Freehold Index Report, September 2026
September: off-plan sales cool from last year's record as new rents ease
Apartments, Dubai. Data to 30 September 2026, registered by 9 October 2026.
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Takeaways
- InvestorsBuyers
Apartment sales fell 48% from last September's record, with off-plan accounting for almost nine in ten of the drop.
- Owners
Ready apartment prices are at their highest annual level since 2010: AED 1,454 per sq ft so far in 2026.
- RentersLandlords
New-tenant rents eased year on year while renewals rose, narrowing the gap for the first time since 2022.
- Landlords
New rent contracts outnumbered renewals in September, 24,079 to 23,205.
- Investors
Dubai's gross apartment yield is 5.99%, down 0.25 points on a year.
Chart of the month
September apartment sales
Registered sales, count
Monthly apartment sales, ready and off-plan
Registered sales, count
Median new annual rent by bedrooms
AED a year, new rent contracts
Freehold Index: top communities
Rated apartment communities by gross rental yield against the Dubai average of 100. 12 months, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. Index method i1.0, data as of 2026-09-30.
| # | Community | Score, Dubai = 100 | Gross yield, % | Rank change on Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | 100 | 5.98% | ||
| 1 | International City Phase 3 | Rating 155, +55 from the Dubai average of 100 | 9.30% | 0 |
| 2 | International City Phase 1 | Rating 155, +55 from the Dubai average of 100 | 9.28% | 0 |
| 3 | Al Qusais Industrial Fifth | Rating 153, +53 from the Dubai average of 100 | 9.15% | 0 |
| 4 | Liwan (Wadi Al Safa 2) | Rating 147, +47 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.80% | 0 |
| 5 | Dubailand Residence Complex | Rating 146, +46 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.76% | Up 1 |
| 6 | Downtown Jebel Ali (Jabal Ali Industrial Second) | Rating 146, +46 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.75% | Up 2 |
| 7 | Dubai Sports City | Rating 144, +44 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.64% | Down 2 |
| 8 | DAMAC Hills 2 | Rating 143, +43 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.55% | Down 1 |
| 9 | Remraam | Rating 142, +42 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.51% | Up 1 |
| 10 | Rukan (Wadi Al Safa 7) | Rating 142, +42 from the Dubai average of 100 | 8.49% | Down 1 |
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52 rated communities · n = 31,224 sales, 205,310 new rent contracts across Dubai · rank change on Aug 2026
Movers
Areas with the biggest change in median, July to September against a year earlier.
Ready resale price
Change in median, AED per sq ft: Jul to Sep 2026 against Jul to Sep 2025
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New rent
Change in median, AED per sq ft a year: Jul to Sep 2026 against Jul to Sep 2025
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68 more areas with a free account.
Villas and townhouses
Registered villa and townhouse sales and rents, September 2026.
| Bedrooms | New contracts, AED | Renewals, AED | Renewal gap, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 bedrooms | 135,000n = 643 | 110,000n = 683 | −18.5% |
| 3 bedrooms | 150,000n = 3,966 | 152,460n = 4,318 | +1.6% |
| 4 bedrooms | 220,000n = 3,191 | 206,800n = 3,011 | −6.0% |
| 5 bedrooms | 310,000n = 1,158 | 277,200n = 1,073 | −10.6% |
| 6+ bedrooms | 335,000n = 310 | 250,000n = 240 | −25.4% |
Source: Dubai Land Department open data via Data.Dubai, analysed by Freehold Index.
An estimate from registered transactions, for information only. Not a valuation.
Freehold Index is an independent private service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or an official index of the Dubai Land Department or any government body.
This rating is for information only, based on registered sales and rent contracts for a group of properties. It is not a valuation for any individual property, and not financial, legal or investment advice. See How the rating works for what it does and does not measure.
Gross yield only: it excludes service charges, vacancy, fees and maintenance. This is a data summary for information only, not financial, legal or investment advice.
Registrations can arrive late, so recent months can be revised slightly in later reports. This report uses registrations to 9 October 2026.
Index method i1.0 · Data as of 30 September 2026 · Report figures computed 12 October 2026