Property Management Services

Property management is the work of running a home you own but do not live in: finding and keeping a tenant, registering the lease, collecting the rent, keeping the property in good order and taking it back in the same condition at the end. In Abu Dhabi most of this runs through official systems, so a manager's job is as much paperwork and record keeping as it is fixing air conditioning. This guide explains what a property manager does, how the tenancy register (Tawtheeq) works, and what to ask before you appoint one.

What a Property Manager Does

• Marketing and tenant screening: the manager prices the unit against the Abu Dhabi rental index, advertises it with the ADREC advertising permit (Madhmoun), shows it, and checks the tenant's identity, employment and references.
• The lease: a written tenancy contract, registered in Tawtheeq, with the rent, payment dates, deposit, maintenance split and notice terms set out clearly.
• Rent collection: cheques or transfers are collected on the dates in the contract, late payments are chased, and the owner receives a statement with every payment and every cost.
• Maintenance and inspections: routine servicing of air conditioning and appliances, repairs through approved contractors, and an inspection with photographs when a tenant moves in and out.
• Renewal and end of lease: written notice in the time the law requires, the renewal registered again, or the unit cleared, checked and the deposit settled.
• Owner reporting: a monthly or quarterly statement of rent received, costs paid and anything the owner must decide.

Tawtheeq: The Tenancy Register

Tawtheeq is the Abu Dhabi system that registers tenancy contracts. The landlord first enrols the unit, then each lease and each renewal is registered against it, and the registered contract is the record that ADREC, the rental disputes committee and the utility provider rely on. Registering a new lease or a renewal costs AED 50 on the government service pages (September 2026), and the tenant needs the registered contract to open the water and electricity account. A manager who handles this for you should give you the Tawtheeq contract number every time a lease starts or renews. Our guide to ADREC, DARI and Tawtheeq explains each system step by step.

Rent Rules a Manager Must Follow

Abu Dhabi's tenancy law requires a written contract, and either side must give written notice two months before a home lease expires if they do not want to renew or want to change the terms. The permitted annual rent increase is set by the government: since 3 June 2026 it has been 0%, reduced from 5%, temporarily and until further notice, and the last registered Tawtheeq contract is the reference. A landlord who wants the home for his own use must give six months' notice. A good manager tracks these dates for every unit so no renewal is missed and no notice arrives late.

What to Ask Before You Appoint a Manager

1. Is the company licensed by ADREC, and will the contract show its licence number?
2. What exactly is included: tenant placement only, or the full service with rent collection, maintenance and reporting?
3. How is the fee charged, as a fixed sum or a share of the annual rent, and what costs are billed on top?
4. How is rent collected and when is it passed on to the owner's account?
5. What spending limit applies to repairs before the owner must approve a quote?
6. Who registers and renews the lease in Tawtheeq, and who pays the registration cost?
7. How often are inspections made, and does the owner get photographs and a written report?
8. What happens at the end of a lease: notice, deposit, cleaning and the handover check?
9. How are tenant disputes handled, and who represents the owner before the ADREC rental disputes committee?
10. How can the agreement be ended, and with how much notice?

Ask for the answers in writing and compare two or three companies before you sign. The lowest fee is not always the better deal if repairs are marked up or the unit sits empty between tenants.

How Masterpiece Property Helps Owners

Masterpiece Property is an ADREC licensed brokerage in Abu Dhabi and does not run a property management service. What we do is help owners who buy through us with the questions above: the realistic rent for the unit, the papers a tenant and a manager will ask for after handover, and what a management contract should cover. Contact our team if you are buying a home to let in Abu Dhabi.