A Dubai move involves far more than packing. Your tenancy notice, the new Ejari, two DEWA requests, two building permits, the internet transfer and the school bus all run to their own timetables, and several of them cannot start until the one before is done.
This checklist works back from moving day, the way our supervisors plan a job. Treat the timings as a starting point and bring everything forward if you are moving in the last week of a month, when landlords, buildings and crews are at their busiest.
Six Weeks Before: Notice, Dates and a First Clear Out
Read your tenancy contract for the notice period and how notice must be given, then give it in writing and keep proof it was received. If you are renting elsewhere, agree the start date of the new lease before you fix the moving day.
Book a survey now. It gives you a fixed written price and a realistic picture of the hours, crew and vehicles the move needs. If the two leases do not meet in the middle, ask about moving and storage so the furniture waits somewhere clean rather than in a friend's spare room.
- Give written notice to your landlord as the contract requires
- Book a survey and choose a date, avoiding the last days of the month if you can
- Start decluttering, beginning with storerooms, balconies and the backs of wardrobes
- Note anything needing special handling, such as a piano, artwork or a large aquarium
Four Weeks Before: Ejari, Permits and the Internet
Once the new lease is signed, get it registered with Ejari. Many buildings ask for the Ejari certificate with the move in permit, and DEWA uses it to set up a tenant's connection, so a late Ejari holds up two other jobs.
Contact the management of both buildings about permits, moving hours and service lift slots. Our guide to move in and move out permits in Dubai lists the documents most buildings want.
Then ask your internet and TV provider, du or e&, to move the service. Some buildings are wired for only one of them, so check the new address before assuming your package can come with you.
Decluttering goes faster with a deadline. Clothes, books, toys and working furniture can go to charity collection points or community groups, and anything you sell online should be collected before packing starts.
- Register the new tenancy with Ejari
- Ask both buildings about permits, deposits and lift slots
- Request the internet and TV transfer and book the installation
- Sell, donate or give away what will not suit the new home
Two Weeks Before: DEWA, Addresses and School Transport
Submit the DEWA move out and move in requests. Set the old home's disconnection for after the crew has finished, and aim to have power and water on at the new home before moving day, so the lights and air conditioning work when the truck pulls in.
Start on address changes. Your bank, employer, insurer, clinic and delivery apps all need the new one, and so does any subscription that arrives at your door.
If your children use school transport, tell the school or bus provider now. The new address may sit on a different route or outside the current pickup area, and a new stop is not always arranged overnight.
- Request the DEWA move out and move in
- Update your address with the bank, employer, insurer and delivery apps
- Arrange school transport from the new address
- Confirm both building permits are approved
- Pack books, seasonal clothes and rarely used kitchenware
The Week Before: Pack, Photograph and Plan the Freezer
Pack everything you will not need in the next seven days, room by room, and label each box with the room it is going to, not the room it came from. If our crew is packing for you, walk through with the supervisor and mark anything that stays behind.
Run down the freezer by planning meals around what is already in it. Book a cleaner for the old home after the crew leaves, and take dated photos of every room, wall and appliance. They help when the landlord inspects for the security deposit.
- Confirm the arrival time and both lift slots with your mover
- Set aside a first night box: kettle, mugs, toilet roll, bedding and towels
- Photograph the old home for the deposit inspection
- Book the end of tenancy clean
The Day Before: Defrost and Pack Your Own Bag
Empty the fridge and freezer, switch them off and leave the doors open on towels so they defrost and dry. A damp fridge shut inside a warm truck can smell for weeks. Our guide to moving in Dubai in summer covers how long it should stand before going back on.
Then pack the bag that travels with you, not with the furniture.
- Passports, Emirates IDs and tenancy papers
- Keys, access cards and parking remotes for both homes
- Phones, laptops, chargers and power banks
- Medicines, jewellery and anything irreplaceable
- Water, snacks and a change of clothes
Moving Day: Be There for the Start and the Finish
Be at the old home when the crew arrives so you can walk through with the supervisor, point out fragile pieces and confirm what stays. The permit is often in your name, so security may ask for you or a copy of it at the loading bay.
Before the truck leaves, check every room, cupboard, balcony and storeroom. Photograph the meters if you want a record, hand over keys and access cards as agreed, and get to the new building ahead of the truck.
At the new home, stand by the door and send each piece to its room. That is when beds, wardrobes and dining tables should be rebuilt where they belong, not shuffled around later. On our home and villa moves, the crew takes empty cartons and wrapping away at the end, so the new place is clear for the first night.
The First Week After: Unpack and Finish the Paperwork
Unpack the kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms first. The rest can wait a few days.
Check that the DEWA account at the new home is in your name and that the internet installation went ahead. Return anything you still hold from the old building, and follow up the permit deposits and the landlord's security deposit with your photos to hand. If your move is still ahead of you, request a free quote and our supervisor will arrange the survey.
- Confirm DEWA and internet at the new home
- Follow up permit deposits from both buildings
- Finish any address changes you missed
- Check the school bus pickup on the first morning
- Chase the landlord inspection of the old home if it has not happened
