The yield case, stated honestly
Gross rental yields across Dubai sit above London, Singapore and Hong Kong. But gross is the number brochures quote and net is the number you bank. On a typical JVC one-bedroom, a 7% gross becomes roughly 5.5% once you take off the building's service charge and allow a single month of void, and a little under that once buying costs are counted against the capital you deployed. That is still a good number. It is not 8%, and anyone quoting you 8% net is quoting you gross.
Where our yield figures come from
Every price-per-square-foot and gross yield published on this site is calculated from the listings we actually hold in that community: our own sale prices divided by our own areas, and our own rents divided by our own areas. Where we do not have enough rental evidence in a community to produce an honest yield, we show you the gap instead of a number. You can check our arithmetic against the listings on the same page, and we would encourage you to.
The tax position
There is no personal income tax, no capital gains tax and no annual property tax in the UAE. You will still owe tax in your home jurisdiction depending on your residency, so take advice there rather than assuming the UAE position is the whole picture.
Residency
A property investment of AED 2m or more can support a ten-year Golden Visa, subject to the current criteria. Smaller investments may support shorter renewable visas. The detail, whether a mortgaged property counts, whether the threshold can be met across several properties, and whether off-plan qualifies. Is set out on our residency page. Rules change; confirm the live position before you commit capital on this basis.
Where the risk is
Dubai is a cyclical market with a visible supply pipeline. The risk is rarely the city; it is buying a unit in a tower with four hundred identical units handing over in the same quarter. Every off-plan project page on this site publishes the competing supply completing in that quarter, because it is the number that determines whether you can exit.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules in Dubai change. Confirm the live position with us or a qualified advisor before acting on it.
