Accounting for real estate companies and landlords in Dubai
We keep rent rolls, cheque registers and VAT for landlords, property companies and brokerages, unit by unit, and agree them to the bank every month.
- Fixed monthly fees Agreed in writing before we start.
- Office in Business Bay ParkLane Tower, Park Regis.
- Filed on EmaraTax We submit your VAT and corporate tax returns.
- WhatsApp replies In working hours, Monday to Saturday.
What we fix in the first month
Property books are mostly matching work: leases to cheques, cheques to the bank, and each unit to its VAT treatment.
-
Post-dated cheques in a notebook
Bounced or replaced cheques that are not logged become arrears nobody sees until renewal.
We keep a cheque register, match each cheque when it clears and follow up returns.
-
All rent coded the same way
Residential and commercial units can carry different VAT treatment, so one code for all rent gets some of it wrong.
We set the VAT treatment for each unit when we build the rent roll and recheck it at renewal.
-
Rent counted when the cheque clears
A year's rent paid up front is not a year of income in January.
We spread rent over the lease and hold the rest as income received in advance.
-
Unit costs in one expense line
Maintenance, chiller charges, owners' association fees and agency commission booked together hide each unit's return.
We allocate costs to each property, so you see the net yield of every unit.
-
Personal and company property mixed
Property you own personally and property held in a company end up in one set of books.
We keep separate books for each owner and entity, so it is clear what belongs to the business.
-
Brokerage commission booked net
Recording commission after co-broker and agent shares hides the agency's real revenue.
We record gross commission, co-broker shares and agent payouts on separate lines.
What your monthly report shows
We agree five or six measures with you in the first month and keep them stable, so the trend means something.
- Occupancy Let units against lettable units, by building.
- Rent collected against rent due Cash received against what the leases say you should have received.
- Arrears by tenant Bounced, replaced and overdue cheques, by age.
- Net yield by unit Rent less service charges, maintenance and fees, against cost.
- Renewals in the next 90 days Leases ending soon, with their current rent.
The full pack adds profit and loss against budget, cash and ageing. See MIS reporting
Tax points we check
Each point is taken from the law or FTA guidance named under it.
-
When a landlord registers for VAT
VAT is 5%. Registration is mandatory once taxable supplies, including taxable rent, pass AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or are expected to pass it in the next 30 days. Voluntary registration is possible above AED 187,500.
Source: FTA, registration for VAT
-
Returns within 28 days
Returns and payment are due within 28 days of the end of each tax period, on EmaraTax. Since 14 April 2026 late payment costs 14% a year, charged monthly.
Source: FTA, filing VAT returns; Cabinet Decision 129 of 2025
-
Corporate tax for property companies
A company that holds property pays 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it. The return and payment are due within nine months of the year-end.
Source: Federal Decree-Law 47 of 2022, Art. 53; Cabinet Decision 116 of 2022
-
Keep records for seven years
Leases, cheque records and invoices support both VAT and corporate tax. Corporate tax records must be kept for seven years after the end of the tax period they relate to.
Source: Federal Decree-Law 47 of 2022, Art. 56
Frequently asked questions
Ask us on WhatsAppDo I need to register for VAT if I rent out property?
It depends on what you let. Residential and commercial units can be treated differently for VAT, and only taxable rent counts towards the AED 375,000 registration threshold. Send us your tenancy list and we will tell you where you stand.
Is my rental income subject to corporate tax?
If the property is held in a company, the rent is part of the company's taxable income. If you own property personally, the answer depends on how the activity is run, so we review it with you before we set up the books.
How should rent received in advance be recorded?
As income received in advance, released to the profit and loss each month over the lease term. That keeps monthly profit meaningful and puts the income in the right tax period.
Can you handle a portfolio with residential and commercial units?
Yes. We set the VAT treatment for each unit, invoice VAT only where it applies, handle the VAT on shared costs correctly and report the yield of each building every month.
Get a rent roll that agrees with the bank
Send us your tenancy list and three months of bank statements. We will propose the set-up, the VAT treatment per unit and a fixed monthly fee.
