RAF Real Estate · DLD licensed brokerage
Apartments for Sale in Dubai
Studios to family homes across Dubai's best communities, freehold for UK buyers, no residency required. Tell us what you're looking for and an advisor calls you back with the options that fit, real prices in pounds.
£67 Billion
worth of property has changed hands in Dubai so far in 2026. It is one of the most actively traded residential markets in the world.
Matching the unit to the plan
One, two or three bedroom, which to buy
Whether you call it an apartment or a flat, the right size depends on whether you are optimising for yield, for capital growth, or for your own use.
Studios and one-bedroom flats
The highest gross yields and the widest tenant pool, so they let and re-let fastest. Lowest entry price, lowest total service charge. This is where first-time buyers and yield-focused investors usually start.
Two-bedroom
Yield balanced against a larger, more stable tenant, often a family or a sharing professional pair. Rental demand is deep. The most common buy-to-let choice.
Three and four-bedroom
Yield traded for capital growth and scarcity. Fewer are built, so they hold value well, but they let more slowly and the service charge bill is larger.
If the plan is income, weight toward 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. If the plan is long-term growth, larger units in prime areas do more work. Tell us the plan on the call and we will match the unit to it.
Why Buy an Apartment in 🇦🇪 Dubai?
No capital gains tax on property.
What you make on the sale stays yours.
No inheritance tax in most cases.
Assets can be structured and passed on efficiently.
Rental income is not taxed for individuals.
Your yield is your yield.
Clear ownership framework.
Freehold titles.
Buyer security.
Government-regulated escrow accounts on off-plan projects protect buyer funds.
In the UK, taxes compound over time.
In the UAE, returns compound instead.
One call, real numbers
What you get on the call
Whether you have been browsing apartments for sale in Dubai for months or you started this week, one call gets you further than a portal will. Fifteen minutes, no obligation, everything in pounds.
What is the right strategy for you
There are thousands of apartments in Dubai that you can browse but which one actually fits your objective and requirements? We help you figure it out.
What your budget buys today
Units move week to week, so we confirm what is genuinely open across Dubai projects on the day we speak, matched to the budget you tell us.
The full cost to the pound
Purchase price, DLD transfer fee, commission, registration. The complete acquisition figure before you commit to anything.
The net yield, not the headline yield
We calculate the yield on the specific units we show you, after service charges. The number that reaches your account, not the one in the advert.
Why RAF Real Estate?
With 40 years of combined experience in the U.K. real estate industry, in the last decade we have now introduced real estate investment opportunities in the UAE. We understand what would be the right strategy for you if you are looking to buy an apartment in Dubai.
DLD Licensed Broker in the UAE
40+ Years of Combined Experience
The numbers first
What a Dubai apartment actually costs
The advertised price is not the price you pay. Transaction costs run roughly 6% to 8% on top of the price, covering the Dubai Land Department transfer fee, agency commission, registration and the title deed, and they sit at the higher end of that range on resale.
The exact figure depends on the unit, the developer and how you pay. We give it to you to the pound on the call, for the specific apartment you are looking at, before you commit to anything.
Gross yield is not net yield
Service charges are billed per square foot every year and they vary building to building, so they pull a headline gross yield down toward the net you actually bank. We calculate the real net on the units you are considering.
Dubai is not one market. It is a set of micro-markets.
The map, priced
Where to buy an apartment in Dubai
Flats in one community can cost twice as much per square foot as an identical flat ten minutes away. Broadly, the city sorts into three tiers.
Entry
International City, Dubai Sports City, Dubai Production City
The easiest way in, and the lowest running costs in the city.
Mid-market
Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), Arjan, Motor City
The deepest resale market and the strongest net yields.
Prime
Dubai Marina, Downtown, Business Bay, the Burj Khalifa district
Landmark addresses, higher service charges, stronger capital growth.
We track what buyers actually paid, from Dubai Land Department transaction records rather than asking prices on portals, and we share those numbers for your shortlist on the call. Send us the communities you are weighing up and we will tell you where the value is.
The trade is straightforward. Higher-priced areas give you a landmark address and deeper capital growth, with lower yields and higher service charges. Lower-priced areas give you the strongest net yield and the easiest entry, with more moderate growth. Neither is better. They suit different plans, which is what the call is for.
Looking more broadly at property for sale in Dubai? We cover apartments across every major community. If you have been searching flats for sale in Dubai and comparing portal listings, bring the shortlist to the call and we will tell you what the DLD records say about each one before you buy property in Dubai.
The liquidity case
Why so many buyers choose JVC
Of the 126 Dubai communities where apartments changed hands this year, Jumeirah Village Circle ranks second. It recorded 5,431 apartment sales between January and July 2026, worth £1.19 billion. Roughly one in every fourteen apartments sold anywhere in Dubai sold in JVC.
Resale is easier
A constant flow of buyers rather than a thin market you have to wait out.
Pricing is transparent
Hundreds of comparable sales register every month, so nobody can tell you a number without evidence.
Tenant demand is deep
Which is why JVC carries some of the strongest apartment yields in the city, at an entry price well below the prime waterfront communities.
For a buyer who wants to be able to sell again without difficulty, that liquidity is the thing that matters most.
Apartments we have available now
Three projects, three different answers
Our current Dubai apartments for sale sit across three projects, all off-plan on a payment plan. Units move week to week, so tell us what you are after and we will send what fits.
Jumeirah Village Circle
113 Residences
IMAN Developers · 113 apartments · Completion Q2 2029
1 to 4 bedroom apartments and duplexes
20% on booking, staged instalments through construction, 50% on completion.
Look at this one first if resale matters to you. JVC is the second most-traded apartment community in Dubai, so there is a real market to sell back into.
Motor City
Sierra
IMAN Developers · 593 apartments · 41 floors · Completion Q2 2029
Studios, 1 to 3 bedroom apartments, 4BR duplexes
20% on booking, staged instalments through construction, 40% on completion.
Motor City is quieter and lower density than JVC, with wide boulevards and shaded parks. It suits a buyer who wants space over central bustle, and studios here are the smallest entry across our three projects.
Mohammed Bin Rashid City
Everly Place
Ellington · Boutique building beside the Meydan Horizon crystal lagoon
1 to 3 bedroom apartments, plus-study layouts
20% on booking, staged instalments, 30% on completion.
The premium option of the three, in a low-volume, higher-value district, from a developer known for design-led buildings.
The pattern we see
Why buyers start with one and end with several
An apartment is the accessible way into Dubai property, and it is often the first unit rather than the only one. Buyers begin with a single entry-level apartment, see the net yield land where we said it would, and come back to add a second and a third. Once the first unit is let and returning, the second is a smaller decision, and the third smaller still.
If that is the direction you are thinking in, say so when we speak. We plan the entry differently when it is the first of several.
Before you shortlist
What UK buyers get wrong
The mistakes that cost money are the same ones, again and again.
Reading gross yield as net
The headline yield ignores service charges, which on an apartment can pull a 7% gross down toward 5% net. Always ask for the net. We quote it on every unit we show you.
Underestimating service charges
They vary building to building, not just area to area. Two towers next door to each other can differ by £2 per square foot. We check the specific building before you commit.
Assuming off-plan is a discount
In 2026, off-plan apartments often cost 10% to 18% more than a comparable ready unit. A payment plan is not automatically cheaper. We run the comparison for you.
Paying the asking price
Asking prices in Dubai often sit 6% to 9% above the final sale price, especially on resale. There is room to negotiate, and we do it for you.
We tell you these things before you buy, not after. That is the point of using an advisor rather than a portal.
The questions, answered plainly
Buying from the UK, answered
Can UK citizens buy an apartment in Dubai?
Yes. UK nationals can buy freehold apartments and flats in Dubai's designated freehold areas, with full ownership. No residency and no UAE visa is required to purchase.
How much do I need to start?
Entry points vary widely across communities and projects, from the cheapest freehold areas through to prime waterfront addresses. We match options to your budget on the call rather than pushing you toward a number. Whatever the price, budget another 6% to 8% on top of it for transaction costs.
Can I buy off-plan and pay in instalments?
Yes. Off-plan apartments in Dubai are normally sold on a payment plan: a deposit on booking, staged instalments through construction, and the balance on completion. Buyer funds on off-plan projects sit in government-regulated escrow accounts. We walk you through the payment plan on each project on the call.
Do I pay UK-style stamp duty?
No. There is no annual property tax and no stamp duty in the UK sense. The main one-off cost is the 4% DLD transfer fee.
How do I get paid the rent in the UK?
Rental income can be collected and remitted to a UK account. We set up the management so it runs without you being in Dubai.
One conversation
See the real numbers on a Dubai apartment
Name and number is all we need. An advisor calls you back with current apartments that fit, the full cost and the net yield, not the headline figure. Prices in pounds.
Prefer to message? WhatsApp us instead and we will pick it up from there.