The verdict in three sentences
An 85-unit shopping mall in Dubai run on spreadsheets leaks revenue in three places: missed rent escalations, miscalculated turnover rent and late service charge recovery. Custom lease management software costs 200,000 to 500,000 AED on the Dubai market (2026 benchmark) and takes 12 to 16 weeks to deliver. Recovering 2% of annual billable rent is usually enough to pay it back in under two years.
The features that pay in 2026
Every mall lease has its own start date, escalation clause, minimum guaranteed rent, turnover percentage and service charge share. In Dubai, leases must also align with Ejari registration and the 5% VAT on commercial rent.
| Module | Function | Impact (2026 order of magnitude) |
|---|---|---|
| Lease register | Term, renewals, escalations, deposits, Ejari reference | No missed review |
| Turnover rent | Minimum guaranteed + 5 to 10% of reported sales | 1 to 3% of rent recovered |
| Service charge allocation | Keys by area, usage, sub-meter | Recovery in 10 days instead of 2 months |
| Billing and reminders | VAT invoices, reminders at D+5, D+15, D+30 | Days sales outstanding cut by 20 to 30 days |
| Tenant portal | Sales reporting, invoices, maintenance tickets | Fewer calls and visits |
| Dashboard | Occupancy, arrears, yield per sq ft | Data-driven leasing decisions |
2026 pricing: market benchmarks and Kolonell tiers
| Option | Upfront cost | Annual cost | Fit for 85 units? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel and external accountant | 0 | 60,000 to 120,000 AED of staff time | No, frequent errors |
| Enterprise real estate suite (market benchmark) | 150,000 to 400,000 AED | 15 to 20% licence per year | Often oversized |
| Custom build, Dubai agency (market benchmark) | 200,000 to 500,000 AED | Support 30,000 to 75,000 AED | Yes |
| Kolonell medium custom tier | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | Maintenance 75,000 to 120,000 FCFA/month | Yes, remote delivery |
| Kolonell complex tier (multi-mall) | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) | Maintenance 120,000 FCFA/month | 3 malls and more |
The medium tier covers a single mall with turnover rent, a tenant portal and accounting exports. The complex tier fits a landlord running several malls or mixed office assets.
A 12 to 16 week timeline
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Audit of the 85 leases | 2 weeks | Clause and escalation matrix |
| Design | 2 weeks | Wireframes and calculation rules signed off |
| Development | 6 to 8 weeks | Leases, billing, charges, portal |
| Data migration | 1 to 2 weeks | 24 months of history imported |
| Parallel run with Excel | 1 week | Every variance explained line by line |
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The parallel run is the key step: for one month both systems run side by side and every gap is explained before cutover.
Mini case study
Omar, general manager of an 85-unit community mall in Dubai (illustrative example), bills 24,000,000 AED of rent a year. The lease audit shows 11 escalations never applied and turnover rent under-billed for 8 tenants: 480,000 AED a year lost, or 2%. Service charges are recovered three months late, tying up about 900,000 AED of cash. With a 350,000 AED system and 50,000 AED of annual support, first-year net gain is around 80,000 AED, and the project pays back in about 9 months on recovered rent alone.
FAQ
How much does mall lease management software cost in Dubai? Custom builds from Dubai agencies run 200,000 to 500,000 AED in 2026. Kolonell's medium tier is 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) plus 75,000 to 120,000 FCFA a month of maintenance.
Does it calculate turnover rent? Yes, it applies the minimum guaranteed rent and the lease percentage, often 5 to 10%, using sales reported by tenants through their portal. Late reports trigger an automatic reminder.
How is VAT handled? Commercial rent in the UAE carries 5% VAT, so every invoice shows the TRN, VAT amount and total. Exports feed the existing accounting system.
How are service charges allocated? Through configurable keys: weighted area, usage and sub-meters. An annual reconciliation compares provisions with actual spend unit by unit.
How long until go-live? 12 to 16 weeks, including a 2-week lease audit and a one-month parallel run.
Let's scope your project. Send us your unit count, a sample lease and your service charge keys, and we will price a scope with a clear budget and a 12 to 16 week timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
