Labour accommodation in the UAE: who must provide it and the standards

Under Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022, establishments employing 50 or more workers who earn AED 1,500 a month or less must provide accommodation for them, register it in the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s Labour Accommodation System, and keep the information there valid. The housing must meet national standards on location, space, sanitation and safety.

Where the housing can be

• Licensed by the government authorities.
• At least 5 km from family housing areas, and away from tourist sites, investment zones, pollution sources and rainwater channels.
• Close to industrial areas or places of work, and to an active road network.
• With drinking water, sewage, air conditioning, lifts, emergency exits and fire-fighting systems, plus a management office, security, kitchens, a mess, a prayer hall and a first-aid room on site.

Bedrooms

A bed must be available to each worker even during working hours, and there must be shoe racks at each room’s entrance.

Bathrooms

• Reached without passing through bedrooms.
• One toilet per 8 people (at least 2 in each shared bathroom), one urinal per 25, and one shower and one wash basin per 8.
• Hot and cold water, and cleaning at least once a day with disinfectant.

Kitchen, dining and other services

• A kitchen in each housing unit, run by a licensed company or the unit’s food staff, with gas cylinders outside the building and shaded from the sun.
• A dining room near the kitchen, with 1.4 m² per person, sized for a third of the residents, and meal times posted at the entrance. The same 1.4 m² per person applies to TV rooms and rest rooms.
• A rest room with seating and a TV, a prayer room, a first-aid room with a nurse, and a quarantine room.
• Laundry, either outsourced or on the ground floor with hot and cold water, ventilation and air conditioning.
• A grocery on site may not sell perishable food or prepare and package food.

Air conditioning, lighting and hygiene

• Central air conditioning in rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, corridors and lounges, or individual units if central is not available; relative humidity between 30 and 60 per cent.
• Energy-saving lights, with brighter lighting at hazardous spots.
• Sealed waste containers emptied and cleaned daily, the housing cleaned daily, and a licensed pest-control company.

Rest at the work site

At the work site itself, the employer must provide shaded canopies for meals and the afternoon rest, food and drinking water kept in healthy conditions, and bathrooms nearby. The summer ban on outdoor work is in the UAE midday break.

Workers whose housing breaks these rules can complain to the Ministry: see how to file a labour complaint. Safety duties at work are in health and safety at work.

Checked against the UAE government portal (u.ae), text provided by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, on 26 September 2026. General information, not legal advice. See our editorial policy.