My tenant has not activated DEWA. Where can I complain?

Usually, an Ejari tenancy starts the DEWA process automatically. Ejari is Dubai's tenancy registration system. DEWA's current Move-in guide says the tenant's details are received when Ejari is issued, and an account is created without a separate application.

The tenant must still complete the required payment of the security deposit and activation fees. An account number alone does not prove activation is complete.

Start by checking whether the real problem is missing Ejari, an unpaid deposit, incorrect contact details or a failed activation. Some free-zone tenancies exempt from Ejari follow a different application process.

Ask for documents that show what has been completed. Keep a short timeline with:

• The signed tenancy contract, any additional terms and the move-in date.
• The current Ejari and any DEWA welcome message or account number.
• The deposit and activation payment receipt, if paid.
• The latest bill showing whose account is being charged.
• Messages asking the tenant to complete the outstanding step.

Fictional example 1: the tenant thinks Ejari is enough. A tenant receives an Ejari certificate and assumes everything is ready. The landlord asks for confirmation and discovers that the DEWA deposit has not been paid. The immediate step is to complete payment and check activation, rather than assume the tenant deliberately refused to register.

Use DEWA's customer-care or complaint channels for the account problem. Its official complaint guide lists:

• Telephone: 04 601 9999.
• Email: customercare@dewa.gov.ae.
• DEWA's website or Smart App.
• Dubai Government's 04 platform.

The DEWA complaint service is free. Provide your account number, full name, phone number, email, date and a clear explanation. If you do not have an account number, call customer care and ask how they can identify the property and handle the enquiry.

Ask for a reference number and keep the reply. Explain what needs checking: whether activation is pending, why your account is still being billed, or what action each party must take.

Describe the account problem and request a written explanation. You can adapt this message, replacing the brackets with accurate details:

"I am the landlord of a rented property. The tenant moved in on [date]. The current Ejari is [reference]. Electricity and water bills are still being issued under my DEWA account [reference]. I have asked the tenant to complete activation. Please confirm the account status and the steps required from each party to correct this while maintaining supply to the occupied property. Please also explain how the charges during this period should be handled and provide a reference number."

Use this version only if the account is actually in your name. Send supporting records through official channels when requested, and keep copies of what you submit.

Contact DEWA promptly and separate the account issue from any repayment claim. Ask how to put the correct account arrangements in place without interrupting the occupied property's supply. Do not assume that signing a tenancy contract automatically removed your account or transferred earlier bills.

Prepare a list of bills by billing period. Mark which charges relate to the tenant's occupation, what you paid and what you are asking them to repay. Avoid mixing earlier vacant periods with the tenant's usage.

Fictional example 2: bills continue after move-in. A landlord receives bills for two billing periods after the tenant takes possession. The landlord sends DEWA the account details and move-in timeline, then asks the tenant in writing to resolve activation and discuss the documented charges. No refund or transfer of those bills is assumed.

Dubai's standard tenancy contract makes the tenant responsible unless agreed otherwise in writing. Clause 4 of the unified tenancy contract covers electricity, water, cooling and gas charges arising from the tenant's occupation.

Check your signed contract and additional terms. A rental arrangement expressly including utilities needs a different assessment from one requiring the tenant to pay them separately.

The responsibility agreed between landlord and tenant is also a different question from which account DEWA is currently billing. Establish both before demanding repayment. Do not assume that a clause about paying bills proves every disputed amount is correct.

An unresolved dispute about the tenancy contract belongs with RDC. Dubai Land Department's complaint guidance directs lease disputes to RDC, rather than its real-estate-company violations service.

Write to the tenant first, identify the outstanding obligation and ask for a response by a reasonable date. Keep the reply or evidence of no reply. This practical request does not replace any formal legal notice your claim may require.

RDC offers amicable settlement, where the parties try to reach an agreement, and a rental case service. Ask RDC or an authorised trustee centre which request fits your situation.

Fictional example 3: the tenant keeps refusing. The contract says the tenant pays utilities. After written reminders, the tenant refuses to resolve the account issue or discuss the landlord's payment records. The landlord gathers the evidence and approaches RDC about settlement or a claim. A favourable decision is not guaranteed.

A formal rental case has document requirements and filing fees. RDC's rental case service page lists the latest lease/Ejari, identification and proof of the claimant's bank account number (IBAN). Supporting evidence can include bills, notices, correspondence and payment records.

Documents must be in Arabic or legally translated into Arabic. Extra requirements depend on the claim, including formal notice evidence for an eviction request. Fees vary with the type and value of the claim.

You can use RDC's website or an authorised Real Estate Services Trustee centre. Compare the likely filing and translation costs with the amount disputed, and explain whether you want the account issue resolved, repayment, or both.

Do not disconnect electricity or water to pressure an occupying tenant. Dubai's official explanation of Article 34 confirms the prohibition on landlords disconnecting essential services or interfering with the tenant's use of the property.

Do not use a Move-out request as a shortcut to force compliance. Tell DEWA that someone occupies the property and seek the proper account procedure.

If you are also considering ending the tenancy, our article on landlord notices to move out in Dubai explains why the reason and notice process matter. A DEWA disagreement does not, by itself, establish a right to immediate eviction.

Neither result should be promised. The official public guidance reviewed for this article does not establish a dedicated procedure guaranteeing forced activation, automatic transfer of past bills or reimbursement to the landlord.

Ask DEWA for a written answer about your account. If repayment remains disputed, keep the bills, receipts, tenancy terms and occupation dates together for advice on an RDC claim. Do not assume opening a complaint suspends existing bills; ask DEWA how they should be handled while the issue is reviewed.

Your first useful outcome is a clear record: what is incomplete, who must act next, and which amounts remain disputed.

If you would like to understand notice requirements, read our guide to landlord notices to move out in Dubai.

If you plan to sell the rented property, read our guide to selling a Dubai property with a tenant. It covers a separate decision: how the existing tenancy affects the sale. Use DEWA and RDC for the utility issue itself.