Property Types

Freehold, usufruct and common hold

Property Types

Dubai allows foreigners to purchase property under three types of conditions: freehold, usufruct and common hold. Freehold property can only be purchased in certain areas.

Freehold means that you own the property and can do whatever you like with it. The property is registered in your name, and an heir may inherit it upon your death. New freehold properties must be purchased from government-approved real estate developers.

The top three real estate developers in Dubai are Al Nakheel, Dubai Properties, and Emaar. These developers sell a lot of luxury properties. To find a property within your price range, you might investigate other developers and areas, as well. For a complete list of Dubai developers, consult Dubai City's website .

Usufruct properties

A usufruct property means that you buy a long-term lease. You may do whatever you like with the property except destroy it or make it unusable. The length of the leases ranges from ten years to 99 years for residential properties and 50 years for corporate properties.

Common hold properties

Apartments are typically sold as common hold properties. You and other building residents must pay fees for maintaining common areas, which are usually collected by the building owner (in many cases this is the developer). As with freehold properties, you can sell or inherit your commonhold apartment as you like.

Further reading

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