For the past 10 months, I have been living in a single bed apartment in Dubai.

My rental contract is about to expire and the contract stipulates an annual rent of Dhs35,000.

I received an email from the real estate company stating that the rent would increase to Dhs42,000 when I renewed my lease.

Is there any way I can challenge this?

According to the query, since you are living in a rental apartment in Dubai, the provisions of Law No. 26 of 2007 "The Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai" (Dubai Rent Law) and Law No. 33 of 2008 "Amending Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in the Emirate of Dubai" (Amended Dubai Rent Law) apply.

It may be noted that rent increases or decreases relating to residential apartments in Dubai are determined by the Dubai Real Estate Authority (Rera) based on a rent calculator designed by the Dubai Land Department.

Article 10 of the Dubai Leasing Law states." Rera has the authority to set the criteria relating to the percentage increase in rent in the emirate as required by the prevailing economic situation in the emirate".

In accordance with the above provision, you can check the rental value of your apartment through the Rera rental calculator available on the website of the Dubai Land Department.

If you find that the rent of a similar apartment in your residential area is lower than the rent offered by your real estate company at the time of renewal, or the percentage of rent increase is higher than the percentage mentioned in the rent calculator, you can find your real estate agent and mention that the rent increase offered to you at the time of renewal is high.