Distressly
BrowseSellInsightsNewsInvestment Tools
UAE real estate news, sourced — Distressly

News

UAE real estate, sourced.

Real project launches, Dubai Metro progress and regulation changes from across the UAE. Every item links to the publication that reported it.

AllNew projectsMetroRegulation
New projects

Dubai property sales rebound to AED 34.9 billion in July 2026 as buyers return to the ready market

Dubai recorded AED 34.9 billion in property sales in July 2026 across 9,217 transactions, up 5.2% in value and 3.8% in volume from June, with the secondary (ready) market jumping about 18%, according to Property Finder and Mortgage Finder data reported by Business Today Middle East. Sellers paused further price cuts and the gap between asking and achieved prices narrowed to between 5.5% and 11%, a sign buyer and seller expectations are converging. For a disciplined buyer, that convergence is where a documented below-original-price deal is easiest to close, and Distressly calculates every listing's discount from its original price.

Source: Business Today Middle EastRead more
Regulation

Dubai plans a Rent Now, Pay Later scheme to spread rent over 12 months

The Dubai Land Department is preparing a Rent Now, Pay Later scheme with a local bank that would pay the full annual rent to the landlord upfront, then let the tenant repay the bank over up to 12 months at zero interest, according to a local media report that puts the launch at the start of September 2026. It follows the DLD Flexi Rent initiative from June, which added monthly, quarterly and half-yearly payment options. The direction of travel is a rental market moving away from large upfront cheques toward flexible, monthly-style payments.

Source: Gulf BusinessRead more
Regulation

Dubai's new shared-housing law takes effect, requiring landlord approval to sublet a room

Dubai's shared-housing law takes effect on 26 August 2026, regulating the long-informal practice of renting out individual bedrooms or bed spaces. A tenant can no longer sublet a room or part of an apartment in exchange for rent without the landlord's written approval. It lands as the rental market stays strong: more than 214,445 tenancy contracts were registered in the first seven months of 2026 and rental activity rose about 1.9% year on year, per fäm Properties data reported by The Week, with one-bedroom units making up 41% of agreements. For anyone weighing renting against buying, the shift is a reminder that entry price, and a verified discount, is the lever you actually control.

Source: The WeekRead more
Regulation

Dubai cuts tokenised property entry to AED 1,000 as PRYPCO Mint widens access

PRYPCO Mint, the VARA-licensed platform behind Dubai's real-estate tokenisation programme, cut its minimum investment from AED 2,000 to AED 1,000, letting investors buy fractional stakes in Dubai property and trade them on a secondary market with no mandatory holding period, ARY News reported. Since the Dubai Land Department launched tokenisation on 25 May 2025, ten properties have listed and fully funded, some in under two minutes. Fractional entry lowers the ticket, but the same rule still decides the return, the price you pay, which is why Distressly verifies each discount against the documented original price.

Source: ARY NewsRead more
New projects

Emaar leads as Dubai developer sales top AED 86.8 billion across luxury and affordable homes in 2026

Dubai's ten largest developers sold 36,808 homes worth AED 86.8 billion by 22 July 2026, with Emaar leading on value at AED 30.6 billion and Azizi topping volume at 8,411 sales, most below AED 2 million, according to a fäm Properties analysis reported by Khaleej Times. Luxury stayed strong too, with 1,248 homes above AED 15 million changing hands for AED 35.16 billion. Breadth across both ends of the Dubai property market means more off-plan and ready listings, and more of the individual, motivated sellers where a genuine below-original-price deal forms.

Source: Khaleej TimesRead more
New projects

Dubai posts AED 286 billion in H1 2026 home sales, its second-highest first half on record

Dubai recorded more than AED 286 billion (about $77.88 billion) in property sales in the first half of 2026 across over 86,000 transactions, its second-strongest first half on record, behind only H1 2025's AED 326.6 billion, per a W Capital report on Dubai Land Department data. Ready homes led with about AED 146.7 billion, while off-plan reached AED 139.8 billion; counting mortgages and gifts, total real estate transactions hit AED 419.94 billion. A market this deep and liquid is exactly where a documented, below-original-price deal is easier to find, because motivated sellers can still move, and Distressly verifies every listing's discount against its original price.

Source: Economy Middle EastRead more
Regulation

Dubai mortgage rates fall to 3.75% as buyers rush to lock in fixed deals

Major UAE banks are offering one-year fixed mortgages from 3.75%, two-year products around 3.78% and three-year around 3.95%, among the most competitive rates in years, as Dubai buyers shift decisively to fixed deals, per mortgage broker Lomond in a Khaleej Times report. Loan-to-value limits are unchanged: up to 80% for a first-time ready home, 60% for a second property and 50% for off-plan. Cheaper finance widens the pool of motivated sellers and buyers, and on a Dubai property a verified discount on the entry price still does more for your numbers than a quarter-point on the rate.

Source: Khaleej TimesRead more
New projects

Dubai's population passes 4 million as 2025 property deals hit a record AED 916 billion

Dubai closed 2025 with more than AED 680 billion in property sales across over 200,000 transactions, and about AED 916 billion once mortgages and other deals are counted, its highest annual total on record, as the emirate's population crossed 4 million, Khaleej Times reported citing Dubai Land Department data and Savills. The fourth quarter alone topped AED 187 billion, and nearly 6,000 homes sold above AED 10 million. Structural demand this deep keeps the Dubai property market liquid, exactly the condition in which a documented, below-original-price deal is easiest to find and verify.

Source: Khaleej TimesRead more

Every item links to the original publisher. Distressly curates this page and does not author these stories.