Property · UAE

Best Property Websites in Dubai and the UAE

Three portals carry nearly all UAE listings and they overlap heavily, so the useful question is which one to open first and what each is actually better at. A fourth source, free and official, is the one most people searching never find.

Upfront cash to move into a Dubai rental

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Market practice in Dubai, not a published tariff. It is negotiable, and is zero when you rent direct from the landlord.
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Commonly 5% of annual rent for an unfurnished unit and 10% furnished. Refundable at the end of the tenancy.
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Registering the tenancy contract. The exact figure depends on the channel used, so adjust if your agent quotes differently.
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Refundable when you close the account.

Note: Educational estimate for planning. Confirm final amounts on official channels.

The three portals, and which to open first

Property Finder is the largest by listing volume and is usually the first place a new listing appears. If you want the widest net, start here. Bayut is the strong second and is generally rated better on search filters and on editorial depth — its verification programme sends people to check properties physically, which is a meaningfully stronger claim than a documentation check.

Dubizzle is the country’s general classifieds site and its property section overlaps heavily with Bayut, but it carries more listings direct from owners. If avoiding agency commission is the point, that is where to look.

Experienced buyers and renters use more than one, and the reason is duplication rather than laziness: the same unit is often listed by several agents at several prices, and you only see that by cross-referencing.

The source almost nobody searching finds

Every portal shows asking prices. The Dubai Land Department publishes what properties actually sold for, and free tools built on that data let you look up real transaction history for a building or community.

That gap matters. An asking price is a negotiating position; a transaction record is a fact. For anyone buying rather than renting, checking the DLD record for the building is the single highest-value step available, and it costs nothing.

What the listing price leaves out

For renters, the advertised annual rent is not the cash you need. Agency commission is commonly 5% of annual rent — market practice rather than a published tariff, and negotiable. A security deposit of 5% unfurnished or 10% furnished is refundable but has to be found upfront. Ejari registration and a DEWA connection deposit come on top.

The calculator above adds these up. On a typical apartment the total before you hold a key is routinely more than a month of rent above the rent itself, and the number of cheques you are asked to split the year into changes how much you need on day one again.

How to use this calculator

  1. Put in the annual rent as the listing advertises it.
  2. Adjust the agency commission, or set it to 0 if you are renting direct from the landlord.
  3. Set the deposit to 5% unfurnished or 10% furnished.
  4. Adjust the Ejari fee if your agent quotes a different figure.
  5. Pick apartment or villa for the DEWA deposit, or none if you are not paying it.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Bayut or Property Finder?

Property Finder is larger by listing volume and usually gets new listings first. Bayut is generally rated better on search filters, and its verification programme involves physically checking properties rather than only checking documents. Most people use both, because the same unit often appears on each at a different asking price.

What is Dubizzle better for?

Listings direct from owners. It is the UAE’s general classifieds platform, so its property section overlaps with the dedicated portals but carries more non-agency listings — which is where you avoid paying agency commission.

Can I see what a property actually sold for?

Yes. The Dubai Land Department publishes transaction data, and free tools built on it let you look up real sale history by building or community. Portal listings show asking prices only, so this is the check worth doing before making an offer.

How much do I need upfront to rent in Dubai?

The annual rent plus agency commission of around 5%, a refundable deposit of 5% unfurnished or 10% furnished, Ejari registration and a refundable DEWA deposit. How many cheques you split the rent into changes what you need on day one.

Does this page send my numbers anywhere?

No. Every figure is worked out in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. See our Privacy Policy for the analytics and AdSense cookies the site itself sets.

Where these figures come from

Dubai Land Department,https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/,Transaction data and tenancy registration,2026-11-12,DEWA,https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/consumer/customer-services/connection-services,Connection deposit amounts,2026-11-12

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