The house journal

Dubai · UAE

A more institutionalised market than assumed: mandatory escrow, interim register, freehold zones — the regulatory machinery behind the skyline.

Dubai · UAE

Shared housing in Dubai: what Law No. 4 of 2026 requires from owners

Organised room sharing operated outside the framework: Law No. 4 of 2026 gives it one. Mandatory permit, DLD registry, dedicated rent index, subleasing banned — co-living yield changes in nature, not merely in rules.

1 September 20265 min readChecked 1 September 2026

Read the article

Dubai · UAE

Dubai in H1 2026: AED 286 billion, and what depth actually means

The emirate's second-best half-year on record — but the figure that matters is not the record: it is market depth, the thing that guarantees you can get in and, above all, out.

1 September 20263 min readChecked 1 September 2026

Dubai · UAE

A Dubai property, no registered will: the risk nobody models

The acquisition is modelled to the dirham; the succession, almost never. For the non-Muslim foreign owner, a DIFC registration puts the estate back in the planner's hands.

31 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Holding Dubai property through a company: what the 9% tax changed

An individual collecting Dubai rent pays no tax; a company does. Between the two runs a line Decision 35/2025 made explicit — even for foreign companies.

31 August 20264 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Dubai rents: what Decree 43/2013 and the Smart Rental Index actually govern

Dubai rental yield has an official grammar: one index, five slabs, one notice period. Reading it before buying means modelling real income — not hoped-for income.

31 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Dubai's property Golden Visa: how the AED 2 million rule works

In Dubai, long residency is anchored to the land registry: AED 2 million of purchase value opens the 10-year visa. The precise conditions fit in a few lines — verified at the DLD.

31 August 20263 min readChecked 1 September 2026

Dubai · UAE

Service charges in Dubai: who sets them, who checks them

The real cost of a Dubai asset shows after handover: the charges. Contrary to common belief, they are not at the manager's discretion — every dirham must be budgeted, audited and regulator-approved.

27 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Taking delivery of off-plan property in Dubai: the 5% retention and the first year

Most guidance on Dubai stops at signing. The decisive phase is the last one: verified milestones, a one-year 5% retention, and the transition from interim registry to final title.

26 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Freehold in Dubai: what a foreigner can actually own, and where

In Dubai, a foreigner can hold full freehold title with no time limit — but only in the areas designated by decree of the Ruler, under Article 4 of Law No. 7 of 2006. Outside those areas, ownership is reserved for UAE and GCC nationals. Registration with the Dubai Land Department is what gives the right legal existence; the transfer fee is 4% of the contract value.

16 August 20263 min readChecked 16 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Buying off-plan in Dubai: what the interim register (Oqood) actually guarantees

Every off-plan sale in Dubai must be entered in the interim real property register — known as "Oqood" — created by Law No. 13 of 2008: an unregistered disposition is void. The developer may not market units before owning the land and obtaining the required approvals. Combined with the escrow account of Law No. 8 of 2007, the register makes off-plan buying a regulated, traceable and enforceable act.

16 August 20263 min readChecked 16 August 2026

Dubai · UAE

Mandatory escrow: what Dubai's Law No. 8 of 2007 imposes on developers

In Dubai, a developer may not market an off-plan project or collect a single dirham without registering the project with the Dubai Land Department and opening a dedicated escrow account with a RERA-approved bank. Buyers' funds are ring-fenced to the project, released against verified construction milestones, with 5% retained for one year after completion.

16 August 20262 min readChecked 16 August 2026