How to find a property worth buying in Dubai: plot, register, then the numbers

Where can a foreigner buy freehold in Dubai?

In the areas set by Regulation No. 3 of 2006 and its amendments, including Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Hills, Jebel Ali, Al Barsha South, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Jaddaf and Mirdif. The right attaches to specific plots on the Dubai Land Department's maps, not to a community name. Outside those areas a non-GCC foreigner cannot hold freehold.

The list grows by amendment. A law firm reported in January 2025 that owners of 128 plots on Sheikh Zayed Road and 329 plots in Al Jaddaf could convert to freehold. No official count of freehold communities was found. Check the specific plot with the DLD before any deposit. Rules in full: buying property in Dubai as a foreigner.

Do you need to live in the UAE to buy in Dubai?

No. There is no residency requirement. The Dubai Land Department's sale-registration service accepts a valid passport from a non-resident in place of an Emirates ID, and a power of attorney is accepted if you cannot attend. Expatriates can borrow up to 80% of value on a first home worth AED 5 million or less, and 60% on an investment property.

Off-plan purchases are capped at 50% loan-to-value whatever the purpose, under the central bank's mortgage rules. If you will finance, the type of unit decides how much cash you need. The deed and registration: the Dubai title deed and Oqood.

Ready or off-plan: what changes when you buy in Dubai?

The register. A ready resale transfers at a DLD trustee office: the developer issues a no-objection certificate, fees are paid, and the DLD emails the registration certificate; the DLD lists about 25 minutes for the service. An off-plan sale goes on Oqood, the interim register, and moves to a title deed after completion and full payment. A disposition not recorded is not valid.

If the seller has a mortgage, the transfer runs through manager's cheques to the bank, the seller and the DLD, with a release step. On off-plan, ask the developer for proof of the Oqood registration rather than relying on a date. Detail: Dubai title deeds and Oqood explained.

What does it cost to buy property in Dubai?

The main line is the DLD transfer fee of 4% of the price, officially 2% from each side but generally borne by the buyer, so budget the full 4%. Add a trustee fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT at AED 500,000 or more, and AED 250 for the title deed. Homes carry no VAT on the price, and there is no annual property tax.

Owning: the UAE has no personal income tax, so no tax on rent or gains for an individual. Dubai charges a municipality housing fee of 5% of annual rent, paid by the tenant, or by the owner if the home is owner-occupied or empty. Holiday-home income under a tourism permit counts as business income for Corporate Tax above AED 1 million turnover. Full list: UAE property buying costs.

How much do Dubai real estate brokers charge?

No law fixes it. Under Bylaw No. 85 of 2006 the commission is whatever the parties agree, and custom applies only if the agreement is silent. Brokers must use RERA contracts: Contract A with the seller, Contract B with the buyer, and Contract F, the sale agreement, with separate commission fields for each side. VAT of 5% is added.

Contract B is the one that commits you to a fee, so read the rate there. The widely quoted 2% is a market convention, not a rule. Every RERA-approved broker is listed on the DLD website and the Dubai REST app and carries a RERA card: check both before you sign. Details: Dubai real estate agent fees.

What do Dubai apartments let for?

Global Property Guide puts Dubai's average gross apartment yield at 5.53% for Q2 2026, from asking rents against asking prices. Smaller units show higher gross yields: across Dubai, studios average 7.80% gross and three-bedrooms 4.48%. The publisher says net yields typically run 1.5 to 2 points lower. These are the publisher's figures, not Brinkman Data's.

A citywide average hides the spread between buildings. It tells you which unit sizes to look at, not which unit to buy. Long lets are registered on Ejari, the DLD's tenancy register; short lets need a holiday-home permit for each unit before it is listed.

Does buying in Dubai give a Golden Visa?

It can. Property worth at least AED 2,000,000 in total, wholly owned, qualifies a real estate investor for a 10-year Golden Residency. In Dubai the property may be mortgaged, with a bank no-objection letter. Rules differ by emirate, so confirm the current terms with the DLD and the federal identity authority before you buy for the visa.

Abu Dhabi asks for AED 2,000,000 of the investor's own equity instead. As of September 2026 no official page showed the threshold changed. Detail on buying in Dubai as a foreigner.

Broker, portals or independent research in Dubai?

Use each for its job. The portals show what is listed. A RERA-licensed broker finds units, books viewings and handles Contract F and the transfer. Brinkman Data decides which property is worth buying: every listing in your communities and budget analysed, the five worth buying, and a spreadsheet of every listing, for $499, paid only by the buyer, with no commission.

Every report is built fresh on the listings for sale that week, with each figure linked to its listing. See a real report, the comparison on how to find a property to buy abroad, and what an independent property analyst does.

Header photo: Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.