Insights
Dubai property insights
Community comparisons, market snapshots, and how Eric works, grounded in real current data, not marketing copy.
Moving money from the UK to buy in Dubai
Why a bank wire and a suitcase of cash follow completely different rules when you move money from the UK to buy in Dubai, and what your bank will actually ask for.
Service charges in Dubai: what actually drives the difference
Why Dubai service charges differ so much between buildings, how RERA's Mollak system sets and audits each project's own rate, and where to check the real figure before you buy.
What is snagging, and why it matters before you sign for the keys
What a snagging inspection covers before a Dubai handover, when to book it, and the two legal backstops behind it: one lasting a year, one lasting ten.
Al Furjan vs JVC: which one fits you?
A head-to-head on Al Furjan and Jumeirah Village Circle: real current prices, property mix, the metro question and who each one actually suits, worked from our own listings.
Business Bay vs Downtown Dubai: which fits you?
A head-to-head on price, lifestyle and commute between Dubai's two flagship central districts, worked out from our own live sale and rent listings.
Rental yields in Dubai: what the current market pays, by community
Gross rental yields across ten Dubai communities, worked out from our own live sale and rent listings, and why the city's cheapest areas often out-yield its most famous addresses.
The real running costs of owning property in Dubai
How Dubai's DEWA housing fee, RERA-regulated service charges and district cooling actually work, and where to check each one for a specific home rather than a citywide average.
Can non-residents get a mortgage in Dubai?
What the UAE Central Bank's mortgage regulation says about UAE Nationals and Expatriates, why non-resident lending sits outside those named bands, and what changes once you hold a residence visa.
The Golden Visa property route, explained
The AED 2 million property-investment threshold for the UAE Golden Visa: what counts toward it, mortgages, off-plan and joint ownership, and how Dubai Land Department checks it.
Freehold vs leasehold: what foreign buyers need to know
What Dubai's Law No. 7 of 2006 actually allows a non-UAE, non-GCC buyer to own, how designated areas decide it, and how a 99-year leasehold differs from an Ejari tenancy.
Ejari, explained: Dubai's tenancy registration system
What Ejari actually is, why a signed Dubai tenancy contract is not legally recognised until it is registered, what the process costs, and why your utilities depend on it.
Off-plan vs ready: which should you buy?
What actually differs between buying off-plan and buying ready in Dubai: how each is registered, when the 4 percent DLD fee falls due, and what happens if a payment is missed.
How Dubai's escrow law protects off-plan buyers, and where it doesn't
What Law No. 8 of 2007 requires developers to do with off-plan payments, what the 5 percent retention protects, and what happens if a project is cancelled.
The DLD transfer fee, explained
What the 4 percent Dubai Land Department transfer fee actually covers, who owes it by law versus by agreement, and what else lands on the registration receipt alongside it.
Planning a Dubai viewing trip: from hundreds of listings to six viewings
How to turn a tab of saved Dubai listings into a two-day trip that ends in a decision: building a shortlist worth flying for, verifying it before you fly, and structuring the days on the ground.
Rent cheques in Dubai, explained for UK tenants
Dubai rent is usually paid in post-dated cheques, not a monthly standing order. What the law actually fixes, what is negotiable, and why your bank account timing matters more than the count.
Why your Dubai home search should start with the school run
A confirmed or shortlisted school place changes which Dubai communities are worth researching at all. Why school certainty should come before area research, using KHDA's own ratings.
Moving to Dubai: what you can sort from the UK, and what has to wait
Attestation, school conversations and your shortlist are all UK-side jobs. Biometrics, Emirates ID and anything downstream of them cannot start until you land. The honest split.
The UK to Dubai relocation sequence: what actually depends on what
Visa, Emirates ID, bank account, tenancy, Ejari, DEWA. Which steps genuinely block renting a Dubai home, which can run in parallel, and what a UK family can start before flying.
The true cost of renting in Dubai: what UK families should budget beyond the rent
Moving your family to Dubai on a job offer? The real first-year cost of renting is the rent plus deposits, fees and a 5% housing charge. Here is the full number.
Buying property in Dubai: the 2026 guide for expats
Buying property in Dubai in 2026? The plain-language guide to fees, freehold zones, off-plan vs ready, expat mortgages, and the DLD transfer, from a team that helps buyers daily.
Renting in Dubai: the 2026 guide for expats
Renting in Dubai in 2026? The plain-language guide to upfront costs, cheques, Ejari, DEWA, and your rights, from the team that helps Dubai renters daily.
Dubai Marina vs JVC: which one fits you?
A head-to-head look at Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Village Circle: real current prices, lifestyle, commute, and who each one actually suits.
How Eric finds your Dubai home
A plain-English walk through how Eric works on WhatsApp, from your first message to a broker introduction, and why it's free.
What AED 1.5M buys across Dubai right now
A community-by-community look at what an AED 1.5M budget actually stretches to in Dubai today, based on current listings we track.