When carefully designed, real estate taxation can be more than a tool for Governments to raise revenue; taxes can be used to influence real estate development and to achieve wider economic and social goals. At the same time, the owners of real estate work with tax lawyers, accountants and advisers to reduce their exposure to such taxes.   What is […]

Dubai's office market delivered exceptional performance in 2025, characterised by surging prices, record transaction volumes, and robust rental growth, all supported by strong economic fundamentals and persistent supply constraints. The Emirate's business ecosystem expanded significantly, with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce registering 71,830 new member companies, pushing total active membership to 292,486, a 13.2% increase year-on-year.

Everyone knows that housing and commercial property prices move in cycles. The pattern of a long-sustained build-up in asset prices followed by a sudden decline has been observed in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for decades. It is also known that real estate returns are generally more stable in the years between peaks and troughs. Not all cycles, however, are equally severe, nor are markets equally volatile. For example, comparing what has happened in Dubai since 2021 with UK average prices clearly indicates how much more volatile this Gulf market has been. And, of course, Dubai has seen much more impressive house price growth in recent years: when both markets are indexed to January 2008 = 100, UK prices stand at 158.3 while Dubai reaches 233.7.

Dubai's residential real estate market concluded 2025 on a record-breaking note, with transaction volumes surpassing 200,000 and total values reaching AED 541.5 billion. Both off-plan and ready property segments outperformed 2024 levels, supported by robust investor appetite, strong end-user demand, and a steady stream of new project launches. Off-plan transactions accounted for 72.9% of total market activity, up from 69.3% in 2024, reflecting the market's increasing focus toward future developments. While this trend has driven growth, it has also created concentration risks, as the market has become heavily reliant on continued launch momentum and sustained buyer sentiment.