MARKETS · OCTOBER 19 · 8 MIN
Selling a Tenanted Dubai Apartment: The Lease Stays
A Dubai apartment can change hands on a Monday and still have the same tenant living in it on Tuesday. The sale contract moves ownership. The tenancy contract keeps running on its own terms, with its own dates, its own rent and its own rules for ending it.
MARKETS · OCTOBER 18 · 5 MIN
What the Emaar South Golf Club Q4 2026 Plan Means for Buyers
Emaar Hospitality Group expects Emaar South Golf Club to open in the fourth quarter of 2026. The announcement names a quarter and no exact day. Membership terms, fees and visitor access were also left unspecified in the public coverage. For a buyer in Dubai South, that makes the
MARKETS · OCTOBER 14 · 6 MIN
Dubai's Etihad Rail Station Has Opened: One of Four Is Real, Three Remain on the Map
Dubai Al Yalayis station opened to passengers on 30 September 2026, the day Etihad Rail passenger service began, together with Al Dhaid station in Sharjah. The official inauguration in Dubai took place on 28 September. RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer has said Dubai will even
MARKETS · OCTOBER 13 · 6 MIN
Dubai Tests Driverless Pods at Bluewaters: What Buyers Can Read From a Four-Week Trial
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has started a four-week trial of the Glydways automated transit system at Bluewaters Island. Small autonomous electric pods run on dedicated guideways, physically separated from ordinary road traffic. The trial tests one short corridor under
MARKETS · OCTOBER 8 · 5 MIN
Dubai Airport Now Issues International Driving Permits in Five Minutes: What UAE Residents and Investors Should Know
A new government service quietly changed how UAE residents prepare for international travel. Starting mid-September 2026, GDRFA Dubai began issuing International Driving Permits (IDPs) directly from the arrivals hall of Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, with the counter
MARKETS · OCTOBER 6 · 6 MIN
Abu Dhabi's New Islands and Water Sports Guide: What It Actually Means for Property Buyers
DCT Abu Dhabi has launched a digital guide covering the emirate's islands, coastline and water-based activities, timed to its presence at Arabian Travel Market 2026. The platform brings itineraries, an interactive map, operator listings and marine-protection information into one
MARKETS · OCTOBER 5 · 6 MIN
Dubai's Airport Dominance Signals Where International Real Estate Demand Is Heading
Dubai International Airport (DXB) has once again been confirmed as the world's busiest airport for international passenger traffic, extending a leadership streak that now spans more than a decade. The latest full-year figures show DXB handled approximately 92.3 million passengers
MARKETS · OCTOBER 4 · 7 MIN
Marjan Beach: What RAK's New 85-Million-Square-Foot Masterplan Means for Buyers
Ras Al Khaimah's master developer Marjan has unveiled Marjan Beach, an 85 million square foot mixed-use waterfront masterplan combining residential, hospitality, retail, and public space along the emirate's coastline. The announcement itself is not new; Marjan and the UAE's state
MARKETS · OCTOBER 3 · 6 MIN
Dubai-Abu Dhabi High-Speed Rail: What Etihad Rail Has Actually Confirmed
In January 2025, Etihad Rail announced a new high-speed passenger line between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with a target journey time of about 30 minutes and trains designed to reach speeds of up to 350 km/h. Almost two years later, no construction start date and no opening date have be
MARKETS · OCTOBER 2 · 6 MIN
How the UAE's Top Developers Turned Rising Costs Into a Balance-Sheet Advantage
Construction costs have climbed across nearly every major property market since 2021, and the Gulf has not been exempt. Steel, cement, and skilled labour all cost more to source today than they did five years ago, and the developers building Dubai's next 366,000 homes are working
MARKETS · OCTOBER 2 · 6 MIN
Palm Jebel Ali Gets Its First Retail Hub: The Yard Opens in 2027
Dubai Retail, the retail and lifestyle arm of Dubai Holding Asset Management, has unveiled The Yard, described in its own release as Palm Jebel Ali's first retail and lifestyle destination. The announcement landed on September 10, 2026, and the project is scheduled to open in 202
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 30 · 7 MIN
The Boring Company's 150 Kilometers of UAE Tunnels: What Buyers Should Actually Watch
Elon Musk's The Boring Company has signed a new agreement with the UAE to build more than 150 kilometers of tunnels across the country. The deal runs alongside, and separately from, the Dubai Loop pilot that is already under construction between DIFC and Dubai Mall. Behind it sit
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 29 · 7 MIN
J1 Hotel Brings Gran Meliá's UAE Debut to Jumeirah 1 Beachfront
Meliá Hotels International has confirmed the UAE debut of its luxury Gran Meliá brand, and the location is not a new district carved out of reclaimed land. It's Jumeirah 1, inside the established Port de La Mer cluster, on a stretch of private beach that already sits among some o
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 28 · 7 MIN
Retirement in the UAE: What the 44% Survey Really Shows Investors
A new survey has put a number on something the market had only sensed anecdotally: 44% of affluent and high-net-worth residents surveyed across the UAE said they plan to retire in the country. The figure comes from St James's Place's "Money on the Move" study, which polled 450 af
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 27 · 4 MIN
UAE's Air-Quality Push Moves From Monitoring to Forecasting
The UAE is adding a forecasting layer to its national air-quality system, giving authorities the ability to anticipate pollution episodes before they happen rather than simply reporting conditions as they occur. The shift, confirmed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environme
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 27 · 7 MIN
Dubai Airport's 15-Second Passport Control: What Click and Travel Means for Property Investors
GDRFA Dubai officially launched Click and Travel on 7 September 2026, a mobile passport-control service designed to complete entry and departure procedures at Dubai's airports during peak periods and emergencies (GDRFA Dubai / Dubai Media Office, 7 September 2026).
PROCESS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 6 MIN
Hatta: The Piece of Dubai That Oman Surrounds on Every Side
Most maps of Dubai show a single, continuous shape hugging the coastline. Hatta breaks that picture. The mountain district sits roughly 130 kilometres inland from the city centre, and Oman wraps around it on every side. To reach it from Dubai, drivers pass through Omani checkpoin
PROCESS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 5 MIN
The Only Emirate in the UAE That Faces the Wrong Gulf
Look at a map of the United Arab Emirates and count the coastlines. Six of the seven emirates sit on the same body of water, the Persian Gulf, from Ras Al Khaimah in the north down through Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Fujairah breaks the pattern.
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 6 MIN
Would You Buy an Apartment That Never Sees the Sun? Dubai's New Layer of Property Due Diligence
Dubai buyers have spent years learning to read floor plans, service charges, and community fees before signing a reservation form. A new category of tools is pushing that checklist one layer deeper: sunlight. Rather than treating light exposure as an afterthought discovered after
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 5 MIN
UAE Builds a Predictive Shield Against Bad Air, and Property Managers Are Paying Attention
UAE Builds a Predictive Shield Against Bad Air, and Property Managers Are Paying Attention Air quality in the UAE has moved from a monitoring exercise to a forecasting discipline. National authorities are assembling an early-warning system that draws on real-time sensor networks…
PROCESS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 7 MIN
Inside Dubai's Legal Islands: How DIFC and ADGM Run on English Law, Not UAE Civil Code
A contract signed on the 14th floor of a Dubai International Financial Centre tower can end up, if disputed, in front of a judge who trained at the English Bar, citing precedent from London rather than Abu Dhabi. Walk two kilometres in either direction and that same dispute would
MARKETS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 6 MIN
What Dubai Police's 36 AI Robots Really Tell Property Investors
Dubai Police has deployed 36 software robots across its operations, part of a broader automation push that also delivered 104 completed technology projects over the past year (Gulf News, Sep 6, 2026; Dubai Media Office). Public service continuity now sits at 99.97 percent, with s
PROCESS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 6 MIN
Before Oil, There Was a Pearl: How the Gulf Economy Rose and Fell on a Single Commodity
Long before the first oil concessions were signed in the Gulf, coastal families here built their entire economy around a single fragile commodity harvested from the seabed by hand. For centuries, pearling was not a side trade. It was the primary source of income for entire commun
PROCESS · SEPTEMBER 26 · 5 MIN
UAE's Zero-Tax Era Ended in 2023, Just Not for Everyone
For years, "no tax" was the single line that sold the UAE to founders, funds and relocating executives. Then, in June 2023, a federal corporate tax quietly went live. And yet most of the businesses we talk to still pay nothing at all. That is the part people tend to miss: the tax
