Methodology
Our guides combine publicly available regulatory sources (DLD, RERA, ICA visa rules), market reports, and cross-checks against multiple listing platforms. Figures are rounded and dated, markets move quickly.
Sources we prioritise
- Official UAE government and emirate-level portals
- Licensed broker market commentary (clearly labelled as third-party)
- Transaction fee schedules published by land departments
Lead referral policy
When you submit the shortlist form, your enquiry may be shared with a RERA-licensed partner who can show regulated inventory and complete KYC. We do not sell your data to unrelated marketing lists.
How we treat rents and yields
Rent figures are drawn from registered tenancy contracts wherever the registry publishes them: Ejari in Dubai, Tawtheeq in Abu Dhabi, and the equivalent record in other Gulf markets. Portal asking rents typically sit 10% to 15% above achieved rents in competitive buildings, so we do not use them as an income base.
Yields are quoted net rather than gross wherever we have the inputs to calculate one. Net means after building-level service charges, management at 5% to 8% for long-term lets, a vacancy allowance matched to the market rather than a flat assumption, and against total acquisition cost including transfer fees rather than headline purchase price. Where only a gross figure is available, we label it as gross.
What we do not do
- We do not accept payment from developers for coverage, placement or ranking in any guide or shortlist.
- We do not publish projected yields supplied by a developer without labelling them as projections.
- We do not present another firm's research or underwriting as our own.
- We are not a licensed broker, a developer, or a listing portal, and we do not hold client funds.
Limitations
Gulf property data is uneven. Dubai and Abu Dhabi publish enough transaction and tenancy data to support building-level analysis; Saudi designated zones, Omani ITC areas and parts of the Qatari market do not yet. Where the evidence is thin we say so rather than filling the gap with a market average, and we treat early-stage markets as early-stage rather than pricing them against mature comparables.
Regulatory positions change, sometimes between a page being written and read. Thresholds, fees and eligibility rules on this site should be confirmed with the relevant authority before any transaction.
Corrections
If a figure on this site is wrong, we would rather know. Email info@invest-gulf.com with the page and the source. Material corrections are made to the page and reflected in its updated date.
Updates
Each guide shows an Updated date when material facts change (visa thresholds, fee changes, major market shifts). Always confirm numbers with your lawyer and broker before signing.