Write the leaving date, then work backwards. A rent deposit or a utility deposit is money you may get back. A penalty, a final bill, a remaining phone instalment and a mover's invoice are costs. Take penalties and device balances from your contracts, utility charges from the provider, and moving costs from a written quote.
This week, fix four dates: the lease end, the notice the contract or local law requires, the day dependants' residence permits are cancelled, and the day of the final utility reading. The rent guide explains registration. Use the steps below to plan the exit.
Go to: A worked calendar · The tenancy · Utilities · Phone, bank and final pay · Residence permits · The move
If the lease ends on 31 January 2027
This date is an example. Ninety days before it is 2 November 2026. Two calendar months before it is 30 November 2026. Three calendar months before it is 31 October 2026.
| Example date | Use |
|---|---|
| 2 November 2026 | Dubai notice if you want to change the rent or another term at renewal, unless the contract sets another period |
| 31 October 2026 | Abu Dhabi commercial, industrial, liberal-profession or artisanal premises: written notice not to renew or to change terms, three calendar months before expiry |
| 30 November 2026 | Abu Dhabi home: the same notice, two calendar months before expiry |
| Before your own permit is cancelled | Cancel dependants first, or arrange an eligible hold. Coordinate work-permit cancellation and final pay with the employer |
| Handover week | Book the meter reading, photograph the home, return the keys, keep the clearance |
| 31 January 2027 | Leave. Staying without an objection can renew the lease |
Dubai and Abu Dhabi use different notice rules
Dubai. Under Law No. 26 of 2007 (DIFC has its own rules), neither side can end the lease during its term except by agreement or on a ground in the law. The landlord returns the security deposit or its balance when the lease ends. Under the 2008 amendment, a party who wants to change the rent or another term gives at least 90 days' notice before expiry, unless the contract says otherwise. If you remain after expiry and the landlord does not object, the lease renews for the same term or one year, whichever is shorter, on the same terms.
The landlord may take a security deposit for maintenance and must return it, or what remains, when the lease ends. Check the deposit amount and agreed deductions in your tenancy agreement. Hand the home back in the condition you received it, apart from ordinary wear and tear or damage beyond your control. For a landlord's notice to recover the home for personal use, a first-degree relative, sale, demolition or major works, the amended law requires at least 12 months before eviction, through a notary or registered mail. Read your early-exit clause and record any agreed charge.
Abu Dhabi, outside ADGM. Article 20, as amended by Law No. 4 of 2010, requires written notice two calendar months before a residential lease ends and three calendar months before a lease for commercial, industrial, liberal-profession, or artisanal purposes ends if either party will not renew or wants different terms. Staying on with the landlord's knowledge, and without objection, renews the lease for a similar term on the same conditions. Use your contract's deposit and handover terms. An ADGM lease follows ADGM's own process.
At lease end, close the tenancy record through the relevant current service where required. DLD lists Ejari cancellation online or in the app as free and trustee-centre cancellation at AED 40 plus VAT. Check the current TAMM fee for Tawtheeq.
Close utilities on the handover date
Abu Dhabi. TAQA Distribution says account closing is free. Settle the final bill to receive the clearance certificate and recover the security deposit. To close the account before the tenancy contract expires, cancel the contract through Tawtheeq; TAQA then creates the closing-account request.
Dubai. Choose the move-out date and time through DEWA's move-out service. DEWA takes a final meter reading then and sends the final bill within 24 working hours. Settle the bill; any remaining security-deposit balance can be refunded by the method selected in the request. Listed deactivation charges are AED 125 for a small meter or AED 300 for a large meter, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. Ejari integration applies to residential properties with one premise number; use Dubai Now or DEWA digital channels for other cases. If cooling is billed by a separate provider, close that account separately.
Phone, bank and the final salary
e&. On the Freedom plan page, a 12-month commitment ends early for the lower of one month's plan instalment or AED 1,000, plus usage. For illustration, a monthly plan instalment of AED 350 gives an exit charge of AED 350; AED 1,200 gives AED 1,000. Check any device instalment agreement as well. Cancel in the e& UAE app, at an outlet, or on 101.
du. Under du's device instalment terms, cancelling the post-paid line early makes the remaining instalments payable. In a worked example, four remaining instalments of AED 200 total AED 800. Use your own agreement's balance.
Bank. Clear cards, loans and cheques, then get written confirmation of account closure.
Final pay. Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, a foreign worker employed full-time under the federal private-sector system who completes at least one continuous year qualifies for end-of-service gratuity. It uses the last basic salary. Unpaid absence and allowances such as housing and transport are excluded. Count 21 days of basic salary for each of the first five years, then 30 days for each later year, capped at two years' wage. Wages, other dues and this amount are due within 14 days after employment ends. The employer may deduct amounts legally due under the law and its regulations or a court judgment. The offer guide shows why basic salary changes the result.
Employers may opt into the alternative savings scheme; workers selected by a participating employer must join. Employer contributions for full-time staff are 5.83 percent of monthly basic salary below five years of service and 8.33 percent above five years. The employee is entitled to the employer's subscriptions and investment returns within 14 days after employment ends, or may choose to keep them invested. DIFC and ADGM have separate employment regimes. Read any settlement receipt before signing.
Cancel dependants before the sponsor
The sponsor applies to cancel the residence permit and linked Emirates ID through GDRFA in Dubai or ICP elsewhere. Emirates ID cancellation is linked to residence cancellation. Cancel dependants first, or place them on an eligible hold, before cancelling the sponsor's permit. The employer should coordinate any required work-permit cancellation with MoHRE; read any acknowledgement before signing.
The ICP cancellation page lists grace periods of 30, 60, 90, or 180 days by category and an AED 50 daily fine after the applicable grace period. For ICP-managed permits, residents outside the UAE for more than 180 days may need a return permit, subject to the stated exceptions; that service excludes Dubai residents. Check Dubai cases with GDRFA.
Price the move with two written quotes
Ask two firms to price the same list, the same access at both ends, and the same insurance. Keep sea freight, air freight, destination customs and storage on separate lines.
Add only the costs: contract penalties, final consumption, phone exit charges, remaining device instalments and the moving quote. Leave rent, utility and telecom deposits in a second column until they return or a deduction is listed.
Official sources checked on 30 September 2026. Cover generated with AI for illustration.
