Moving house checklist
Pick your emirate and tick things off as you go, from 4 weeks before the move to the first week in your new home. Official fees and links are included where they are published.
The flat or villa choice changes the electricity and water deposit in Dubai.
Add it to see a date next to each step.
Runs on your phone. Nothing you pick is uploaded. Your ticks and moving day are saved only in this browser on this device, so they are still there when you come back. "Clear ticks" removes them.
Good to know
Electricity and water can only be connected once the tenancy contract is registered (u.ae). In Dubai, DEWA is told automatically when Ejari is issued.
Dated photos and video of every room when you leave, and of any damage when you arrive, are your best evidence if there is a dispute about the security deposit.
In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, tenants pay a 5% housing or municipality fee based on the yearly rent, added to the monthly electricity and water bill (u.ae). Plan for it in your budget.
Many buildings get air conditioning from a district cooling plant, and gas from a building supplier. These are separate accounts with their own deposits: ask the landlord or building management who runs them.
Sources, all checked on 27 October 2026: DEWA, "Activation of Electricity/Water (Move-in)" (security deposit AED 2,000 for a flat and AED 4,000 for a villa; connection AED 125 for small meters or AED 300 for large meters, plus AED 10 each for registration, knowledge and innovation; supply connected within 15 working hours of payment), "Transfer of Electricity/Water (Move-to)" and "Deactivation (Move-out)" (dewa.gov.ae); Dubai Land Department, "Register / Renew Tenancy Contract" (AED 177.75 in total by app, AED 220 at a trustee centre) and "Cancel Tenancy Contract" (free online, AED 40 + VAT at a trustee centre) (dubailand.gov.ae); Etihad Water and Electricity, "Service Activation" (no fee online, AED 50 at a service centre) (etihadwe.ae); the UAE Government portal u.ae, "Public utilities" (updated 10 Feb 2026) and "Leasing a property in the UAE" (updated 20 Jan 2026); ICP, "Data Update" (icp.gov.ae). Security deposits for Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern emirates were not published on the pages we checked: they are marked "check with the authority". This is a guide, not legal advice.