Whole Building for Sale in Dubai South — 39 Units, Brand New
AED 780 per sq ft BUA · 50,000 sq ft gross floor area · 39 fully vacant units · G+4
This whole building for sale in Dubai South is priced at AED 39,000,000 — a brand-new G+4 residential asset with 50,000 sq ft of built-up area, 27,000 sq ft of plot, and 39 fully vacant units ready for immediate leasing. At AED 780 per sq ft on a just-completed, never-occupied building in one of Dubai's highest-infrastructure-velocity corridors, this entry point warrants serious analysis.
Dubai South is no longer a speculative thesis. Al Maktoum International Airport's expansion is executing, Expo City is fully operational as a permanent business district, and the residential demand pipeline feeding this corridor is structural. A 100% vacant building at handover means the incoming owner sets lease rates at today's market, selects the tenant profile from scratch, and launches without a single inherited contract to untangle.
Investment Building Specifications — Dubai South Residential Asset
Asking Price
The building is offered at AED 39,000,000, which puts the per-sq-ft rate at AED 780 on gross built-up area. For a brand-new, fully vacant whole building in Dubai South, that rate sits 30–40% below comparable completed buildings in JLT and Business Bay — a discount that reflects the district's growth stage, not a structural quality discount.
Built-Up Area
Total built-up area reaches 50,000 sq ft across five levels. That scale — at this price point — positions the asset within institutional financing thresholds in the UAE and makes it a viable target for portfolio-level acquisition strategies, not just individual buyers.
Plot Area
The building sits on a 27,000 sq ft plot, delivering a healthy floor-area ratio with sufficient common-area and landscaping potential. Upgrading those spaces adds demonstrable leasing appeal — and directly supports the rental rates you achieve on day one.
Floor Configuration
The G+4 structure spreads 39 units across five floors. That vertical distribution means a single floor sitting vacant during lease-up does not materially compress the building's gross income. Build your projections at 85% occupancy — anything above that is upside.
Unit Mix
The building carries 19 studios, 10 two-bedroom units, and 10 three-bedroom apartments. Studios absorb tenant turnover quickly with short lease cycles and stable demand. The two- and three-bedroom units target families and corporate relocations, generating longer leases at higher annual values. The three-type mix diversifies income risk across fundamentally different tenant profiles within a single asset.
Completion and Occupancy Status
Brand new and 100% vacant at handover. No legacy leases, no sitting tenants on below-market rates, no legal friction from prior ownership. The buyer controls the leasing launch entirely — pricing, tenant selection, and contract structure — from the first signature. Check that all DEWA connections and municipality approvals are in place before launching any leasing campaign.
What Owning This Commercial Building in Dubai South Actually Delivers
A 39-unit vacant building at AED 39M is not a passive hold — it is an active deployment that rewards a clear leasing strategy executed within the first six months. The numbers and structure below frame what the asset actually implies for your position. Ask for a comparative rent analysis on buildings within 500 metres before you anchor to any income figure.
Revenue Architecture
Studios in Dubai South currently achieve between AED 32,000 and AED 42,000 per annum depending on spec and management quality. Two-bedroom units reach AED 65,000 to AED 80,000 per year, and three-bedroom units command AED 85,000 to AED 110,000. Blended across 39 units at a conservative 85% occupancy, gross annual income potential runs between AED 2.5M and AED 3.2M before operating costs. These are market-level estimates — verify against actual achieved rents in the immediate area before building any financial model.
Gross Yield and Cap Rate Context
At AED 2.8M gross income against an acquisition cost of AED 39M, the unlevered gross yield sits near 7.2% before management, maintenance, and service charges. Net operating income will compress that figure — expect a realistic NOI of AED 2.2M to AED 2.6M depending on operating efficiency. Before you commit, run two independent valuations and confirm current cap rate expectations from active comparable transactions in the sub-market.
Vacancy as a Buyer Advantage
A fully vacant building at handover is operationally rare at this scale. It lets you price leases at today's market, select tenants to your preferred credit and profile criteria, and avoid the legal and financial friction that comes with inheriting occupied buildings. Look at the snag list completion status, DEWA connection confirmation for all 39 units, and municipality sign-off documentation before signing any sale agreement — these three checkpoints determine how fast you can actually lease up.
Exit Strategy and Resale Value
A stabilised 39-unit building at 90%+ occupancy in Dubai South is a fundamentally different asset in years 3–5 — both in income profile and institutional attractiveness. UAE family offices, GCC-based real estate funds, and regional high-net-worth buyers pay yield-based multiples on stabilised income assets. At a 7% cap rate applied to AED 2.8M NOI, the exit valuation points north of AED 40M. Model two cap rate scenarios — 6.5% and 8% — and understand how each changes your target hold period before you commit capital.
Dubai South Property Market — The Location Case for This Acquisition
Dubai South is a 145 sq km master-planned district anchored by three structural demand drivers: Al Maktoum International Airport, Expo City Dubai, and the Aviation District. It is one of the few sub-markets in the UAE where large-scale infrastructure investment continues to generate demand ahead of full market pricing maturity — which is exactly where patient capital generates outsized returns.
Airport Corridor and Tenant Profile
Al Maktoum International Airport's expansion toward a 260 million annual passenger capacity creates a sustained residential demand corridor that directly feeds this building's catchment. Aviation workers, logistics professionals, air cargo operators, and hospitality sector employees represent stable, recurring tenant profiles that drive occupancy in residential buildings of this scale. A 39-unit building with a studio-and-family mix is sized to absorb meaningful demand from this workforce without requiring complex commercial leasing infrastructure.
Expo City as a Permanent Business Anchor
The post-2020 conversion of the 4.38 sq km Expo City site into a permanent business and innovation district brings knowledge-economy employers and multinational corporate presence to the area. Corporate relocations tied to Expo City tenants generate family residential demand that aligns directly with this building's two- and three-bedroom inventory. Those units position the building to capture longer lease cycles from a corporate-backed tenant base.
Transport Infrastructure
Dubai South connects to the wider city via Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611). Route 2020 metro access provides a rail corridor that residential tenants factor increasingly into location decisions — particularly professionals commuting to JLT, Marina, and the Sheikh Zayed Road corridor. Road-and-rail access at this asset price point does not exist in Dubai's established zones at comparable building sizes.
Supply Pipeline Considerations
Dubai South continues attracting off-plan launches at volume, and the forward supply pipeline is real and should be factored into any underwriting. The competitive advantage of a completed, immediately occupiable building against off-plan alternatives that tenants cannot move into is concrete — but time-limited. The window to lease up at current market rates before the next supply cohort delivers is measured in months, not years. Price and launch accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions — Buying a Whole Building in Dubai South
What is the asking price for this whole building for sale in Dubai South?
The building is listed at AED 39,000,000 — equivalent to AED 780 per sq ft on 50,000 sq ft of gross built-up area. It is a brand-new, G+4 residential building with 39 fully vacant units across studios, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom configurations, located in Dubai South.
How many units does this residential building contain and what is the unit breakdown?
The building contains 39 units in total: 19 studios, 10 two-bedroom apartments, and 10 three-bedroom apartments. All 39 units are vacant at handover, allowing the buyer to set lease rates, select tenants, and structure contracts from scratch.
What gross yield can I expect from this investment building in Dubai South?
At current Dubai South market rents and a conservative 85% occupancy rate, gross annual income is estimated between AED 2.5M and AED 3.2M, putting the gross yield in the 6.4%–8.2% range on the AED 39M acquisition price. Net operating income will be lower after management and maintenance costs — verify actual achieved rents from comparable buildings in the immediate area before projecting returns.
Can a foreign investor or foreign company buy a whole commercial building in Dubai South?
Dubai South is a designated freehold zone, which permits foreign nationals and foreign-incorporated companies to acquire property with full ownership rights and no mandatory local partner requirement. Confirm the current ownership structure eligibility and title deed requirements with a UAE-licensed real estate lawyer before committing to any purchase agreement.
Does this property purchase qualify the buyer for a UAE Golden Visa?
Property acquisitions of AED 2,000,000 or more in the UAE qualify the buyer to apply for a 10-year UAE Golden Visa under current residency regulations. At AED 39,000,000, this acquisition exceeds the threshold by a factor of nearly 20. Consult the UAE General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs for current documentation requirements and processing timelines.
What due diligence steps are required before purchasing this building?
The non-negotiable pre-purchase checklist for a whole building acquisition in Dubai: verify title deed and confirm no encumbrances or liens, check DEWA connection completion for all 39 units, confirm municipality approvals and snag list sign-off, obtain two independent valuations, and review any developer warranty obligations still in effect on the structure. Engage a UAE-registered real estate attorney and a licensed property management firm before signing any binding agreement.
How does AED 780 per sq ft compare to similar whole buildings for sale in Dubai?
Completed residential buildings transacting in established zones like JLT, Business Bay, and Al Barsha typically price between AED 1,100 and AED 1,400 per sq ft on built-up area. At AED 780 per sq ft, this Dubai South building sits 30–40% below those comparables — a discount that reflects Dubai South's maturing-market status, not an asset quality differential. For a buyer with a 5-year hold horizon, that gap represents appreciation headroom rather than a risk discount.
What is the plot size and how does the building's floor-area ratio affect future value?
The plot measures 27,000 sq ft under a 50,000 sq ft built-up area, producing a floor-area ratio across five levels that leaves adequate ground-level space for landscaping and common-area upgrades. Those improvements translate directly to leasing appeal — better-presented common areas support higher achieved rents and attract longer-lease tenant profiles, which is what drives stabilised asset value at exit.
What is the realistic exit timeline and who are the likely buyers at resale?
A stabilised 39-unit building at 90%+ occupancy in Dubai South typically attracts UAE family offices, GCC-based real estate investment funds, and high-net-worth GCC buyers who acquire on yield-based multiples. The realistic exit window, assuming active lease-up beginning at handover, is 3–5 years. At a 7% cap rate applied to AED 2.8M NOI, the resale valuation points above AED 40M — but build your model across two cap rate scenarios before committing to an exit price assumption.
Is the building truly ready to lease immediately or are there additional steps required?
The building is brand new and completed, but "lease-ready" status requires confirming three operational checkpoints independently: DEWA utility connections active for all 39 units, full municipality approvals and occupancy permits in hand, and snag list formally closed and documented by the developer. Verify all three before launching any leasing campaign — a single gap in these approvals can delay income by weeks or months.