Article
How to Rent an Apartment in Dubai And Not Get Scammed
"I got scammed out of 50,000 dirhams"
"Honestly, I never thought I’d end up in a situation like this," says Elvina Abibullaeva, founder of The PIKE.
She decided to rent a yearly apartment in Business Bay. Went to the viewing, liked the location, and signed the contract. Six months upfront — 50 thousand dirhams, over 13 thousand dollars. "There was one strange thing," she recalls. "They never showed me the balcony. But everything felt professional, and I didn’t want to seem difficult."
The next day she moved in, walked onto the balcony for the first time — and saw excavators digging a construction pit directly next to the building.
She decided to rent a yearly apartment in Business Bay. Went to the viewing, liked the location, and signed the contract. Six months upfront — 50 thousand dirhams, over 13 thousand dollars. "There was one strange thing," she recalls. "They never showed me the balcony. But everything felt professional, and I didn’t want to seem difficult."
The next day she moved in, walked onto the balcony for the first time — and saw excavators digging a construction pit directly next to the building.
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Honestly, I never thought I’d end up in a situation like this
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Honestly, I never thought I’d end up in a situation like this
"I thought maybe they would stop at night. They didn’t."
The drilling continued until morning. Vibrations and pressure in her head. No sleep at all. "I texted the agent and he basically said I knew what I was signing up for. That’s when I realized nobody forgot to mention the construction site. They hid it on purpose."
Dubai rental scams happen way more often than we can handle. And way too elegant to be easily figured out. Usually it’s pressure, missing information, verbal promises and deposits transferred too quickly. By the time you understand the situation, the money is already gone.
So we collected the biggest red flags tenants in Dubai keep running into — and the stories behind them.
The drilling continued until morning. Vibrations and pressure in her head. No sleep at all. "I texted the agent and he basically said I knew what I was signing up for. That’s when I realized nobody forgot to mention the construction site. They hid it on purpose."
Dubai rental scams happen way more often than we can handle. And way too elegant to be easily figured out. Usually it’s pressure, missing information, verbal promises and deposits transferred too quickly. By the time you understand the situation, the money is already gone.
So we collected the biggest red flags tenants in Dubai keep running into — and the stories behind them.
Inspect, don’t trust
The biggest mistake tenants make in Dubai is assuming that if the building looks expensive, the apartment must be fine.
One resident says agents promised the apartment would be painted and professionally cleaned before move-in. "When I arrived, nothing had been done. It was dirty and smelled terrible."
One resident says agents promised the apartment would be painted and professionally cleaned before move-in. "When I arrived, nothing had been done. It was dirty and smelled terrible."
Others describe hidden mold, AC issues, leaks, pests and apartments actively listed for sale — meaning strangers constantly come for viewings while you’re still living there. Tenants repeatedly advise checking far more than just the living room during viewings.
Look for:
One tenant even recommends checking the garbage room and greeting security guards during the viewing. "You'll immediately understand what kind of building this is," they write. And always insist on seeing the balcony, common areas and surroundings of the building.
Look for:
- mold under sinks,
- dust in AC vents,
- cracked washing machine rubber,
- leaks near showers,
- dead insects inside cabinets,
- chipped walls or mirrors,
- damaged furniture,
- signs of water damage.
One tenant even recommends checking the garbage room and greeting security guards during the viewing. "You'll immediately understand what kind of building this is," they write. And always insist on seeing the balcony, common areas and surroundings of the building.
The apartment you saw may not be the apartment you get
One of the most common complaints in Dubai rental groups is bait-and-switch apartments.
People view one apartment and then, right before signing or moving in, suddenly hear that "there's an issue," "the owner changed their mind" or "that apartment is no longer available." What follows is usually an offer for a much worse replacement.
One tenant describes receiving a message one hour before movers arrived saying the room they booked was suddenly unavailable. Instead, the agent offered another room in worse condition. When the tenant demanded the deposit back, the agent allegedly refused and started pressuring them to accept the replacement.
Others describe agents promising furniture replacement, deep cleaning, repairs or repainting — and then pretending those conversations never happened after payment.
People view one apartment and then, right before signing or moving in, suddenly hear that "there's an issue," "the owner changed their mind" or "that apartment is no longer available." What follows is usually an offer for a much worse replacement.
One tenant describes receiving a message one hour before movers arrived saying the room they booked was suddenly unavailable. Instead, the agent offered another room in worse condition. When the tenant demanded the deposit back, the agent allegedly refused and started pressuring them to accept the replacement.
Others describe agents promising furniture replacement, deep cleaning, repairs or repainting — and then pretending those conversations never happened after payment.
Parking is another common problem. Tenants repeatedly describe being shown one parking spot during the viewing and discovering after signing that the actual spot is completely different, difficult to access or not included at all.
The same thing happens with "family buildings." Karthika, a 26-year-old marketing specialist, rented what she thought was a shared two-bedroom apartment near Sheikh Zayed Road. "It was a nice building," she recalls. "You needed an access card to enter."
But after moving in, she discovered the apartment already housed six women. Two per bedroom and three more in a partitioned hall.
"We had to sneak into our own apartment sometimes," she says. "At other times we waited in the lobby for someone to enter so we could walk in behind them." The tenants later lost their deposits after being suddenly asked to leave.
If something is promised verbally, put it in the contract. Otherwise it may stop existing the second you transfer the money.
The same thing happens with "family buildings." Karthika, a 26-year-old marketing specialist, rented what she thought was a shared two-bedroom apartment near Sheikh Zayed Road. "It was a nice building," she recalls. "You needed an access card to enter."
But after moving in, she discovered the apartment already housed six women. Two per bedroom and three more in a partitioned hall.
"We had to sneak into our own apartment sometimes," she says. "At other times we waited in the lobby for someone to enter so we could walk in behind them." The tenants later lost their deposits after being suddenly asked to leave.
If something is promised verbally, put it in the contract. Otherwise it may stop existing the second you transfer the money.
If they rush you — walk away
A Reddit user searching for a room near university spent almost a month apartment hunting while living in hotels. "It was draining my money and seriously affecting my mental health," he writes.
Eventually someone messaged him offering a room in JBR. The apartment looked decent enough, but several details felt strange. "When I got there the apartment was under renovation, lights were off, and the main door was wide open. The whole thing felt weird." Still, after weeks of searching, exhaustion won. The "agent" kept insisting he pay quickly and he transferred 5,000 AED in cash.
The next day he came to move in and discovered the apartment was actually a short-term rental listed on Booking.com. The scammers had booked it for one day, used it to show tenants around and cancelled the booking after collecting deposits.
But after weeks of apartment hunting, people stop analyzing red flags rationally. They just want the search to end. That’s exactly what many scams rely on.
Eventually someone messaged him offering a room in JBR. The apartment looked decent enough, but several details felt strange. "When I got there the apartment was under renovation, lights were off, and the main door was wide open. The whole thing felt weird." Still, after weeks of searching, exhaustion won. The "agent" kept insisting he pay quickly and he transferred 5,000 AED in cash.
The next day he came to move in and discovered the apartment was actually a short-term rental listed on Booking.com. The scammers had booked it for one day, used it to show tenants around and cancelled the booking after collecting deposits.
But after weeks of apartment hunting, people stop analyzing red flags rationally. They just want the search to end. That’s exactly what many scams rely on.
A common pattern in Dubai’s rental market is urgency. This pressure becomes even worse in cheaper rental segments, where students and newcomers are often searching while staying in hotels or temporary Airbnbs and burning through money daily.
Paperwork is your biggest friend
One tenant renting an apartment through an agency later discovered the hotel had only been receiving monthly payments despite him paying the entire year upfront. Two months later the agent disappeared completely.
Others describe agents demanding cash only, asking for deposits before contracts or suddenly introducing mysterious "service fees" and "typing fees" after negotiations are finished.
Others describe agents demanding cash only, asking for deposits before contracts or suddenly introducing mysterious "service fees" and "typing fees" after negotiations are finished.
Dubai actually has a relatively regulated rental system — but many tenants never verify anything because they’re tired, new to the city or afraid of losing the apartment. Tenants are repeatedly advised:
One of the biggest red flags is vagueness. Run when you hear "I'll send it later." "Don't worry." "This is how it’s usually done."
- ask for the broker license,
- verify Ejari,
- request the title deed,
- make cheques payable only to the owner listed on the documents,
- keep all communication in WhatsApp or email,
- never transfer money to random personal accounts.
One of the biggest red flags is vagueness. Run when you hear "I'll send it later." "Don't worry." "This is how it’s usually done."
The main problem is exhaustion
Most rental scams in Dubai don’t work because people are careless, but rather because people are exhausted. They arrive in the city, stay in temporary housing, start new jobs and feel pressured to settle quickly.
That urgency creates the perfect conditions for bad decisions — and scammers understand that perfectly. The safest tenants are usually not the richest ones, but the ones willing to slow down.
That urgency creates the perfect conditions for bad decisions — and scammers understand that perfectly. The safest tenants are usually not the richest ones, but the ones willing to slow down.
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Date of the article's release: summer 2026