Takeem Launches UAE’s First Rental Guarantee to Modernise Real Estate Market

Mohammed Fathy

Last updated 27-04-2026

4 min

Takeem launches the UAE’s first “Rental Guarantee” to replace post-dated cheques.

It covers tenant default, emergency repairs and automated monthly direct debit payments.

Built on 611,821 contracts, it now spans 95,000 units worth AED 9bn.

Backers say it adds structure, reliability and a predictable rental environment.

The shift signals property “professionalisation” and trust layers catching global standards.

The UAE’s rental market has long moved at full speed, but without what many global investors would call proper safety rails. For years, landlords and tenants have relied on post-dated cheques, a system that, frankly, feels a bit old-school in a country pushing hard on digital everything. Now, Dubai-based PropTech startup Takeem is stepping in with what it describes as the UAE’s first Rental Guarantee, aiming to bring a more structured layer of protection to the market.

The new service, called Takeem Rental Guarantee (TRG), is designed to shield landlords from tenant non-payment. It also bundles in Emergency Maintenance cover for urgent repairs, alongside Takeem Direct Debit (TDD), an automated rent collection tool that replaces post-dated cheques with monthly direct debit payments. TDD can also be used separately by landlords and property managers handling large rent portfolios.

In mature markets like the UK, parts of Europe and the United States, rent guarantee schemes are fairly common. In the UAE, however, landlords have largely depended on stacks of signed cheques. On paper, that offers reassurance. In reality, it can be a bit of a faff. Tenants lock up significant capital upfront, while landlords don’t always get true protection if payments bounce or disputes arise. It’s a system that has worked… until it doesn’t.

Rakesh Mavath, Co-founder and CEO of Takeem, said the launch marks a structural shift. He noted that, for the first time, landlords can protect themselves against tenant default while feeling confident enough to offer monthly payment terms without risking income security. By combining guarantee coverage, automated collections and emergency maintenance in one framework, he argued, the platform reduces friction and supports a more predictable rental environment aligned with the UAE’s broader regulatory direction.

That ambition leans heavily on data. Takeem says it has analysed 611,821 rental contracts, building a proprietary dataset that underpins its risk models. In just over a year, the company onboarded more than 55,000 units by early 2026 and scaled that to over 95,000 units by April. According to the company, this represents more than AED 9 billion in annual rental value across the country, not a small figure by any measure.

Youssef Rabah, Property Management and Inspections Director at Provident Real Estate, shared that the platform has allowed the agency to provide landlords with greater certainty over rental income while also protecting tenants. He described the model as adding more structure and reliability to the market, contributing to a more balanced ecosystem overall.

From where I stand, watching the region’s startups evolve through Arageek’s lens, this feels like part of a bigger story. Founders across MENA are increasingly trying to build “trust layers”, invisible infrastructure that makes transactions smoother and less risky. I remember speaking to early-stage entrepreneurs a few years back who said the toughest part of operating here wasn’t demand; it was trust. Well… I mean, that’s slowly changing.

Takeem positions itself exactly in that gap. The company describes its role as standardising risk management across property transactions, helping strangers ,landlords, tenants, foreign investors, feel comfortable dealing with each other. And believe it or not, that invisible confidence layer can be just as valuable as bricks and mortar.

The startup has also picked up industry recognition along the way. It won Gold at the World Realty Congress Awards 2025, was runner-up for PropTech of the Year at the PropertyFinder Awards 2025, and secured Startup of the Year at the Tech Innovation Awards. It also claimed victory at the AppOlympics 2024 Create Apps competition, held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

On the flip side, success will depend on adoption. The UAE market is used to cheques; shifting behaviour takes time. I reckon landlords will warm up quickly if the numbers make sense, especially institutional investors. Smaller landlords may take a bit longer to come around, but as uncertainty lingers in global markets, predictability can be very attractive indeed.

If anything, this move signals a broader professionalisation of real estate in the Emirates. The days of informal arrangements and handshake-based comfort are gradually giving way to data-backed systems and automated payments. It won’t transform overnight, these things never do, but it is definately a sign that rental infrastructure in the UAE is catching up with global standards. And for a region keen to energise and empower its startup scene, that’s spot on.

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