Regardless of citizenship, any foreign citizen has the right to purchase, own, and dispose of real estate at personal discretion in specially designated areas – freehold areas. The complete list of freehold areas is set by the Regulation of the Ruler of Dubai No. 3 of 2006 (you can download it in the Laws of the UAE section). The most popular Dubai areas are Beachfront, Dubai Marina, The Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai Downtown, etc.

Step 1. A potential Buyer finds a property they like.
Step 2. The Buyer and Seller sign a SPA (“Sale and Purchase agreement”) containing the following information:
1. Purchase price in numbers and writing;
2. A list of all additional fees (specifying real estate agency fees/developer’s fees/deposit amounts, etc.) ;
3. The date of transfer and the penalty payment scenario;
4. Mutual settlements between the parties procedure;
5. Obligations of the parties in case of non-fulfillment of the contract;
Step 3. During the signing of the sale and purchase agreement, the Buyer, as proof of serious intention, deposits the amount of 10% (ten percent) of the total value of the acquired property.
Step 4. The Seller receives special permission from the developer – NOC (No Objection Certificate) to sell the property. This document is necessary for the next step.
Step 5. Seller and Buyer meet in the Land Department or the Dubai Land Department Trustee Office. The Buyer pays money to the Seller, and the transaction is recorded in the blockchain registry of the Land Department. Upon completion, the Certificate of Ownership (Title Deed) is reissued, a document establishing and confirming the real estate ownership.

According to Law No. 26 of 2007, “On the regulation of relations between landlord and tenant” and Law No. 33 of 2008 amending Law No. 26, any owner of real estate in the territory of the Emirate of Dubai has the full right to rent out his property. The common practice in the Emirates is a lease for a year in advance with a subsequent extension.
Any owner also has the right to give the apartment to the management of a real estate agency, which will save time interacting with tenants and solving related problems.

Step 1. The Landlord finds a tenant.
Step 2. A lease agreement is concluded between the two parties, specifying: (a) the amount of the annual lease; (b) the procedure for mutual settlements; (c) the term of the lease; (e) conditions for renewal of the contract; (f) the procedure for covering the costs of maintenance and operation of real estate; (g) liability of the parties in case of failure to comply with the terms of the contract
Step 3. When signing the contract, the Tenant pays the total rent (using post-dated checks) and a security deposit (usually 5% of the annual rent).
Step 4. After payment, the Tenant gets the keys and access cards to the property and common areas. Copies of documents are necessary to activate utilities (electricity, water, air conditioning, telephone, Internet), including the Landlord’s passport, Title Deed copy, Emirates ID of the Landlord, a copy of the Landlord’s residence visa, as well as other agreed documents if it’s necessary.

Depending on the type of property, its location, and the maintenance cost, the average ROI in the UAE is 3-4% for villas, 5-7% for long-term rentals, and 8-12% for short-term rentals.

There are no restrictions for setting a rental price in the UAE. The main requirement, though, is the registration of the rental agreement in the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) system, which is called Ejari (from Arabic “my rent”). As a confirmation of successful agreement registration, an Ejari certificate is issued.

Landlords are entitled to raise rent given they’ve provided 90 days’ notice before the expiry of the lease. (v) a maximum of 20 percent increase is permissible if the current rent is less than anything greater than 40 percent of the average market rental rate.

Land Department is a government-run entity in the UAE that manages all real estate operations in a specific emirate. Since the UAE is a federal state, each emirate has its land department; for example, in Dubai, it is the Dubai Land Department, in Abu Dhabi, it is the Abu Dhabi Land Department, etc. Since May 2018, all Dubai title deeds have been registered in the blockchain. All owners get a Certificate of Ownership (Title Deed). It is a document confirming real estate ownership rights.
For off-plan projects, Dubai Land Department issues a pre-title deed certificate called Oqood. It is valid.
until construction of the property has been completed, and you get a Title Deed
To register Oqood, the Buyer has to pay at least 25% of the unit price to the developer before registering Oqood with RERA.<
Lease agreements in Dubai are registered in the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) system, which is called Ijari / Ejari (from Arabic Ejari – “my lease”). As confirmation, the Tenant is issued an Ejari certificate.

In the UAE, there a no tax on the purchase, ownership, and management (renting out) of real estate within the jurisdiction of the United Arab Emirates. Also, there are no automatic taxes imposed on the death of an individual in the UAE. There is also no inheritance tax or gift tax. However, the recipient of a donation of immovable property located in the UAE must pay a transfer fee when the property transfer is registered.