How to get a shared-housing permit in Dubai

Since Dubai's shared-housing law took effect, a building or villa cannot be used for shared housing until it has a permit. This guide is for owners and operators who want to apply, and for residents who want to know what a permit means.

This is a plain-English summary of official sources. It is not legal advice.

No permit, no shared housing

Article 8 of Law No. 4 of 2026 says no person or company may allocate a property to shared housing before getting the permit. The Dubai Municipality circular repeats this (point 7).

The law defines shared housing as a group of individuals or families living together, each with their own space in the property, and sharing facilities such as the kitchen, dining room, bathrooms and outdoor areas.

Before you apply

Check three things first:

1. The area. The building or villa has to be in an area approved for shared housing. See our guide to approved areas.
2. The whole building. The whole building or villa has to be allocated to shared housing, not just part of it (circular, point 9).
3. One category. The building houses either individuals or families, not both (circular, point 10).

How the application works

The circular sets out the steps:

1. Building permit. You need a building permit for shared housing, whether it is a new building or changes to an existing building or villa to convert it (point 2).
2. Apply online through your consultancy. Applications for the building permit, completion and the shared-housing permit go through the Dubai Building Platform. They are submitted by the engineering consultancy the owner appoints (point 3). Applications opened on 8 September 2026.
3. Plans and data. The consultancy includes all drawings and data about the shared-housing use. That covers building numbers, apartment and room numbers and their areas, resident categories and occupancy (point 4).
4. Checks. The consultancy checks that the building meets the planning and building rules, plus the health and safety requirements. These include fire safety, health, environmental and security systems and the electrical grid, in line with the Dubai Building Code (point 5).
5. Permit. The shared-housing permit is issued as soon as the completion certificate is issued. It includes the data the Dubai Land Department needs to issue tenancy contracts to residents (point 6).

The Government of Dubai Media Office adds that Dubai Civil Defence requirements for fire alarm and firefighting systems, and SIRA requirements for CCTV, are checked before a permit is issued.

What the authorities look at

Under Article 9, the permit takes into account the building requirements, the maximum number of residents for each unit, the space per resident, and the shared facilities the unit must have. The technical guide sets these out. For example, there must be at least 5 m² of bedroom space per person, and there are rules on kitchens and bathrooms. Our guide to family and individual buildings covers the details.

How long a permit lasts

Article 10:

• A permit lasts one year and can be renewed for further one-year periods.
• At the owner's request, the authority can issue it for two years.
• Apply to renew at least 30 days before it expires.

While the permit is in force, the circular says the owner must keep renewing the certificates showing the property still meets the technical requirements. The owner must also follow the Dubai Land Department's conditions on tenancy contracts and building management.

Fees

Article 28 says fees are set by a decision of the Chairman of the Executive Council. The technical guide (section 6) says fees for requests to modify a building for shared housing follow Regulations No. 10 of 2006 and No. 3 of 2007. We have not found an official fee schedule for the permit itself.

Once you have the permit

• Who can lease. Only the owner or a licensed establishment can lease the units (Article 11).
• Ads. Every printed or digital ad must show the establishment's approved trade name and the permit number (Article 27).
• Sign. Put up a sign in a visible place on the front of the unit, with the operator's details in Arabic and English and the shared-housing category (Article 25).
• Contracts. Sign a tenancy contract with each resident, register it in the Shared Housing Register at the Dubai Land Department, and give the resident a copy (Articles 17 and 25).
• Capacity. Do not exceed the maximum number of residents set in the permit (Article 25).

Questions

The circular gives a Dubai Municipality contact for questions: phone 04 227 6732, email BCS@DM.GOV.AE.