate from rent cheques
- Dated contract start
- Held but not cashed unless damage
- Bank transfer alternative accepted
Bounced cheque consequences
- Contract penalty AED 500-1,000
- Landlord may terminate with notice
- Serial bounces: potential criminal case (softened under 2022 UAE law)
- Al Etihad Credit Bureau listing
Bank transfer alternative
- Increasingly common
- Include IBAN in Additional Terms
- Same due dates as cheque schedule
For sample, see filled example.