Dubai Municipality has announced a package of conditions and requirements to regulate the occupancy and management of shared housing in the emirate, in implementation of Law No. 4 of 2026 on the organization of occupancy and management of shared housing in Dubai, which came into force last August, with giving the owners and facilities the year to reconcile their situations, specifying 10 obligations on the owners of buildings, villas, engineering consulting offices and contracting companies, most notably not to use any building or villa for shared housing except in the areas authorized by the municipality and the competent authorities, and allocating each housing unit to one of the categories of shared housing, either for families or for individuals, without mixing the two categories in a single unit.

The requirements recently issued by the municipality, and reviewed by “Emirates today”, excluded the lands located on the vital streets of a tourist and commercial nature, including Baniyas, Sheik Zayed, Jumeirah and Al Wasl streets, from allowing individuals to live, so that shared housing is limited to families only.

Circumstances reconciled

With the aim of enhancing quality of life and consolidating Dubai's global position, Dubai Municipality has issued Circular No. 1-3-1 of 2026 regarding the organization of occupancy and management of shared housing in the emirate of Dubai, in accordance with Law No. 4 of 2026, which includes 10 obligations on building owners, engineering consulting offices and contracting companies, within the framework of providing a suitable residential environment for various community groups.

The most important obligations included the obligation to reconcile the conditions of buildings or villas currently used for shared housing, in accordance with the provisions of the law, within a year from the date of its entry into force, and in accordance with the planning and structural determinants and standards.

The municipality emphasized that the time limits for regularization do not apply to Structural violations and violations of change of use which must be removed to prevent risks to life and property, stressing the need to obtain a building permit for shared housing, whether for new construction or to make changes to existing buildings and villas with the aim of converting them into shared housing.

Building permits

The municipality was required to submit applications for licensing, completion and joint housing permit through the services provided on the "Dubai buildings platform", while completing the requirements and regulations connected to joint housing through the engineering office allocated by the owner.

The engineering office will include in the license application all plans and data concerning the usage of buildings or villas for shared living, including building numbers, apartments, rooms, their areas, categories of inhabitants and rates of occupancy.

Once the completion certificate is received, the joint dwelling permit for buildings or villas is issued immediately with the required data to the Land and Property Department, on the basis of which the rental contracts are issued to residents.

The municipality also stipulated that the entire residential building or villa should be allocated for the purpose of shared housing, and not only part of it should be allocated for this purpose. It also stipulated that the shared housing in one building or villa should be limited to one category, either individuals or families, without combining them.

Specifics

Shared housing is subject to regulation within specific and approved areas in accordance with a planning scheme issued by the municipality, specifying the areas eligible to accommodate this type of use based on planning studies and urban analysis, ensuring a balance between the needs of the real estate market and maintaining the quality of the residential environment, as per the manual of technical requirements and requirements for shared housing attached to the circular, which supplements the Dubai building code and does not replace it.

The guidance prohibited residence in the lands located on the main streets of a tourist and commercial nature, including Baniyas, Sheik Zayed, Jumeirah and Al Wasl streets, and restricted the usage of shared housing to families only.

The guide has set five requirements for residential units and occupancy rooms, the most important of which is that the area allocated to each occupant in the bedroom should not be less than five square meters, and allowing one residential unit to be occupied by more than one family within the category of family housing, provided that a separate bedroom is allocated to each family with an independent en suite bathroom.

It was also permitted to have more than one resident in one bedroom in the individual's dwelling, by the maximum permitted and approved sanitary and technical criteria and to redistribute the living room inside the unit for residential usage.

Amenities and services

The manual provided that facilities and services shall be provided in shared housing buildings in the category of Housing and the type of occupancy to which they are assigned, as was permitted in buildings designed for individuals, by the provision of shared kitchens on each floor of new buildings, with the area and equipment of such kitchens to be commensurate with the number of occupants.

If the shared housing is within residential units (apartments), it is permissible to provide Kitchens inside the unit, provided that the kitchen area is not less than one square meter for each occupant, while meeting the public safety and health requirements in accordance with the Dubai building code.

The manual stipulates for the supply of health benefits proportionate with the number of occupants of the unit such that an integrated bathroom is supplied comprising a sink, toilet and shower for a maximum of four people. This applies to housing individuals and families.

The system is limited to accommodate people only if the health facilities are constructed as distinct units. A toilet has to be provided for not more than four occupants and a shower for six occupants.

He also provided for the provision of multi-purpose halls in the common housing buildings for persons, the number of which shall be proportionate to the number of the occupants and dedicated to dining and entertainment, with the necessary furniture and equipment, in addition to facilities for washing and drying clothes proportionate to the number of residents.

Car and bicycle parking

The guide waived the minimum parking spaces requirement for the shared housing in accordance with the approved regulations and required the property owner or the operator to provide a suitable area for the minibusses to board and deboard within the Road campus with the approval of the roads and Transport Authority and in accordance with the requirements of the Dubai code.

“The owner of the property was also required to provide bicycle parking for not less than 10% of the total number of occupants of the building, with the possibility of providing it within the Road campus after obtaining the approval of the roads and Transport Authority and the competent authorities.”

The requirements permitted renting for private residential villas or villas within the designated regions and permitted the use of shared housing according to the approved planning and structural restrictions.

Scheduled charges

The municipality has certified that the provisions are applicable to new buildings and existing buildings under modification and change for the purpose of providing shared accommodation, in the designated locations and within the approved planning and construction standards.

“Requests for amending the building or part of it to a real estate unit for shared housing are subject to the fees prescribed in accordance with the provisions of Regulation No. 10 of 2006 on requests for amendment to planning and building regulations in the emirate of Dubai, and Regulation No. 3 of 2007 on requests for amendment to land and buildings uses in the emirate,” she explained.

Law No. (4) of 2026 on the regulation of the occupancy and management of shared housing in Dubai aims to regulate the management and occupancy of real estate units allocated to this type of housing, in a manner that guaranties the rights of owners and residents, and to provide a suitable residential environment for various community groups.

The aim of this law is also to reduce population congestion and indiscriminate crowding in residential areas and neighborhoods, security risks and challenges and the negative repercussions resulting from them, reduce the spread of random shared housing, ensure fairness in renting units allocated for shared housing, preserve the civilized and esthetic appearance of the emirate and reduce the negative manifestations caused by the unregulated use of buildings, houses and real estate units.