Choose the service before comparing the price
To choose a Dubai property manager while living in the UK, check the company’s licence, agree exactly what it will do and ask to see a sample owner statement. Then compare the full fees, repair approval rules and exit terms. A percentage on its own tells you very little about the work you are buying.
This guide is for an ordinary residential rental in Dubai. Holiday-home operation and Abu Dhabi property management need separate checks. Start with the home’s likely needs: finding a tenant, handling an existing tenancy, arranging repairs or looking after it between lets.
If you want to stay in the home between guest bookings, our guide to personal use of a Dubai holiday home explains the owner-stay agreement and how to allow for your visits in the letting budget.
For the wider purchase checks, see our Dubai buying guide for UK residents. Settle the management plan before relying on rental income in your budget.
Check the company and its authority
Dubai Land Department’s published Tenancy Guide tells owners appointing a manager to verify the company’s licence and relevant activity. It also calls for a management contract identifying the property, responsibilities, fees and term, signed by someone authorised to act for the company.
Ask for the exact legal name, current licence details and draft agreement. Check that the same entity appears on the contract and invoices, and verify its permitted activity with the relevant authority. A polished website or a familiar trading name does not settle those questions.
Ejari is Dubai’s tenancy registration system. DLD’s current registration and renewal service sets different requirements for companies, owners and representatives, including licensing and powers of attorney. Agree who handles registration and renewal, what authority they need and who sends you the certificate.
Keep day-to-day coordination separate from authority to sign documents or make commitments for you. If a power of attorney is proposed, have its scope explained and reviewed independently before signing.
Give each company the same brief
Send each prospective manager the same property details and list of tasks. Ask them to mark every task as included, charged separately or outside their service. Finding a tenant, managing your apartment and maintaining the shared building are different jobs, even if one business offers more than one.
Use the questions below to compare written proposals. Building service charges need their own budget and evidence; our Dubai service-charge guide explains those checks.
| Part of the service | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Letting and renewal | Who handles advertising, viewings, tenant checks and renewal discussions? Which fees are separate? |
| Day-to-day contact | Who answers the tenant, covers absences and updates you? What response times are agreed? |
| Inspections and repairs | Which visits are included? Who approves work, appoints contractors and checks completion? |
| Money and reporting | Who receives each payment? What statements, invoices and transfer records will you receive? |
| End of the agreement | What notice, charges and handover steps apply when you change manager or sell? |
Ask what the quoted fee is calculated on
If a quote uses a percentage, ask whether it applies to the agreed annual rent, rent actually received or another amount. Confirm minimum charges, billing dates and whether applicable VAT is included. Get separate prices for letting, renewals, inspections and any work outside the package.
Check whether charges continue while the home is empty. Ask about contractor mark-ups, referral payments, administration charges and approval for extra spending. The aim is to know the total cost under the same circumstances, rather than choose the smallest headline percentage.
Put the proposal into your overall ownership budget. Compare one ordinary year with a second scenario involving an empty period and a repair. Use written quotes and clearly labelled assumptions; neither scenario predicts your return.
Agree how repairs work when you cannot answer
Set a routine approval limit in AED and agree what evidence you receive before work starts. Decide when a second quote is needed, how contractor relationships are disclosed and who checks the finished job. Ask separately about urgent situations, including the person who can act if you are unreachable.
Consider a hypothetical water leak reported while you are asleep in the UK. The agreement should explain who coordinates an urgent response, what they may authorise and when they must contact you. It should also distinguish immediate action to limit damage from approval for a larger repair.
Ask for a dated record of the report, authorised work, invoice and completion evidence. Agree how the manager coordinates with the building team, tenant, contractor and insurer where relevant. A spending limit alone does not tell anyone who is responsible for the next step.
Read a sample statement before you sign
Request an anonymised owner statement and check whether you can follow the money without a phone call. It should distinguish rent due from rent received, show each deduction and identify amounts held or transferred. Ask where supporting invoices sit and how you query an unfamiliar charge.
Confirm the permitted payment arrangements for the company’s licensed activity and your agreement. Ask who holds any tenant deposit, how it is recorded and what approvals govern deductions or release. Do not assume a management appointment gives the company unrestricted authority to receive or use funds.
Keep your own copies of the tenancy documents, statements and invoices. GOV.UK’s foreign-income guidance says UK tax residents normally pay tax on overseas income, including rent, although reliefs may apply. Ask your tax adviser which records and currency conversions they need. The amount transferred to your bank is not, by itself, a tax calculation.
Make the handover out as clear as the handover in
Before signing, check the agreement’s duration, renewal provisions, notice requirements and any early exit charges. Ask how a sale or change of manager affects fees. Have unclear contractual terms reviewed before you commit.
Agree how keys, access cards, tenancy records, outstanding repairs and final accounts will pass to you or a replacement manager. Include responsibility for telling the tenant who to contact. A clear exit process matters even when you expect the relationship to last.
Still choosing the property? Tell us about your search and how involved you want to be once you own it. My Dubai Residence helps with property research and introductions; use the management quotes to judge whether a shortlisted home fits your budget and the time you can give it.
Sources & further reading
Dubai Land Department: Tenancy Guide — appointing a property manager ↗Dubai Land Department: Ejari registration and renewal requirements ↗GOV.UK: tax on foreign income ↗This is general information. The linked sources were checked on 30 October 2026; rules and services can change. Confirm what applies to your purchase with the relevant authority and a qualified adviser.