01
Power, in kilowatts
Ask how many kilowatts (kW) the unit has today. Plain storage needs little; air-conditioning, ovens, compressors and machines each need more, and adding supply later takes time and money.
AskHow many kW does the unit have?
Before you rent
What to check before you rent a warehouse in Dubai
The listing tells you the price. It can’t tell you whether the unit works for you. Ten things decide that — get each one in writing before you pay a dirham.
Printable checklist · A4 PDF
Rules and fees linked to their official source · checked 4 Oct 2026
The space
What the listing can’t show you.
02
Clear height, to the lowest beam
Height decides whether racking, a forklift or a mezzanine of your own will fit. Measure from the floor to the lowest beam, light or sprinkler pipe — not to the roof.
AskWhat is the clear height to the lowest beam?
03
The ground floor, on its own
A mezzanine is useful for offices or light stock, but it is not floor space for racking or vehicles. Ask for the ground floor and the mezzanine as two figures, and work out the price per square foot on the ground floor.
AskHow much of the size is ground floor, and how much is mezzanine?
04
Access and loading
Find out the biggest truck that can reach the door and turn round. Measure the door’s width and height, look for a loading dock or ramp, and ask how many parking bays come with the unit.
AskWhat size of truck can reach the door, and how many parking bays come with the unit?
05
The condition, in writing
Look at the roof for leaks, the floor for cracks, and the doors, toilets, lights and any air-conditioning. Agree in writing what the landlord repairs before handover: the law has the landlord hand the unit over in good condition, and you hand it back as you received it, ordinary wear and tear aside.
AskWhat will be repaired before handover?
Source: Dubai Law 26 of 2007
The paperwork
What decides whether you can trade from it.
06
Your activity, allowed here
Your trade licence has to be issued for this address. Industrial units are for storage, manufacturing, repair and trading; any other use needs a Dubai Municipality planning permit, hazardous goods need Civil Defence approval, and no one may live on site except security guards.
AskWhich business activities is the unit approved for?
07
Fire safety, before the licence
No trade licence is issued or renewed in Dubai without a valid Civil Defence certificate, so fire systems that don’t work hold up your licence. Check the alarm, sprinklers and extinguishers work, and ask when they were last inspected.
AskDo the fire alarm and sprinklers work, and when were they last inspected?
Source: Dubai Law 4 of 2025
08
Who you are renting from
See the title deed, or the owner’s power of attorney if someone signs for them. If the person letting the unit is a tenant themselves, they need the owner’s written consent to sub-let it to you. Some industrial land is let through DREC; a sub-lease there carries DREC’s fee, paid before the sub-lease Ejari.
AskCould you share the title deed, or the power of attorney of whoever signs?
Source: Dubai Law 26 of 2007
09
The terms, not just the rent
Agree the number of cheques, the start date, any rent-free or fit-out period, and who pays for maintenance. At renewal, a side that wants to change the terms must tell the other at least 90 days before the lease ends.
AskHow many cheques, and is there a rent-free or fit-out period?
Source: Dubai Law 26 of 2007
10
The whole bill, not the rent
Add 5% VAT on the rent, the security deposit (it comes back at the end), the agency fee, Ejari, the DEWA deposit and connection, and any service charge. Put the first year on one page before you pay a dirham.
AskWhat is the total due at signing, and what comes after?
Source: FTA · DLD Ejari service · DEWA
Renting a showroom? Three more
Frontage and sign
How many metres of glass face the road, and where your sign can go — in writing from the landlord.
Parking for customers
How many bays come with the unit, and where visitors park when the street is full.
Getting in from the road
Which side of the road it is on, and whether customers can turn in from the main road or need the service road.
Next
From the brief to the keys, in 10 stepsWho does each step, what to bring, and what Ejari and DEWA cost.- 1–3Find
- 4–5Agree
- 6–8Register
- 9–10Move in
Questions
Checking a warehouse
What should I check before renting a warehouse in Dubai?
Ten things: the power in kW, the clear height to the lowest beam, the ground floor on its own (a mezzanine is extra), truck access and parking, the condition at handover, that your activity is allowed in the unit, working fire systems (no Civil Defence certificate, no trade licence), who you are renting from (title deed, power of attorney or the owner’s consent to sub-let), the terms beyond the rent, and the whole first-year bill.
How do I check the clear height of a warehouse?
Measure from the floor to the lowest thing hanging from the roof — a beam, a light or a sprinkler pipe. That, not the height of the roof, decides whether racking, a forklift or a mezzanine fits.
Is a mezzanine counted in the size of a warehouse?
Often, yes: many listings quote the ground floor and mezzanine together. Ask for the two figures separately and compare units on the price per square foot of the ground floor, since a mezzanine can’t take racking or vehicles.
Talk to a broker
Found one you like? We’ll run the checks with you.
Send us the listing or your brief, and we put the questions above to the landlord for you.