Dubai’s high-value rental market recorded 2,046 residential-use contracts worth Dhs 1 million or more in the first eight months of 2026, with the combined value reaching Dhs 6.79 billion, according to a market analysis from fäm Properties.
The contracts, registered between January 1 and August 31, show the scale of Dubai’s top-end rental market. The median annualised rent across the contracts was Dhs 1.35 million, although the figures cover different contract lengths and property categories.
Dubai high-value rental market in 2026
New leases made up most of the activity, with 1,423 contracts, or 69.6% of the total. Renewals accounted for 623 contracts, representing 30.4%.
The median annualised rent was Dhs 1.30 million for new leases, compared with Dhs 1.50 million for renewals, based on DXBinteract data cited in the analysis.
The figures do not mean that every tenant was paying Dhs 1 million in annual rent. The Dhs 1 million threshold applies to the total contract value, which is particularly important when looking at agreements lasting more than one year.
One-year contracts were the most common, accounting for 1,353 of the 2,046 contracts.
Which Dubai properties recorded the highest-value contracts?
Villas accounted for the largest property category, with 951 contracts worth a combined Dhs 2.49 billion. Their median annualised rent was approximately Dhs 1.12 million.
Apartments recorded 531 contracts worth Dhs 2.41 billion, with a higher median annualised rent of Dhs 1.40 million.
The data also includes residential-use categories beyond conventional villas and apartments.
Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties, said: “The figures underline the scale of the upper end of Dubai’s rental market, while also showing how high-value contracts extend beyond individual villas and apartments into larger residential-use assets and accommodation categories.”
Why the Dhs1 million threshold does not mean Dhs 1 million a year
The distinction between total contract value and annualised rent is important when interpreting the figures.
A multi-year rental agreement can cross the Dhs 1 million threshold through its total value, even if its annual rent is below Dhs 1 million. This is why longer contracts can show lower annualised median rents within the dataset.
The analysis therefore measures a segment of Dubai’s rental market based on contract value, rather than identifying only properties with annual rents of Dhs 1 million or more.
Labour accommodation also appears in the data
The Dubai Land Department’s residential-use classification includes labour camps, which represented 520 contracts worth Dhs 1.72 billion in the period analysed.
This category had a median annualised rent of approximately Dhs 1.84 million.
Other, smaller categories included buildings, complex villas, staff accommodation, studios and penthouses.
Palm Jumeirah remains a major high-value rental location
Palm Jumeirah recorded 191 high-value contracts, making it one of the strongest concentrations of conventional residential leasing in the dataset.
The median annualised rent for those contracts was Dhs 1.50 million.
Overall, the figures provide a snapshot of Dubai’s highest-value residential-use rental contracts during the first eight months of 2026, rather than the wider rental market. They also show that the segment includes a mix of villas, apartments and other residential-use assets, with contract length playing an important role in the headline values.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
