How to File a Mutual Early Exit Settlement for a Dubai Tenancy

File one signed settlement on this tenancy: the end date both sides agree, the money those two parties actually wrote, each unused cheque and who returns it, the deposit line, and the name of the person who starts the Ejari cancellation. Ejari is Dubai’s tenancy registration. A message that the tenant is leaving is not that paper. Neither side may end a valid lease alone during the term.

Article 7 of Law No. 26 of 2007 is the tenancy rule. Law No. 33 of 2008, issued in Dubai on 1 December 2008, replaced other articles and left Article 7 in place. A valid lease ends early by mutual consent or as that law provides. Article 7 states no fee and no number of days. The Dubai Land Department says that if the agreement has no early-termination provision, the period is a matter of discussion and agreement; otherwise both sides honour the term.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

One signed settlement for this exit

Article 7 does not require a notary, and it sets no fee. The signed settlement is still the paper that belongs with the contract. Replaced Article 4 of Law No. 33 of 2008 says that leases governed by the law, and any amendments, are registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA). A new end date is an amendment for that rule. A chat is not that record, and signing this page does not register the amendment.

The Ejari cancellation checklist is the document pack for the registration. The twelve-month notice is the recovery paper for own use, a sale, or works, served through a Notary Public or by registered mail. A mutual exit does not use that notice. The ninety-day letter is for a renewal or a rent amendment.

The deposit line here is the balance for this exit. The receipt register keeps the running balance. The handover inspection, the DEWA clearance, and the building move permit stay separate. DEWA is Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. Unused cheques for this exit are listed here; the full cheque schedule is the other register. Break wording that was already signed sits on the addendum.

Where the money line comes from

Read the signed lease and any addendum first. If that wording already states a figure or a notice method, copy it onto the settlement. If it states neither, the Land Department FAQ does not supply a fee or a number of days. Any notice period is then for the two parties to agree. The line is only what these two parties wrote, including none. If they do not agree, the term stands.

Some explainers treat one or two months’ rent, or 30 or 60 days, as a common clause. It is not a sum to add when this contract is silent. If the contract does not provide a pro-rata refund of unused rent, the settlement does not calculate one. A template that still cites the 1985 civil code is out of date. Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 repealed that code and took effect on 1 June 2026.

An English compilation of that decree, not the Official Gazette, says in Article 232 that a valid contract is not revoked, modified, or rescinded except by mutual consent, litigation, or a provision of law. It states no fee, and it does not replace Dubai’s Article 7.

The lines once that source is chosen

The end date is a calendar day both sides agree. “Next month” in a message is not a date, and it is not the twelve months in the replaced Article 25(2). That article is a recovery notice served through a Notary Public or by registered mail. The money still due, and what each side releases, is whatever that source already states.

On the deposit line, record the amount held and the balance these parties agreed. Article 20, in the English text, says the landlord refunds the deposit or the remainder upon expiry of the lease. The Arabic text says the deposit, or what remains of it, is returned when the contract ends. Arabic prevails, and neither wording is a number of days. Article 21 says the tenant returns the property as it was received, except ordinary wear and tear or damage beyond the tenant’s control. A dispute goes to the tribunal.

An unused cheque is listed and handed back. The Central Bank cheque note, in force for these rules from 2 January 2022, says that issuing a cheque without sufficient funds is no longer the old criminal case, apart from cases the law still lists. That change is not a reason to leave the cheque off the page.

If the tenancy already has a sub-lease, Article 8 says that sub-lease ends when the head lease ends, unless the landlord expressly agrees to extend it. If this settlement names a replacement tenant, Article 24 on the same page still requires the landlord’s written consent unless the lease says otherwise. That consent is a line here, not a new lease.

If the two sides cannot agree, stop. Article 738 of the 2025 code, in that English compilation, lets either party request termination for a supervening excuse, with damage limited to what custom recognises. That path is not mutual consent, and custom does not fix an amount. A claim at the Rental Disputes Center is a separate matter.

The signature leaves the registration alone

The cancel service is separate from this page. While the contract is still active, that service asks for the owner’s letter. The signature here names who starts the request. It does not end the registration.

The page is ready when it shows the end date, the money these parties wrote, including none, each unused cheque and who returns it, a line that the cheque will not be presented for rent after that date, the deposit balance, and who starts the Ejari cancellation. A fee, a penalty, or a deadline is on the page only when they already wrote it. If they have not agreed, stop. IziRento stores the signed file on the tenancy. It does not sign it, bank a cheque, or cancel Ejari.