This is a glossary of the defined terms used across this site. Each term has a single working definition, appropriate to the UAE tenant screening context. Where a term has a fuller treatment elsewhere on the site, the relevant page is cited at the end of the entry.
Cheque Clearance Indicator
A feature of the Etihad Credit Bureau mobile application that allows a cheque recipient to scan a cheque with the phone camera and receive an assessment of the likelihood of clearance, based on the issuer’s credit registry record. Upgraded with artificial intelligence in April 2026.
Cheque return
A cheque that, on presentation by the payee, was not honoured by the drawer’s bank. Reasons include insufficient funds, a closed account, or a stop placed on payment. Recorded by the bank and reflected in credit-bureau-held information. See: cheque return history.
Credit report
The full report on a person’s credit history produced by the Etihad Credit Bureau. The credit score is a numerical summary of this report. The report is obtained via UAE PASS consent.
Credit score
The numerical summary of a person’s credit history, produced by the Etihad Credit Bureau on the basis of the data the bureau holds. Returned via UAE PASS consent to authorised requesting parties. See: the Etihad Credit Bureau tenant score.
Data subject
Under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, the natural person to whom personal data relates. In a tenant screen, the tenant is the data subject.
Ejari
The tenancy contract registration system administered by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency of the Dubai Land Department. Every tenancy in Dubai is registered through Ejari. See: Ejari history.
Emirates ID
The federal identity card issued to UAE citizens and residents by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security. The first document checked in a tenant screen.
Etihad Credit Bureau
The federal credit information agency of the UAE, established under Federal Law No. 6 of 2010 as amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2020. Operations began in December 2014, with the first credit report issued in 2015. Holds credit data on UAE residents and produces credit reports and scores. Often referred to as ECB.
Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021
The UAE law on the protection of personal data. The governing legal instrument for the processing of personal data in tenant screening outside the financial free zones. Administered by the UAE Data Office.
Identity verification
The component of a screen that confirms the prospective tenant is who they present as. Conducted through checks on the Emirates ID, the passport, the residence visa, and where available the UAE PASS identity.
Per-component consent
The architecture under which a tenant consents separately to each verification component of a screen rather than to the screen as a single undifferentiated act. The lawful and appropriate consent posture for screening.
Post-dated cheque
A cheque dated for a future date, used in the UAE as the conventional instrument for paying rent across the term of a tenancy. The conduct of post-dated cheques is the subject of the cheque return history component.
Prior landlord reference
A structured contact, with the tenant’s consent, between the screening party and a landlord who has previously rented to the tenant. Voluntary on the prior landlord’s part. See: prior landlord references.
Rental Disputes Centre
The judicial body within the Dubai Land Department that adjudicates rental disputes in Dubai. Where a tenancy gives rise to a dispute, the centre is the forum in which it is heard.
Retention period
The defined period for which personal data processed in a screen is held. A common and defensible period is twelve months from the issue of the screen; longer retention requires a specific lawful basis.
Screen
The process by which a prospective tenant’s identity, financial standing, employment, and prior rental conduct are verified before a tenancy agreement is signed. The output of the process is the screen file.
Screen file
The document produced by a screen, reporting on each component: what was checked, what source was used, what date the check was conducted, and what the result was. The screen file is read by the landlord; it does not contain a recommendation.
Screening party
The party conducting a screen. May be the landlord directly, an agent acting for the landlord, or a specialised firm. The screening party is the data controller, or in some arrangements processor, under Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021.
Special-category data
Categories of personal data attracting heightened protection under Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021. A standard tenant screen does not process special-category data.
Tenancy decision
The landlord’s decision whether to enter a tenancy agreement with a particular prospective tenant. The screen informs this decision; it does not make it.
Tenant credential
An endorsed file held by a credentialling party, containing the verified components a tenant has submitted, releasable by the tenant to prospective landlords. The category is discussed separately. See: tenant credentials.
Tenant Screening service
The consent-based service launched by the Etihad Credit Bureau in collaboration with UAE PASS in April 2026, through the bureau’s mobile application and website. The service allows a landlord to request a prospective tenant’s credit score; the score is returned only where the tenant approves the request through UAE PASS. The service is not mandatory and the bureau has set no minimum score for tenancy approvals.
Tenant statement
The tenant’s own written contribution to a screen file, in the tenant’s own words, providing whatever context the tenant elects to provide. Optional.
UAE PASS
The federal digital identity of the United Arab Emirates, operated by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority. The authentication and consent rail for the credit-bureau component of tenant screening. See: UAE PASS consent.
Verification
The process of confirming a stated fact by reference to a source other than the document the tenant has supplied. Employment verification, for example, is the call to the employer; it is not the reading of the employment certificate.