Commercial Property Dubai — Offices Off-Plan

The market

Why offices, and why now

In the twelve months to March 2026, office rents in Dubai rose 14%. Residential rents rose 4.1% over the same period — a gap of three and a half times. This is not one good year against another; it is two different markets. On the residential side thousands of projects come to market every year. On the office side, almost no new space is added at all.

0.7% Vacant in the prime tier

In the first quarter of 2026. Across the office market as a whole, on every grade, vacancy is 7.3% — so the shortage is not of office space in general, but of the space companies actually want. In Grade A, below prime, occupancy runs at about 95%.

71,500 m² of offices delivered in 2025

Out of an office stock of roughly 9.4 million m². Four years of supply at that rate have produced a structural shortage of institutional-grade space.

98.45% Let before it was even handed over

A new 55,500 m² office building in DIFC was delivered almost entirely pre-let. A significant share of future supply is already committed, so the large numbers in the headlines never reach the open market.

+25.3% Office capital values in a year

Against 20.4% for prime residential over the same period. Offices lead on sale prices too, not only on rent.

And here is the figure that is easy to miss. When people quote how much new space Dubai is building, most of it is not for sale at all — it is built to be kept and let. The largest pipeline in the city, DIFC's, is developed by the authority itself and is not sold to individuals. What is left for a private buyer is only the part built to be sold in the first place, and it is far smaller than the headline numbers.

Demand

Who fills these offices

71,830 New companies in a year Joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce in 2025 alone. Total active membership: 292,486.

10,018 Companies registered in DIFC The financial centre passed ten thousand companies for the first time in the first half of 2026 — up 30% in a year.

66% Of lettings — under 46 m² That is the unit size the market is actually looking for. 97% of lettings were under 280 m².

7–9 years Average lease term Against 3–5 years previously. An office tenant stays, and that is what makes the income steady.

The market has already voted. In the first half of 2026, AED 19.5 billion of commercial property changed hands in Dubai across 3,415 transactions — almost three times the same half last year, and more than the whole of 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, off-plan office deals overtook deals in completed offices for the first time since 2010. Three quarters of off-plan office sales were units under 186 m².

The current opportunity

SAMANA Business Hub

Samana Developers · Sheikh Zayed Road · Downtown Jebel Ali — an office tower direct from the developer, with launch pricing and a payment plan that runs for years after handover.

Starting prices by office type

OPTIMA 1,460,000 AED Starting price 57–65 m²

ULTIMA 1,920,000 AED Starting price 75–86 m²

SUPREME 2,430,000 AED Starting price 94–146 m²

Half floor 20,600,000 AED Starting price 790 m²+

Full floor 41,300,000 AED Starting price 1,590 m²+

The payment plan

20%On booking

30%1% a month × 30 months

10%On handover

40%1% a month × 40 months after handover

The building

18Floors of offices

16Retail units

25+Shared amenities

3.6 mFloor-to-floor height

A business club, two conference rooms, co-working space, a podcast room, an outdoor meeting area, a pool, a gym, pilates, a sauna, a spa, cafés indoors and out, an amphitheatre, a cigar lounge and prayer rooms.

Get the full price list

The location

Sheikh Zayed Road — the end where Dubai works

The tower stands on Sheikh Zayed Road, at the end where the highway becomes Dubai's economic engine. The Jafza free zone covers 57 km² on both sides of that road, and together with Jebel Ali Port it is the industrial and logistics base of the UAE.

36% Of Dubai's GDP Jafza and Jebel Ali Port together.

11,000+ Companies from 157 countries Operating in the free zone, including more than a hundred Fortune Global 500 companies.

713 billion Dirhams of non-oil trade Passed through Jafza in 2024 — up 15% on the year before.

27% Of employment in Dubai More than a million direct and indirect jobs rest on the free zone and the port.

Drive times

10 minutes Palm Jebel Ali · Jumeirah Lake Towers

12 minutes Dubai Marina Mall · Mall of the Emirates

15 minutes Expo City Dubai · Al Maktoum International

The numbers

Where rents stand

Commercial rents in Dubai +14% · In the twelve months to March 2026

For comparison — residential +4.1% · Over the same period

Fitted office vs shell and core 2,669 vs 2,228 · Dirhams per m² per year — a gap of about 20% that is easy to miss in comparisons

Dubai publishes no official office yield, so we are not going to invent one. What is known: average rent of AED 2,066 per m² per year against an average sale price of AED 21,840 per m². The ratio between them is about 9.5% gross — before service charges, taxes, void periods and fit-out. We give you both numbers so you can do the arithmetic yourself.

What you need to know

The rules when you buy an office

Freehold — it depends on who you are, not on what the property is

Dubai's property law sets eligibility for freehold ownership by the identity of the buyer, not by the use class of the asset. In the freehold areas, a foreign buyer holds an office exactly as they would hold an apartment — outright, with no time limit, registered in their own name.

Rental income — for an individual, no corporate tax

The Federal Tax Authority provides that real-estate investment income earned by a natural person is not subject to corporate tax, regardless of amount — and the exemption expressly covers commercial property, shops and warehouses. Holding through a company is a different route, checked case by case. The tax position in your own country is worth checking with your own adviser.

The money sits in escrow, and the unit is tradable before handover

Dubai's escrow law expressly defines a multi-storey commercial project as real-estate development, so payments go into the project's escrow account rather than the developer's pocket, and 5% of it is held back for a year after the units are registered in the buyers' names. And once a unit is entered in the Interim Property Register it can be sold or mortgaged before the building is handed over — so there is a way out mid-course as well.

Questions that come up

Questions and answers

Why buy an office in Dubai rather than an apartment?

Because they are two completely different markets. In the twelve months to March 2026, office rents in Dubai rose 14% while residential rents rose 4.1% — a gap of three and a half times. Offices led on sale prices too: 25.3% against 20.4% for prime residential. The reason is simple: residential sees thousands of launches a year, while in 2025 only about 71,500 m² of offices were delivered out of a stock of roughly 9.4 million m².

What is the yield on a Dubai office?

Dubai publishes no official office yield, so we are not going to invent one. What is known: average rent of AED 2,066 per m² per year against an average sale price of AED 21,840 per m² — a ratio of about 9.5% gross, before service charges, taxes and void periods. The actual return depends on the floor, the specification, the tenant and the lease term, and we are happy to go through that with you against a specific unit.

Why a small office rather than a whole floor?

Because that is what the market rents. In the second quarter of 2026, 66% of all office lettings in Dubai were units under 46 m², and 97% were under 280 m². On the buying side too: three quarters of the offices sold off-plan were under 186 m². A small unit fills faster and sells more easily. If you do want a whole floor, that exists as well.

Can foreigners buy commercial property in Dubai?

Yes. Dubai's property law sets eligibility for freehold ownership by the identity of the buyer, not by the use class of the asset, so in the freehold areas a foreign buyer holds an office exactly as they would an apartment — outright, with no time limit, registered in their own name.

Is my money protected in a project under construction?

Yes, through two separate mechanisms. Dubai's escrow law expressly covers multi-storey commercial projects, so payments go into the project's escrow account rather than the developer's pocket. And separately, an off-plan sale that is not entered in the Interim Property Register is void by law — that registration is your first protection, and we handle it.

Who actually rents these offices?

Demand comes from finance, logistics, technology and family offices. In 2025, 71,830 new companies joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, taking total active membership to 292,486. In the first half of 2026 the DIFC financial centre passed ten thousand registered companies — up 30% in a year. Lease terms have lengthened to 7–9 years on average.

Why this project in particular?

Because it is at the stage where the terms are best — launch pricing and a payment plan that runs for years after handover. We are not tied to one project: this page shows the most relevant commercial opportunity at any given moment, and if something better launches we will change it. Either way you will get the price list and real availability from us as at today.

Dubai commercial rents
rose 14% in a year

Why offices, and why now

Who fills these offices