Dubai Real Estate Rentals Market Report 16 January 2026
Dubai Real Estate Rentals Report
Date: 16 January 2026 (Friday)
Scope: Rental contracts registered on the stated date
Market Review
Dubai’s rental market recorded 4,838 registered contracts on Friday, 16 January 2026, with a cumulative contract value of AED 12.36 billion (USD 3.37 billion). While transaction volume itself was elevated, the headline value was overwhelmingly driven by institutional-scale portfolio registrations, continuing a pattern observed consistently since the start of the year.
The data clearly reflects a dual-market structure. On one side, conventional residential and commercial leases—predominantly renewals—were distributed broadly across established communities. On the other, a concentrated set of bulk renewals with repeated, identical contract values dominated specific industrial and hospitality zones, materially distorting daily averages.
This phenomenon was most pronounced in Al Goze Third, Al Jadaf, and Al Warsan Second, where large clusters of contracts were registered at the same values, indicating corporate portfolio renewals rather than individual tenant activity. As a result, value concentration far exceeded what would typically be inferred from transaction count alone.
Friday’s shortened working hours did not suppress activity; instead, they appear to have concentrated pre-scheduled institutional registrations into a single trading window.
.
Hermina Dubai Islands | Casagrand Luxury Apartments
Source: Building Arabia.
Rental Transactions Overview
By Contract Type
| Contract Type | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | 1,927 | 3,831,449,556 | 1,043,281,023 |
| Renewed | 2,911 | 8,532,134,371 | 2,323,249,659 |
| Total | 4,838 | 12,363,583,927 | 3,366,530,682 |
By Property Ownership Type
| Ownership Type | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Hold | 2,397 | 3,859,237,998 | 1,050,847,651 |
| Non Free Hold | 2,441 | 8,504,345,929 | 2,315,683,031 |
| Total | 4,838 | 12,363,583,927 | 3,366,530,682 |
By Property Usage
| Usage | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 3,808 | 9,070,255,389 | 2,469,776,825 |
| Commercial | 995 | 3,282,586,308 | 893,828,811 |
| Industrial | 6 | 3,326,560 | 905,803 |
| Other | 29 | 7,415,671 | 2,019,243 |
| Total | 4,838 | 12,363,583,927 | 3,366,530,682 |
By Property Type (Full Breakdown – No Aggregation)
| Property Category | Sub-Type | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land | Other | 26 | 7,268,488 | 1,979,166 |
| Unit | Clinic | 1 | 70,850 | 19,295 |
| Complex Warehouse | 1 | 604,451 | 164,575 | |
| Factory | 1 | 2,068,000 | 563,037 | |
| Flat | 2,391 | 478,609,947 | 130,322,654 | |
| Gym | 1 | 445,470 | 121,259 | |
| Horse Stable | 1 | 600,000 | 163,393 | |
| Hotel | 141 | 3,055,154,900 | 831,900,585 | |
| Hotel Apartment | 1 | 85,000 | 23,139 | |
| Kitchen | 1 | 120,000 | 32,679 | |
| Labor Camps | 1,149 | 8,535,687,600 | 2,324,217,182 | |
| Mezzanine | 1 | 27,600 | 7,514 | |
| Office | 327 | 81,806,160 | 22,275,333 | |
| Open Space | 3 | 500,000 | 136,161 | |
| Restaurant | 4 | 737,684 | 200,806 | |
| Shop | 310 | 118,022,228 | 32,141,371 | |
| Showroom | 8 | 2,868,522 | 781,109 | |
| Studio | 37 | 1,708,885 | 465,273 | |
| Supermarket | 1 | 420,000 | 114,330 | |
| Warehouse | 37 | 10,360,039 | 2,819,615 | |
| Warehouse Complex | 1 | 109,000 | 29,680 | |
| Other | 1 | 263,985 | 71,871 | |
| Villa | Complex Villas | 14 | 2,152,408 | 586,004 |
| Showroom | 1 | 1,150,000 | 313,174 | |
| Villa | 227 | 54,630,683 | 14,875,659 | |
| Virtual Unit | Office | 152 | 8,112,028 | 2,208,857 |
| Grand Total | — | 4,838 | 12,363,583,927 | 3,366,530,682 |
Top 10 Localities by Rental Value
| Rank | Locality | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Goze Third | 670 | 8,077,396,728 | 2,199,427,292 |
| 2 | Al Jadaf | 112 | 2,999,541,407 | 816,757,225 |
| 3 | Al Warsan Second | 131 | 432,300,000 | 117,712,730 |
| 4 | Dubai Investment Park Second | 155 | 104,490,688 | 28,452,196 |
| 5 | Jabal Ali Industrial First | 190 | 88,785,096 | 24,175,656 |
| 6 | Burj Khalifa | 95 | 61,505,327 | 16,747,536 |
| 7 | Al Dhagaya | 49 | 56,729,252 | 15,447,039 |
| 8 | Saih Shuaib 4 | 27 | 42,470,240 | 11,564,408 |
| 9 | Muhaisanah Second | 59 | 34,519,200 | 9,399,374 |
| 10 | Palm Jumeirah | 24 | 24,969,845 | 6,799,141 |
Other Localities
Rental activity extended across more than 100 additional areas, including Business Bay, Al Warsan First, Dubai Investment Park First, Al Barsha South, Marsa Dubai, Mirdif, Naif, and Port Saeed. These locations were primarily characterized by smaller-ticket residential renewals and individual commercial leases, contributing materially to volume but modestly to aggregate value.
Institutional Rental Pattern – Key Findings
Analysis of the underlying dataset confirms systematic bulk leasing behaviour:
- Al Goze Third: Large labor accommodation portfolios with hundreds of contracts registered at identical values (notably AED 23.5 million and AED 5.88 million).
- Al Jadaf: Hotel assets registered through repeated contracts at exactly AED 37 million, consistent with hospitality portfolio renewals.
- Al Warsan Second: All 131 contracts recorded at AED 3.3 million, indicating a single-portfolio registration event.
These clusters explain the extreme concentration of value and reinforce the need to treat institutional rentals separately from retail market signals when interpreting daily rental data.
Closing Note
The rental activity recorded on 16 January 2026 should be viewed primarily as a portfolio-management day, not a proxy for average tenant pricing or short-term demand. While transactional depth remains healthy, headline figures are materially skewed by large corporate renewals in industrial and hospitality segments.
Disclaimer:
This report is based on publicly available data and Dubai Land Department (DLD) transaction summaries as of the date mentioned in the title of this post.
Final and detailed figures from the DLD may vary upon official release.
1 US Dollar = 3.6725 UAE Dirhams
This report is merely informative, and all investments come with risk. You are responsible for your decisions.