Dubai Diligence

Dubai real estate, asked and answered

The questions investors, owners, and agents actually ask, answered from Dubai Land Department records and official rules, never from a sales pitch.

How can I check what apartments actually sold for in Dubai?

Every Dubai property sale is registered with the Dubai Land Department. Dubai Diligence lets you search those registered transactions free: ask for any building or community and you get real sale prices, not asking prices. Portal listings show what sellers hope for; the DLD record shows what buyers actually paid.

How do I find out what my Dubai apartment is worth?

Ask the search bar on our homepage “what's my 2-bed in [your building] worth?” and it estimates from recent registered sales of similar units in your building or community: same type, bedrooms, and size. It is a comparable-based estimate from official records, not a formal valuation, and it never invents a number.

How do I check a Dubai developer's track record before buying off-plan?

Check three things: their delivery history in Dubai Land Department records, real buyer reviews, and their sales activity. Our developer pages compile all three, including pros and cons extracted from Google reviews, so you see the pattern before you sign anything.

What down payment do I need to buy property in Dubai?

UAE Central Bank rules (2026): for a primary residence, expats need 20% down up to AED 5M and 30% above it; UAE nationals need 15% and 25%. An investment or second property needs a flat 40% down for expats (35% for nationals) at any price. Off-plan purchases require 50%. Work out your numbers with our Dubai mortgage calculator.

What are the real upfront costs of buying property in Dubai?

Beyond the down payment: the DLD transfer fee of 4% plus AED 580, a registration trustee fee of about AED 4,200, agency fee of 2% plus VAT, and if you take a mortgage, 0.25% mortgage registration plus bank arrangement and valuation fees. On an AED 1.8M apartment that totals roughly AED 136,000 in fees alone. The calculator itemises all of it.

What is a realistic rental yield in Dubai?

Ignore advertised ROI promises. A real gross yield divides actual registered rent contracts by actual registered sale prices for the same building or area. Computed that way from Dubai Land Department and Ejari records, established Dubai buildings commonly show gross yields in the 5–8% range, and the number varies meaningfully by building. Ask the search bar for any building's real rents.

What's the difference between off-plan and ready property in Dubai?

Off-plan is bought from the developer before completion, usually on a payment plan and registered as a pre-registration sale with the DLD. Ready property already exists and transfers immediately. Off-plan and ready units in the same area trade at different prices, so comparing a quote against the right pool matters. Our area pages show real activity in both.

Is Dubai Diligence free, and how does it make money?

The data is free. Dubai Diligence does not list property, does not sell property, and takes no money from developers, so the numbers carry no agenda. It exists to make Dubai's official property record usable by anyone: nothing to sell, nothing to gain, nothing but transparency. Read our methodology.

Where does Dubai Diligence's data come from?

From the Dubai Land Department's official records: 1.8 million registered sale transactions and 4.2 million registered rent contracts across 258 Dubai districts, plus the official developer register. Every figure on the site is sourced to those records or clearly marked otherwise; where the record is silent, we say so rather than estimate.

Which areas of Dubai have the most property transactions?

Transaction volume concentrates in communities like Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Village Circle, Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, and Meydan, but the ranking shifts month to month. Our area pages rank all 258 districts by actual registered sales so you can see where the market genuinely trades today.