A Complete Guide to the Tawtheeq System in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is one of the world’s most attractive destinations to live and visit. It offers high quality of life, excellent healthcare, and outstanding education. It is also home to the top attractions in the world, such as Ferrari World, the world’s first Ferrari-themed park, Louvre Abu Dhabi, one of the largest art museums in the Arab World, and Yas Waterworld which has the largest hydromagnetic-powered tornado waterslide in the world.

In regards to real estate, Abu Dhabi offers many types of properties located in the top 5 hotspots for property sales and investment, including Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Reem Island, Khalifa City, and Mohammed Bin Zayed City (MBZ), where you can buy, rent, or invest in any property according to your style and budget. If you have a property and want to rent it out, you need to become familiar with the Tawtheeq system.

What is the Tawtheeq System?

Just like the Ejari System in Dubai, Tawtheeq is an online system that allows registration, renewal, and termination of tenancy contracts in Abu Dhabi. It was introduced in 2011 by Abu Dhabi Municipality, with a bilingual (Arabic & English) repository of information regarding apartments and villas for rent in Abu Dhabi. Its main aim is to simplify the leasing procedures, regulate all tenancy contracts, and protect the rights of both landlords and tenants to avoid any disputes, which helps in establishing a good relationship between both parties.

Landlords or property managers are the ones who are responsible for registering tenancy contracts on Tawtheeq. After registering, Tawtheeq’s document is issued, which is essential for the tenants in order to connect the electricity and water of the rented homes with the Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC), a company that is responsible for distributing high-quality water and electricity services to all customers in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

It is worth noting that this system is part of Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, a set of policies and goals developed to ensure a safe and secure society with a sustainable economy.

How to Register a Tenancy Contract on Tawtheeq?

This process is done either offline by visiting the head office of Abu Dhabi Municipality or online through Tawtheeq’s online portal. Here is a list of the required documents needed while registering.

General Required Documents

• Account opening form
• A copy of a valid passport of the landlord or the property management company’s legal representative.
• A copy of a valid Emirates ID for the landlord or the property management company’s legal representative.
• A copy of a power of attorney for the landlord’s legal representative or the property management company’s legal representative.
• A Soft copy of the landlord’s or property manager’s tenancy contract with a hard copy of it, signed by the authorized signatory.

Additional Documents for Property Management Companies

• A copy of the trade license
• A copy of Abu Dhabi’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s membership

Steps for Online Registration

1- Open an account on the Abu Dhabi Municipality website.
2- Fill in all information about the rented property and submit the documents.
3- Wait for the Municipality’s approval which takes around 5 days. If the information does not match that in the Municipality’s database, or there is any missing document, you will be contacted to submit the missing information and documents and resubmit the request again.
4- Pay the registration fees.
• For residential contracts, AED 50 will be paid if the contract's duration is less than 4 years, but if the contract is more than 4 years, 1% of the first year of the contract value will be paid.
• For commercial and industrial contracts, AED 50 will be paid.
• For the industrial lands owned and leased by the Government, 5% of the contract value will be paid.
• For the contracts on the units with Duplicated Premise numbers, the annual Municipal fees will be about 5% of the contract value.
5- The registered tenancy contract is issued.

Note:

All the landlords have to renew the Tawtheeq contract after its expiration date. All they need to do is to open the Tawtheeq account online, update the status of the tenancy contract, and submit the above documents. The renewal fees are the same as the registration fees paid in the beginning.

In regards to the cancellation of the tenancy contract, the landlord needs to fill in the Tawtheeq cancellation form. He can also terminate or close the tenancy contract by submitting an application form offline or online.

Now you have full information about the Tawtheeq system in Abu Dhabi. If you want any help regarding the registration of tenancy contracts, or if you want to rent a property in Abu Dhabi, contact RE/MAX UAE by calling +971 4 589 7376 or contact us here.