Property activity is a useful demand backdrop for interior design, refurbishment and fit-out, but transaction totals are not design-spend totals. This page keeps rental contracts, real-estate projects, sold units, licences, procedures and transactions as separate measures.
Dubai rental sector in 2025
| Measure | 2025 figure | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Registered tenancy contracts | 1.38 million | +6% |
| Registered contract value | AED 126.4 billion | +17% |
| New tenancy contracts | more than 513,000 | +10% |
| Renewed tenancy contracts | more than 514,000 | +3% |
New and renewed contract counts are reported separately and should not be forced to reconcile with the rounded 1.38 million headline total; the release contains additional contract categories and rounded values.
Projects, sold units and market infrastructure
| Measure | 2025 figure | Interpretation boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Completed real-estate projects | 124 projects, AED 27.5 billion reported value | A project may contain many buildings or units; this is not the DDSE building-completion count. |
| Projects under construction | 937 | Pipeline, not completed inventory. |
| Sold units | 147.5 thousand, AED 280 billion value | Sales activity, not fit-out expenditure. |
| Active real-estate offices | 10,182 | Brokerage-market infrastructure. |
| Real-estate licences issued | 14,364 | Real-estate licences, not design-company trade licences. |
Q1 2026 transaction snapshot
| Measure | Q1 2026 | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total real-estate transaction value | AED 252 billion | +31% year on year |
| Transactions | 60,303 | +6% year on year |
| Real-estate procedures | 718,160 | A broader administrative measure than transactions |
| Investment value | AED 173 billion | 48,448 investors |
| New investors | 29,312 | Reported as new investors by DLD |
| Luxury real-estate transaction value | AED 87.71 billion | Segment value reported by DLD |
| Foreign real-estate investment value | AED 148.35 billion | Investor-origin measure; do not add to other categories |
How an interior-design buyer should use this data
High leasing, sales and project activity can expand the pool of spaces that may need furnishing, refurbishment or fit-out. It does not establish how many owners will commission design work, the specification level, or the timing of expenditure. Use the market data to challenge broad sales claims, then obtain evidence specific to the asset, scope and programme.
- Ask whether a quoted portfolio project was new-build, landlord shell, tenant fit-out, refurbishment or styling only.
- For leased premises, identify reinstatement obligations before approving the design and cost plan.
- For purchased units, separate base-build defects, authority approvals, MEP changes, joinery, furniture and professional fees.
- Verify transaction-level claims against the Dubai Land Department open-data portal where a granular analysis is required.
For cost context, see the Dubai office fit-out benchmark page.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department: Dubai rental sector records strong growth in 2025 (2025)
- Dubai Land Department: Dubai real estate transactions surge 31% to reach AED 252 billion in Q1 2026 (2026 Q1)
- Dubai Land Department: Real Estate Data (current)
Last data review: 3 August 2026. Reported figures retain the source’s period and unit. Calculated figures are labelled as such. See the data methodology and company-verification protocol.