4% DLD is the Dubai Land Department property registration and transfer fee, which is a 4% fee of the higher value between the sale contract value or the property value payable at the time of transferring the title deed. It is the usual market practice to pass this cost on to the buyer but it can be negotiated or split. Also added to this is the title deed fee of approximately AED 580, the AED 4,200 Oqood fee if buying off plan (registration fee for the off plan project), and where a mortgage is involved, it is customary for there to be an additional 0.25% mortgage registration fee.

No set price. Land price per sq ft Dubai is dependent on location zoning buildability under FAR and GFA, level of infrastructure provided and whether the plot is on or off market. With land being quoted per square foot, an acre is just 43,560 multiplied by the rate for that particular area. Outer development and industrial land is quite a bit cheaper per sq ft than prime, central or waterfront land, with a 10 times or more difference.

For most investors looking for control, tax efficiency and development upside yes Dubai is the best. Dubai has zero property tax, no capital gains tax on individual property sales, freehold ownership in designated areas, high rental yield prospects and capital growth in selected corridors. The key is selection, as each prospective purchase should meet checks of zoning, build ability, access and infrastructure.

Property purchase at the qualifying value bands can facilitate residency by property, investor visa property suitability and golden visa Dubai property application. As regulations and bands change over time, we always advise on the latest criteria as part of our real estate consultancy Dubai service.

This law is the Emirate’s general law on the expropriation of real estate (including any special development zones as well as free zones like DIFC), with a transparent process for making the decisions to acquire land, procedures for notifying owners, and methods of compensating owners for compulsory acquisition up to the market value of that land (including whether usufruct, musataha and leasehold interests are recognized or delineated). It is a useful note that title and zoning due diligence to be validated through the Dubai Land Department and the Dubai Legislation Portal needs to be done before any purchase.

On-market land is marketed publicly through listings and portals. Off-market land in Dubai is held privately by owners, family offices or master developers and is not marketed publicly. Off-market land often gives better prices, locations and reduced competition and that’s why dedicated off-market land sourcing is fundamental to any land investment.

Dubai is always cheaper on a per square foot basis than other similar Tier-1 cities and people believe that investors could be paying between 30% and 70% less than they would for comparable assets in other Tier-1 cities throughout the world. Thanks to no property tax and the USD-AED peg, this dollar price advantage is one of the main reasons that investors continue to invest in Dubai real estate.