Dubai Real Estate Rentals Market Report 18 - 24 January 2026
Dubai Real Estate Rentals Report
Period: 18–24 January 2026
Market Review
Dubai’s rental market recorded 28,144 registered tenancy contracts during the week of 18–24 January 2026, with a combined contractual value of AED 28.78 billion. Activity spanned residential, commercial, and industrial assets; however, headline figures were materially influenced by institutional and portfolio-level leasing, particularly within labor accommodation, bulk residential units, and corporate commercial space.
While new contracts accounted for AED 19.32 billion, exceeding renewed contracts in value terms, this should not be interpreted as net demand growth. In Dubai’s rental market, a significant share of new contracts arises from terminated tenancies followed by relocation, rather than first-time market entry. Rent increases at renewal continue to force tenant mobility, prompting households and corporates to relocate within the city—either toward more affordable submarkets or into newer communities offering improved amenities.
Residential properties dominated transaction volumes, while commercial assets and labor-related accommodation contributed a disproportionate share of total rental value. Repeated high-value contracts registered within the same localities further indicate centralized leasing by employers, operators, and asset managers, rather than individual tenant activity.
Habtoor Grand Residences is a luxury off-plan residential tower
located within the grounds of the Al Habtoor Grand Resort in Dubai Marina.
Source: Building Arabia.
Rentals by Contract Type
| Contract Type | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | 12,023 | 19,322,204,150 | 5,260,477,806 |
| Renewed | 16,121 | 9,457,332,327 | 2,574,826,578 |
| Total | 28,144 | 28,779,536,477 | 7,835,304,384 |
USD values are indicative, based on a fixed AED/USD rate.
Property Ownership Type
| Ownership | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 14,403 | 16,111,586,064 | 4,386,637,781 |
| Non-Freehold | 13,741 | 12,667,950,413 | 3,448,666,603 |
| Total | 28,144 | 28,779,536,477 | 7,835,304,384 |
Property Usage
| Usage | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 20,406 | 20,079,336,015 | 5,467,449,997 |
| Commercial | 7,544 | 8,641,890,762 | 2,353,333,896 |
| Educational Facility | 5 | 10,530,960 | 2,867,532 |
| Health Facility | 3 | 1,668,000 | 454,196 |
| Industrial | 45 | 16,761,888 | 4,563,920 |
| Storage | 7 | 1,389,815 | 378,485 |
| Tourist Origin | 1 | 105,000 | 28,591 |
| Other | 133 | 27,854,037 | 7,585,766 |
| Total | 28,144 | 28,779,536,477 | 7,835,304,384 |
Property Type
| Main Type | Subtype | Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | Building | 3 | 9,550,000 | 2,600,465 |
| Factory | 1 | 5,000 | 1,361 | |
| Open Land | 1 | 175,000 | 47,652 | |
| Land | Other | 109 | 19,868,286 | 5,409,961 |
| Unit | Building | 5 | 255,750 | 69,638 |
| Car Wash | 1 | 500,000 | 136,150 | |
| Cinema | 1 | 567,000 | 154,393 | |
| Clinic | 19 | 222,714,030 | 60,635,103 | |
| College | 2 | 4,837,500 | 1,317,168 | |
| Comercial Complex | 1 | 584,808 | 159,204 | |
| Complex Warehouse | 3 | 989,100 | 269,301 | |
| Endowments attached to mosques | 1 | 20,000 | 5,446 | |
| Factory | 5 | 6,226,500 | 1,695,528 | |
| Flat | 15,468 | 8,546,261,937 | 2,326,996,789 | |
| GYM | 5 | 992,782 | 270,313 | |
| Health club | 5 | 705,000 | 191,972 | |
| Hospital | 10 | 79,750,000 | 21,715,925 | |
| Hotel | 960 | 2,651,152,612 | 721,876,079 | |
| Kiosk | 12 | 838,249 | 228,230 | |
| Labor Camps | 3,361 | 11,068,794,858 | 3,013,947,131 | |
| Ladies Saloon | 2 | 983,490 | 267,782 | |
| Mezzanine | 11 | 737,310 | 200,759 | |
| Office | 2,327 | 946,704,845 | 257,767,689 | |
| Open space | 13 | 1,037,222 | 282,407 | |
| Parking | 3 | 960,103 | 261,404 | |
| Portacabin | 1 | 34,650 | 9,435 | |
| Restaurant | 25 | 24,237,735 | 6,599,815 | |
| Resturants Complex | 1 | 117,390 | 31,960 | |
| School | 1 | 4,658,460 | 1,268,431 | |
| Shop | 2,360 | 3,856,280,034 | 1,050,159,673 | |
| Showroom | 78 | 52,056,772 | 14,174,958 | |
| Spa | 1 | 426,510 | 116,118 | |
| Staff Accommodation | 28 | 18,398,008 | 5,009,178 | |
| Storage | 1 | 50,000 | 13,615 | |
| Store | 12 | 2,080,770 | 566,515 | |
| Studio | 159 | 10,949,457 | 2,981,497 | |
| Supermarket, a multi-section | 1 | 5,643,750 | 1,536,621 | |
| Villa | 1 | 52,000 | 14,160 | |
| Warehouse | 289 | 106,891,021 | 29,106,223 | |
| Warehouse complex | 20 | 3,568,378 | 971,529 | |
| Workshop | 11 | 2,108,707 | 574,121 | |
| Other | 3 | 232,533 | 63,308 | |
| Villa | Arabian House | 3 | 356,000 | 96,939 |
| Clinic | 5 | 4,518,887 | 1,230,493 | |
| Complex Villas | 97 | 17,303,293 | 4,711,687 | |
| Horse stable | 1 | 750,000 | 204,225 | |
| Medical center | 1 | 770,000 | 209,671 | |
| Restaurant | 2 | 6,000,000 | 1,633,800 | |
| Shop | 4 | 1,059,500 | 288,482 | |
| Villa | 1,353 | 447,892,747 | 121,921,596 | |
| Virtual Unit | Kitchen | 1 | 125,000 | 34,038 |
| Office | 1,337 | 620,426,443 | 168,931,121 | |
| Shop | 19 | 27,337,049 | 7,443,778 |
Institutional & Bulk Rental Dynamics
The dataset reflects systematic bulk registrations, most notably in:
- Labor camps across Jabal Ali Industrial First, Saih Shuaib 3, Al Goze Industrial zones, Dubai Investment Park First and Second, and Al Warsan Second.
- Large residential portfolios, particularly flats registered in Al Barsha South Fourth, Mankhool, Al Raffa, Marsa Dubai, and DIP areas.
These contracts represent portfolio-level leasing strategies, not household-level rental decisions. When left unsegmented, they materially inflate locality-level averages and distort market signals. Dual reporting—retail versus institutional—is therefore essential for accurate interpretation.
Top 10 Localities by Rental Value
| Rank | Locality | Number of Transactions | Value (AED) | Value (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jabal Ali Industrial First | 1,489 | 7,667,957,925 | 2,087,455,251 |
| 2 | Al Barsha South Fourth | 936 | 3,053,428,532 | 831,348,370 |
| 3 | Mankhool | 446 | 2,958,422,833 | 805,526,588 |
| 4 | Naif | 1,019 | 2,919,666,880 | 795,027,015 |
| 5 | Saih Shuaib 3 | 227 | 1,682,412,024 | 458,080,776 |
| 6 | Port Saeed | 522 | 1,299,728,892 | 353,866,055 |
| 7 | Al Suq Al Kabeer | 752 | 1,079,796,938 | 294,029,970 |
| 8 | Al Warsan Second | 204 | 711,451,200 | 193,700,912 |
| 9 | Al Bada | 188 | 674,534,828 | 183,675,553 |
| 10 | Al Raffa | 350 | 659,032,789 | 179,447,999 |
Other Localities
Rental activity was recorded across more than 130 additional localities, including but not limited to:
Al Warsan First, Al Safouh Second, Dubai Investment Park Second, Al Goze Industrial Third, Al Thanyah First, Al Goze Third, Business Bay, Me'Aisem First, Al Satwa, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Investment Park First, Marsa Dubai, Al Garhoud, Al Thanyah Fifth, Jabal Ali First, Al Saffa First, Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, Al Khairan First, Al Nahda First, Madinat Al Mataar, and others.
Institutional & Bulk Rental Observations
The rental data includes notable instances of high-value identical contracts, particularly within the labor camp and flat segments, indicating institutional leasing activity:
- Labor Camps: Significant volumes of identical high-value contracts were recorded in Jabal Ali Industrial First (including 267 contracts at AED 15 million each), Saih Shuaib 3 (180 contracts at AED 9.29 million each), Al Goze Industrial Third (54 contracts at AED 4.28 million each), Dubai Investment Park Second (94 contracts at AED 2.53 million each), and Al Warsan Second (189 contracts at AED 3.75 million each).
- Flats: Bulk leasing was observed in Al Barsha South Fourth (166 contracts at AED 18 million each), Mankhool (169 contracts at AED 17.33 million each), Al Warsan First (60 contracts at AED 9 million each), and Al Raffa (87 contracts at AED 7.36 million each).
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.