The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre has announced a rent freeze across the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) via a post on 'X', from their official account on Tuesday. Described by the real estate body as a "temporary measure", it state that "all residential, commercial, and industrial tenancy contract renewals will be processed at a 0% increase for the duration of the measure."
New tenancy contracts on previous rented units will be offered at the same value as the contract prior, as per the new mandate.
Abu Dhabi has had a yearly rent cap to prevent landlords from increasing rent by over 5% when being renewed, since 2016. The rent freeze was attributed to the economic impact of the US-Iran war, which has lead to rising prices, fuel constraints, job losses and pay cuts.
Iran had also stated that it may target the economic and financial infrastructure of West Asian countries that have US military assets which includes the UAE. This has lead to financial consulting firms such as PwC and Deloitte evacuating their offices in Dubai in March 2026. Citigroup had also asked its employees to vacate their offices in Dubai International Financial Centre and Oud Metha in order to maintain their safety. This has further contributed to the UAE's economic headwinds.
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