Dubai registered 84,196 property transactions worth Dh300 billion ($82bn) last year, which is the highest annual value recorded in the emirate’s history, the Dubai Land Department has said.
The volume of property transactions in 2021 grew annually by 66 per cent and their value increased by 72 per cent, a statement released by the DLD on Friday said.
The emirate recorded 5,601 property transactions worth about Dh16bn in December, said Mo’asher, the emirate’s official sales price index issued by the DLD in partnership with real estate listings portal Property Finder.
The property market in the UAE, the second-biggest Arab economy, has made a strong recovery from the pandemic-driven slowdown as the country’s economy improves on the back of fiscal and monetary measures.
Pent-up demand and improved investor sentiment have also helped to drive property sales, particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, amid the pickup in economic activity. New initiatives, such as visas for expatriate retirees and the expansion of the 10-year golden visa scheme, are expected to support the local market, say industry experts.
Capital values for villas and apartments in Dubai surged in the fourth quarter of last year, real estate consultancy ValuStrat said.
"Nearly 60 per cent of all transactions in Dubai last year were for secondary/ready properties, while about 40 per cent were for off-plan properties," the DLD said.
The off-plan market transacted 24,761 properties worth nearly Dh46bn and the secondary market accounted for 36,480 properties worth about Dh106bn. This is the highest secondary market sales transaction value since 2008, the regulator said.
Meanwhile, Dubai recorded property sales transactions worth Dh151bn last year, scaling a 12-year record in terms of value. The volume of sales transactions last year was the highest since 2013, the DLD said.
Sales transactions are a change of ownership from one party to another whereas total transactions include sales transactions and other methods of transfers, such as mortgage registration and property gifts among family members, the DLD said.
Dubai registered 17,942 property transactions worth about Dh47bn in the fourth quarter of last year, the highest in terms of both volume and value since the corresponding period in 2013, the DLD said.
About 56 per cent of all transactions in the fourth quarter last year were for secondary/ready properties and 44 per cent were for off-plan properties. The off-plan market transacted 7,913 properties worth Dh16.9bn, while the secondary market transacted 10,029 properties at value of about Dh30bn, the DLD said.
“We have seen a surge in off-plan sales transactions in Q4, which is reflected in the fact that this is the highest volume and value of off-plan sales transactions in a given quarter since Q1 2010,” the DLD said.
Meanwhile, Dubai recorded a 64 per cent annual increase in transaction volumes and a 115 per cent rise in value in the fourth quarter of last year.
Separately, the emirate recorded 1,724 transactions worth Dh4.9bn during the week ending January 28, the DLD said.
A total of 139 plots were sold for Dh784 million, while 1,172 apartments and villas were transacted for Dh2.7bn, the regulator said.
The top three transactions for the week were land in Al Thanayah Fourth that was sold for Dh50m, followed by land transacted for Dh43m in Hadaeq Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, and a plot sold for Dh50m in Al Thanayah Fourth.
The top three transactions for apartments and villas were an apartment that sold for Dh383m in Marsa Dubai, one that transacted for Dh270m in Business Bay, and another that sold for Dh252m in Business Bay, the DLD said.
Mortgaged properties worth Dh1.25bn were sold this week, with the highest being land in Al Muteena that was mortgaged for Dh113m.
Fifty-five properties worth Dh196m were granted among first-degree relatives, the DLD said.
Dubai's Uptown Tower under construction - in pictures:
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Read more from Mina Al-Oraibi
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
