The rules on this site

ShareSpaces follows Law No. 4 of 2026 and the Dubai Municipality guide. Where a news article differs, the official text is used. English summaries below are ours. The law PDF is in Arabic, and no official English translation was found.

Dates

The law was issued on 27 February 2026 and printed in Official Gazette issue 764, dated 12 March 2026. Article 40 says it takes effect 180 days after publication, which is 2026-09-08. Article 37 gives existing homes one year, so the regularisation deadline is 2027-09-08. The Director General may extend that once.

What we checked

A shared-housing permit is required before a unit is allocated. It lasts one year, or two if the owner asks, and renewal is due at least 30 days before it ends.

Law No. 4 of 2026, Articles 8, 9 and 10. Dubai Municipality PDF.

Matches the statute. A public publication of 8 Oct 2026 said the same.

Existing homes have until 8 September 2027 to regularise, unless the Director General extends that once.

Article 37, counted from gazette publication. Circular of 7 Sep 2026 and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026, both state 8 Sep 2026 to 8 Sep 2027.

Matches official sources. A news report’s 26 August date counted 180 days from the 27 February signature, not from the gazette.

Every printed or digital ad shows the establishment’s approved trade name and the permit number, and must not be misleading.

Article 27 of the law PDF.

Confirmed in the official text. Both fields are mandatory on every real card.

The whole building or villa is one category only: individual or family. They cannot be mixed.

Dubai Municipality circular, point 10, and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026. The technical guide also says one category per unit.

Matches. ShareSpaces stores the category on the building and refuses a second category under the same permit.

At least 5 m² of bedroom per person, rounded down.

Technical guide, and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026.

Matches. 12 m² is 2 people, not 3.

At least 1 m² of kitchen per person, and at least one bathroom per 4 people.

Technical guide PDF. Not restated in the Media Office press release.

Taken from the official guide. Not in a public publication of 8 Oct 2026.

Family housing: one separate bedroom per family, with an en-suite bathroom.

Technical guide, and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026.

Matches.

Individual housing needs kitchen, bathrooms, dining, recreation, laundry, and a place to dry clothes.

Technical guide. The Media Office release lists the first five of those.

The drying space is in the guide and was not in that public publication.

Bani Yas Road, Sheikh Zayed Road, Jumeirah Road, and Al Wasl Road are family only.

Technical guide. Not in the Media Office press release.

Taken from the official guide.

A tenant cannot sublet.

Article 11.

Matches. The wizard blocks tenant subletting.

Fines from AED 500 to AED 500,000, doubled on a repeat, capped at AED 1,000,000.

Article 29.

Matches the statute and a public publication of 8 Oct 2026.

Six areas named as approved: Al Souq Al Kabeer, Al Ras, Al Warqa 1, Al Barsha 1, Al Muraqqabat, Al Rigga. More than 44 areas in total.

Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026. The full list of names is from a public publication of 8 Oct 2026.

The six names are official. The rest, and the designated-parts split, are marked “not yet confirmed by an official source”.

Categories in the law

Families
Individual women
Individual men
Female students in education housing
Male students in education housing
Government staff and private-company workers

Article 14(c) says the criteria for each category are set by a later decision. This site does not invent extra gates for students or company staff. Search filters are family, women only, and men only, because those are categories in the law, not because of nationality or religion.

What this site adds, and does not claim is law

Partitions, lofts, halls, and converted kitchens are refused. The circular says the grace period does not cover building violations or an unauthorised change of use. We did not find those four words in the guide. A living room reused as a bedroom is allowed when the space rules are met.
Titles cannot prefer a nationality, ethnicity, or religion. We did not find an official list of banned words.
A broker must type a Trakheesi number. Dubai Land Department’s ad-permit service covers electronic ads and asks a broker for a marketing contract. We do not check the number.
Listings drop off after 30 days unless the lister confirms they are still available. That is a site rule, not a statute.
Fines, if a breach is proved, run from AED 500 to AED 500,000, and up to AED 1,000,000 on a repeat.
Roads limited to family housing: Bani Yas Road, Sheikh Zayed Road, Jumeirah Road, Al Wasl Road.

Sources

Law No. (4) of 2026 regulating the occupancy and management of shared housing in the Emirate of Dubai — Official
Law No. (4) of 2026 on the Dubai Legislation portal (Arabic) — Official
Mohammed bin Rashid issues Law regulating the management and occupancy of shared housing in Dubai — Official
Dubai Municipality issues the planning and building requirements guide for shared housing — Official
Dubai Municipality circular of 7 September 2026 on shared housing (file 1-3-1) — Official
Dubai Municipality technical guide attached to the 7 September 2026 circular — Official
Dubai Land Department — Real Estate Ad Permit — Official
Federal Decree by Law No. (45) of 2021 concerning the Protection of Personal Data — Official
Dubai Police eCrime — Official
Dubai Police 901 non-emergency line — Official
Dubai Police app — Official
Dubai Police contact — 999 for emergencies, 901 for the call centre — Official

Dates

What we checked

A shared-housing permit is required before a unit is allocated. It lasts one year, or two if the owner asks, and renewal is due at least 30 days before it ends.

Law No. 4 of 2026, Articles 8, 9 and 10. Dubai Municipality PDF.

Matches the statute. A public publication of 8 Oct 2026 said the same.

Existing homes have until 8 September 2027 to regularise, unless the Director General extends that once.

Article 37, counted from gazette publication. Circular of 7 Sep 2026 and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026, both state 8 Sep 2026 to 8 Sep 2027.

Matches official sources. A news report’s 26 August date counted 180 days from the 27 February signature, not from the gazette.

Every printed or digital ad shows the establishment’s approved trade name and the permit number, and must not be misleading.

Article 27 of the law PDF.

Confirmed in the official text. Both fields are mandatory on every real card.

The whole building or villa is one category only: individual or family. They cannot be mixed.

Dubai Municipality circular, point 10, and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026. The technical guide also says one category per unit.

Matches. ShareSpaces stores the category on the building and refuses a second category under the same permit.

At least 5 m² of bedroom per person, rounded down.

Technical guide, and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026.

Matches. 12 m² is 2 people, not 3.

At least 1 m² of kitchen per person, and at least one bathroom per 4 people.

Technical guide PDF. Not restated in the Media Office press release.

Taken from the official guide. Not in a public publication of 8 Oct 2026.

Family housing: one separate bedroom per family, with an en-suite bathroom.

Technical guide, and Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026.

Matches.

Individual housing needs kitchen, bathrooms, dining, recreation, laundry, and a place to dry clothes.

Technical guide. The Media Office release lists the first five of those.

The drying space is in the guide and was not in that public publication.

Bani Yas Road, Sheikh Zayed Road, Jumeirah Road, and Al Wasl Road are family only.

Technical guide. Not in the Media Office press release.

Taken from the official guide.

A tenant cannot sublet.

Article 11.

Matches. The wizard blocks tenant subletting.

Fines from AED 500 to AED 500,000, doubled on a repeat, capped at AED 1,000,000.

Article 29.

Matches the statute and a public publication of 8 Oct 2026.

Six areas named as approved: Al Souq Al Kabeer, Al Ras, Al Warqa 1, Al Barsha 1, Al Muraqqabat, Al Rigga. More than 44 areas in total.

Dubai Media Office, 7 Oct 2026. The full list of names is from a public publication of 8 Oct 2026.

The six names are official. The rest, and the designated-parts split, are marked “not yet confirmed by an official source”.

Categories in the law

Families

Individual women

Individual men

Female students in education housing

Male students in education housing

Government staff and private-company workers

What this site adds, and does not claim is law

Partitions, lofts, halls, and converted kitchens are refused. The circular says the grace period does not cover building violations or an unauthorised change of use. We did not find those four words in the guide. A living room reused as a bedroom is allowed when the space rules are met.

Titles cannot prefer a nationality, ethnicity, or religion. We did not find an official list of banned words.

A broker must type a Trakheesi number. Dubai Land Department’s ad-permit service covers electronic ads and asks a broker for a marketing contract. We do not check the number.

Listings drop off after 30 days unless the lister confirms they are still available. That is a site rule, not a statute.

Fines, if a breach is proved, run from AED 500 to AED 500,000, and up to AED 1,000,000 on a repeat.

Roads limited to family housing: Bani Yas Road, Sheikh Zayed Road, Jumeirah Road, Al Wasl Road.