Dubai's rental market is tracking toward an all-time annual high, with 214,445 contracts registered in the first seven months of 2026 – a 1.9% year-on-year increase – putting the emirate on pace to surpass last year's record of 377,660 contracts, according to fäm Properties.
July alone saw 38,197 contracts logged, split between 18,431 new agreements and 19,766 renewals. One-bedroom units led tenant preferences, accounting for 41% of all agreements year-to-date. Al Warsan First topped the leaderboard with 20,830 contracts, followed by Jebel Ali First (18,478), Al Barsha South Fourth (16,489), Business Bay (13,728) and Nadd Al Hessa (11,710).
Q1 rental contract value reached AED 32.2 billion, with contract cancellations falling 25% – a signal of strengthening market stability. fäm Properties CEO Firas Al Msaddi attributed sustained rental activity to Dubai's enduring appeal as a place to live and work, even amid regional uncertainty.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer