Dubai Office Rents Climb as New Presale Launches Expand Supply

Residential Market Holds Steady

Dubai Land Department figures as of October 1 show a median residential price of AED 1,692 per square foot, with 33,061 transactions recorded over the past 90 days. The year-on-year change of -1.5% points to a market that has largely stabilised after rapid growth in prior cycles, suggesting pricing is finding a more sustainable footing rather than signalling weakening demand.

Office Space Tells a Different Story

While housing prices have plateaued, Dubai's commercial segment is moving in the opposite direction. Grade A office space is seeing sharp price increases, driven primarily by a persistent shortage of high-quality stock. As multinational firms and financial institutions continue to expand their Dubai footprint, available premium office inventory has failed to keep pace, putting upward pressure on both rents and sale prices. This divergence between residential and commercial performance highlights how occupier demand, rather than investor sentiment alone, is now shaping parts of the market.

New Presale Launches Widen Buyer Choice

• Ardee Developments is preparing a Ras Al Khaimah launch with studios from AED 885,000, one-bedroom units from AED 1.30 million, and two-bedroom homes starting at AED 1.80 million, with EOI registration open from AED 30,000.
• Element by Iman, positioned centrally in Dubai, has opened EOI registration at AED 50,000, with completion targeted for Q4 2029.
• Epoque by Reportage Properties enters presale in Ras Al Khor Industrial First, offering one-bedroom apartments from AED 1.88 million and two-bedroom units from AED 2.99 million, with a 50,000 AED EOI.
• Future Avenue in Meydan Horizon, developed by True Future Real Estate Development, lists one-bedroom apartments from AED 1.3 million alongside retail units priced from AED 5.995 million.

These launches reflect continued developer confidence in both established and emerging Dubai submarkets, as well as renewed interest in Ras Al Khaimah as an adjacent investment destination.

Outlook

With residential pricing steady and commercial supply constraints intensifying, the coming weeks will likely bring closer attention to how office shortages influence broader investment flows, even as new residential presale options continue to enter the market.