21.4% of Dubai rental contracts in Q3 2026 were at a lower rent than before, up from 4.8% in Q1, consultancy Cavendish Maxwell says in research reported by Khaleej Times on 2 November.
Another 38.7% renewed at the same rent. The share with an increase fell to 40%, from 59.4% in Q1.
01Rents and contracts
- Average rent: AED 77.3 per sq ft a year in September, up 5.5% year on year. A year earlier the annual rise was 11.5%.
- Contracts: more than 172,000 were registered in Q3.
- Renewals and new leases: renewals fell 10.6% to 94,300, while new contracts rose 18.2% to 77,700.
02Sales and launches
Q3 residential sales came to AED 72.6 billion across 33,900 deals. Value was down 47.6% and volume 38.6% on Q3 2025.
Off-plan made up 72.2% of deals: 24,500 sales worth AED 47.1 billion. Average prices were AED 1,644 per sq ft in September, down 2.2% on a year earlier and up 0.3% on the quarter.
Launches slowed sharply. 48 projects with 15,300 homes launched in Q3, down 72.7% and 62.9% on a year earlier, though unit launches more than doubled from Q2.
| Off-plan apartment sales, Q3 | Deals |
|---|---|
| Dubai South | 4,776 |
| Downtown Jebel Ali | 1,865 |
| Azizi Milan | 1,283 |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 1,153 |
| Dubai Residence Complex | 946 |
Sobha Sanctuary led off-plan villa and townhouse sales with 282.
03Homes being delivered
About 38,000 homes were delivered from January to September, up 41.4% year on year. A further 24,400 are scheduled for the rest of 2026, though Cavendish Maxwell expects 7,300 to 12,200 to complete.
Scheduled deliveries are 136,100 homes in 2027 and 155,700 in 2028. Scheduled figures are usually higher than what completes.
Our own count of registered off-plan sales for Q3 is 25,200 sales worth AED 43.7 billion. The figures differ because each source counts differently.
04What it means if you are buying
More new homes are reaching the rental market, and more leases are renewing flat or lower. If you are buying to let, check what similar ready homes in that community rent for today.
With handovers concentrated in 2027 and 2028, compare the handover dates of the projects on your list. A project finishing at the same time as many nearby buildings will compete with them for tenants.
SourcesWhere this story comes from.
Sources
- Khaleej Times: Dubai rents: 1 in 5 tenants now pays less than before as rentals ease on new supply, 2 November 2026
Corrections
- No corrections to this story. If something has changed or is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and log the change here.
2 Nov 2026, 20:38 GST · Reported by OffPlan Insider Newsdesk, checked against the developer's own material before publication.
