UAE
Explore the United Arab Emirates for modern city living and waterfront neighbourhoods.
Find your place in UAE
Dubai and Abu Dhabi offer distinct communities, amenities and commuting patterns.
Buy with confidence
Check whether a property is in a designated ownership area, and compare service charges, developer terms and transaction costs.
Choose the community before choosing the view
Dubai and Abu Dhabi offer a range of waterfront, city and suburban communities. Test the actual journey to work, schools and healthcare rather than relying on a development's distance from a landmark. Investigate transport connections, parking, nearby construction and the facilities already open to residents. Consider how orientation, balconies and outdoor areas suit the periods when you will use them. A tower apartment and a villa community also involve different maintenance arrangements, so compare the property type with your expected routine as well as its presentation.
Verify the ownership interest and developer obligations
Ask a qualified independent adviser to confirm whether the property is in an area where your buyer status permits the proposed ownership interest, and identify the exact rights being acquired. For a resale, verify the title, seller's authority and outstanding obligations. For an off-plan purchase, investigate the developer, registration, payment arrangements, contractual specification and remedies for delay. Do not assume a branded development or advertised payment plan removes the need for legal checks. Establish which promised amenities form part of the binding agreement and what must be delivered at handover.
Compare total annual costs
Ask for current service-charge information and clarify what is included, especially cooling, facilities and maintenance. Compare the cost of managing a villa's garden and systems with the shared charges for an apartment, rather than treating one headline fee as the complete ownership budget. Understand building rules and local requirements before planning rental use. Have tax, finance and immigration advisers assess your own circumstances; a property should not be promoted as automatically delivering a particular residence outcome or tax result. Keep a reserve for repairs and periods without rental income.
Use our overseas property due diligence guide to prepare questions for your advisers. This is general planning information, not individual legal, tax or immigration advice.
Official guidance: GOV.UK advice on buying property abroad.
Property in UAE
Properties here are coming soon. Speak to our team about what you're looking for.