Dubai Rental Contracts Hit 214,445 in Seven Months, Putting 2026 on Record Pace

Dubai logged 214,445 tenancy contracts in the first seven months of 2026, up 1.9% year on year, with renewals outnumbering new deals in July.

Dubai tenants and landlords signed 214,445 rental contracts between January and July 2026, a 1.9% increase on the same period a year earlier, according to an analysis of Dubai Land Department records by fäm Properties. July alone produced 38,197 registrations, split between 18,431 new agreements and 19,766 renewals. At that rate the emirate is on course to pass the 377,660 contracts recorded across the whole of 2025, which was itself the highest annual total on record.

Renewals Edge Out New Deals

The July split is the more revealing number. Renewals accounting for 19,766 of 38,197 contracts means more than half of last month's registrations came from tenants choosing to stay put rather than move or arrive. Firas Al Msaddi, chief executive of fäm Properties, framed it in terms of retention: "The volume of renewals alone shows that people still see Dubai as one of the best places in the world to live and work." For owners, a renewal-heavy month implies shorter void periods and lower turnover costs than a market driven purely by new arrivals.

Unit size tells a parallel story. One-bedroom apartments made up 41% of agreements year to date, or 88,327 contracts. Two-bedroom units took 23% and three-bedroom units 10%. Demand is concentrated at the compact end of the stock, which is where single professionals and couples cluster.

Where the Contracts Are Being Signed

Al Warsan First led the ranking with 20,830 contracts year to date, ahead of Jebel Ali First on 18,478 and Al Barsha South Fourth on 16,489. Business Bay registered 13,728 and Nadd Al Hessa 11,710. The list is notable for what sits at the top: affordable and mid-market communities, not the marquee waterfront addresses. Business Bay is the only central business district in the top five, and it trails Al Warsan First by more than 7,000 contracts.

The Yield Arithmetic Behind the Volume

Registration counts matter to owners because of what they sit on top of. Glopra's market data puts Dubai's average apartment price at USD 7,244 per square metre as of 23 July 2026, with a gross rental yield of 5.53% and capital values up 6.1% year on year. The UAE applies no personal income tax to rental income, so the headline yield is closer to what an owner actually keeps than in most comparable markets. A 5.53% gross return on a USD 7,244 per square metre price base, largely untaxed, is the arithmetic that makes a rising contract count more than a statistical curiosity.

Sales activity has run alongside the leasing market rather than substituting for it. Dubai recorded 13,872 property transactions in July 2026 worth AED 34.5 billion, of which 9,585 were off-plan purchases totalling AED 20.5 billion and 4,287 were resales worth AED 14 billion. Much of that off-plan volume will not reach the rental register for years, which leaves the current contract growth resting on existing stock. Five months remain in the year, and matching the 2025 benchmark of 377,660 requires roughly 163,000 further registrations.

Sources: Khaleej Times (fäm Properties analysis of DLD records) https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/dubai-on-course-for-record-year-in-rental-contracts; The Week https://www.theweek.in/news/middle-east/2026/08/10/dubai-property-market-booms-in-2026-rentals-up-19-per-cent-amidst-strong-sales.html

Market data: Abu Dhabi · Ras Al Khaimah · United Arab Emirates · Dubai