If you are moving property after July 1 in Dubai, you need to make sure that your Ejari contract is attested. Otherwise you will end up living without water or electricity.

That’s according to a new rule announced on Tuesday by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which said that tenants will now need to have their Ejari contract attested before DEWA will connect water and electricity to their property.

Ejari is the system that the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) uses to register your tenancy contract. A few years ago, it was used for residents to have their residency visa accepted, but last year it was announced that an Ejari registration will be mandatory for a DEWA connection.

There was no time limit to when you should register for Ejari, however now DEWA will no longer offer its services to customers who haven’t attested their contract.

All you need to do is visit one of the 800 real estate offices approved by Dubai Land Department, and you can have your contract attested there. This means you no longer have to visit DEWA’s centres as the two agencies are now linked together.

Once the attestation process is complete then you will receive an SMS and email containing an account and premise number, plus a link so you can pay the security deposit.

Only after the deposit is paid will DEWA be activated.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, has explained that the new requirement helps to achieve the vision of the Dubai Government to improve efficiency in the government sector and adhere to the best international practices.

It is unclear yet whether the new process will require an additional fee for the attestation.

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