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DUBAI
MARKET
UPDATE
Q3 2021
DUBAI MARKET UPDATE - CORE Research core-me.com/research
FOREWORD

                         DUBAI MARKET
                         UPDATE Q3 2021

                         “
                                                                                       impacting market sentiment and translating to a spike
                                                                                       in market activity with the highest ever residential
                               The transition to normalcy with robust                  secondary market transaction values recorded in Q2
                         public health & safety measures in place is                   2021 and Q3 2021.
                         signalling the end of COVID-19 restrictions in
                         the UAE and accelerating real estate recovery.                Whilst oversupply continues to prevail, particularly
                                                                                       in affordable apartment districts and grade B and C
                                                                                       office stock, demand is increasingly catching up and
                         With the highest global vaccination rate and the              gradually stabilising vacancy levels. On the other hand,
                         lowest COVID-19 cases recorded in the last 12 months,         select prime and established districts are now seeing
                         the UAE government and public have worked                     limited availability.
                         cohesively to position Dubai as one of the safest and
                         most resilient cities in the world – priming it to host       Although green shoots were visible since late 2020
                         Expo 2020. The infrastructure built for Expo 2020,            and we remained positive of Dubai’s real estate
                         including the AED 15 billion by Roads and Transport           performance for 2021, the sharp rises in capital
                         Authority (RTA) is also fast-tracking transit-oriented        values and rentals, particularly in the established villa
                         developments across the public transport networks,            and prime apartment districts have considerably
                         providing connectivity to the wider market.                   outperformed most market forecasts.

                         The buzz in the city is entirely different than it was        As we move into the final quarter of the year,
                         this time last year with schools reopened, most flight        traditionally a busy period, we expect robust activity
                         routes resumed, offices, malls and restaurants running        levels with demand coming in from new entrants,
                         at increased occupancy and Expo 2020 successfully             investors and existing occupiers leading to a race for
                         inaugurated. The transition to normalcy with robust           quality stock in select established office and residential
                         public health & safety measures in place is signalling        districts. However, it is important to note that market
                         the end of COVID-19 restrictions in the UAE and               recovery is expected to be segmented with a few
                         accelerating real estate recovery.                            residential districts witnessing slower stabilisation
                                                                                       rates, while the Grade B and C office stock which has
                         Most traditional source markets have faced prolonged          historically struggled in absorption, continuing to face
                         lockdowns and relatively slower COVID-19 mitigation           challenges.
                         efforts resulting in many international businesses
                         moving to Dubai to establish or expand their existing
                         footprint, with the new policy of 100% company
                         ownership further aiding this trend.

                         While visa reforms have been rolled out since 2018
                         including the retirement and golden visa, we have
                         seen a significant increase in these visa approvals over
                         the last year. Other recent visa reforms include the
                         remote working visa, green visa, a new work-permit
                         allowing teenagers (15 years and above) to work part-
                         time and the lowering of the minimum investment
                         for a 3-year property visa from AED 1 million to AED
                         Dh750,000. Collectively, these factors are positively

                         This publication
                         This document was published in October 2021. The data used in the charts and tables is the latest available at the
                         time of going to press. Sources are included for all the charts. We have used a standard set of notes and abbreviations
                         throughout the document.

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Residential Market

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DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Q3 2021

   RESIDENTIAL SUPPLY
                                                                                                                                                                               Supply Delivered by Area YTD 2021                                         Supply Forecast by Area Q4 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Others,
                                                                                                                                                                                                       6%                                                       Others, 18%
                                                                                                                                                                                Dubai South, 3%
                                                                                                                                                                               Al Furjan, 3%
                                                                                                                                                                      Downtown Dubai, 3%                                                                                                         Dubailand
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Dubailand,    Jumeirah Village                                   30%
   2021 is expected to see the highest number of                                                                                                                         MBR City, 4%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                37%                 Circle, 3%
   residential deliveries in Dubai over the last decade                                                                                                                 Dubai Creek                                                          Dubai South, 3%
   with nearly 24,000 units delivered YTD 2021 while an                                                                                                                 Harbour, 4%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Al Furjan, 3%
   additional 13,000 units are expected over Q4 2021,                                                                                                                 Jumeirah Golf
   totalling to nearly 37,000 units for the year.                                                                                                                       Estates, 5%                                                             Dubai Sports
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    City, 4%

   Apartment units continue to constitute a major portion                                                                                                                Dubai Marina,                                                           Dubai Harbour,
   of the delivered inventory, accounting for 86% of the                                                                                                                           6%                                                                       7%
   total residential handovers over YTD 2021, albeit, further                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 MBR City,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              30%
   pushing villa price recovery due to limited villa stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                     Dubai Creek
                                                                                                                                                                                         Business                                                               Harbour, 8%
   Major apartment projects that have been handed                                                                                                                                        Bay, 13%             Jumeirah                                                        Business
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Bay, 30%
   over are Tiara United Towers in Business Bay, Artesia in                                                    New Project Announcements
                                                                                                                                                                                                              Village Circle,
                                                                                                                                                                                                              16%
   Damac Hills, Bloom Heights in Jumeirah Village Circle
   and 52-42 in Dubai Marina. Prominent villa deliveries                                            18,000

   this year include multiple projects in Akoya Oxygen,                                             16,000
   Villanova, both in Dubailand and Club Villas at Dubai                                            14,000
   Hills Estate.
                                                                                  Number of units

                                                                                                    12,000

                                                                                                    10,000
   Pockets in Dubailand, Jumeirah Village Circle, MBR City
                                                                                                    8,000
   and Business Bay are witnessing the highest number
                                                                                                    6,000
   of deliveries and these areas are expected to continue
   seeing a steady stream of handovers over the next few                                            4,000

   quarters.                                                                                        2,000

                                                                                                           0
   While there have been a few large project                                                                   Q1-Q3 2019          Q1-Q3 2020            Q1-Q3 2021
   announcements recently including the Regalia
   Residences by Deyaar, Murooj Al Furjan by Nakheel and
   Palace Beach Residence by Emaar, total new project
   volumes have significantly contracted with YTD 2021
   volumes 47% lower than 2020 and 79% lower than 2019.                                               Villas          Delivered              Apartments
   Although handover volumes continue to be high, lower                                               14%             YTD 2021                  86%
   launch volumes and robust transaction activity are
   expected to keep underpinning market recovery.

                                                         Residential Deliveries in Dubai 2011 - 2022
                               40

                               35

                               30
                                                                                                                                                  13
Number of units in thousands

                               25
                                                                                                                            32         36                      35

                               20
                                                                                                                 28

                               15

                                                                                                                                                  24
                               10
                                    19
                                            18                              18                        18
                                                          17
                               5                   12              11

                               0
                                    2011   2012   2013   2014     2015     2016                      2017       2018        2019      2020       2021E        2022E

 Source: CORE Research

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DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Q3 2021

 RESIDENTIAL TRANSACTIONS

 The trend of rising numbers of residential secondary                                                                                up by 108% over Q3 2021 compared to Q3 2020 and 18%
 sales transactions that we saw since Q3 2020 continues                                                                              when compared to Q3 2019, signalling a return to pre-
 to gain momentum with the highest ever quarterly                                                                                    pandemic levels.
 value of transactions recorded over Q2 2021.
                                                                                                                                     While the preference for ready built stock is expected
 Domestic and international buyers are entering                                                                                      to continue, we also foresee off-plan activity continuing
 Dubai’s real estate market with renewed confidence                                                                                  to gather pace as investor confidence and appetite
 as the current market sentiment is relatively positive                                                                              steadily returns to the market.
 compared to most traditional source markets. A
 multitude of demand drivers are underpinning the rise                                                                                                             Residential Sales Transactions Trends
 in transaction volumes, including relatively competitive
 entry points, variety of options, change in LTV ratios,                                                                                                    8000
 low interest rates, raft of visa reforms, and an economic
                                                                                                                                                            7000
 environment of safety, openness, and resilience.
                                                                                                                                                            6000
                                                                                                                                   Number of Transactions

 There has been a 67% increase in secondary market
                                                                                                                                                            5000
 transaction volumes over Q3 2021 compared to Q3
 2020 and a striking 127% more than Q3 2019, clearly                                                                                                        4000

 indicating a revival from both the pandemic and                                                                                                            3000
 pre-pandemic time periods. Looking into the data
 closely, the villa market continues to outperform with                                                                                                     2000

 a 79% year-on-year rise in secondary sales transaction                                                                                                     1000
 numbers, while apartments saw over a 62% annual
                                                                                                                                                               0
 increase.
                                                                                                                                                                          Q3           Q3           Q3                 Q3           Q3           Q3
                                                                                                                                                                         2019         2020         2021               2019         2020         2021
 The off-plan market, after facing headwinds for over a
                                                                                                                                                                          Secondary Market                                     Off-Plan
 year and witnessing significant contractions has seen                                                                                                                      Transactions                                     Transactions
 a ‘V’ shaped recovery with off-plan transaction volumes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Apartment                 Villa

                                                                                                Value of Transactions by Month
                                   10b

                                   9b

                                   8b

                                   7b
Value of transactions in billion

                                   6b

                                   5b

                                   4b

                                   3b

                                   2b

                                    1b

                                    0
                                         Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul          Oct                Jan   Apr   Jul    Oct   Jan    Apr   Jul    Oct   Jan   Apr    Jul   Oct    Jan   Apr    Jul
                                          14    14   14    14     15    15    15    15    16    16   16     16    17    17   17            17                 18    18   18     18     19     19   19      19    20   20     20    20      21    21     21

                                                                                                Value of Secondary Sales Transactions                                                               Value of Off-Plan Sales Transactions
   Source: REIDIN, CORE Research

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DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Q3 2021

   RESIDENTIAL SALES MARKET
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Villa Sales Prices Q3 2020 vs. Q3 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Emirates               Palm                  The           Dubailand            Jumeirah           The Springs        Jumeirah              Arabian              City-Wide
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Hills               Jumeirah               Lakes                                Village             and The            Park                Ranches                 Villa
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Circle            Meadows                                                       Average

   While the villa sales market has been leading the                                                                     Apartment sales market performance continues to                                                                                                                                             28%
   recovery since late 2020 with apartment sales market                                                                  be clearly fragmented. The prime as well as central                                                           25%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            23%
   lagging, we are now witnessing a gradual rise in                                                                      apartment districts of Downtown Dubai (14%),
   apartment sales prices over the last few months.                                                                      Palm Jumeirah (13%), DIFC (6%), Dubai Marina (3%)
                                                                                                                         witnessing a rise in year-on-year capital values while                                   14%                                                                                                                   15%                  15%                   16%
   Looking in further detail, eight of the nine villa districts                                                          the outer and affordable locations such as Dubai                                                                                                    12%
   that we track saw an uptick in year-on-year sales                                                                     Sports City (-6%), Dubailand (-6%), Discovery Gardens
   prices with The Springs and The Meadows (28%), Palm                                                                   (-4%) and Jumeirah Village Circle (0%) are yet to reach
   Jumeirah (25%) and The Lakes (23%) witnessing the                                                                     pre-pandemic price levels.
   sharpest rises, while city-wide villa sales price average
   saw a robust 16% rise. It is imperative to note that while                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -1%
   these price increases are significant, they are compared
   to the lowest point in the market cycle over Q3 2020.
   All villa markets are still significantly lower than their                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -12%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -13%
   2014 peak values and are gradually moving towards
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -16%
   them. With the high migration witnessed by occupiers
   from apartments to villa districts over the last the 12-18                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            -22%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -22%
   months, most established villa districts have limited
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       -26%                                     -27%
   stock and the outer sub-urban villa areas are now
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -30%
   absorbing the unmet demand.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           -32%

   While the preference for private, open and additional
   spaces will remain in a post COVID world, it would be
   interesting to see if the villa market continues to see
   a sharp rise in values or witness corrections as most
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Apartment Sales Prices Q3 2020 vs. Q3 2021
   COVID-19 related restrictions have been lifted and
   schools and offices returning to near full occupancy.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                The               Dubai      Discovery            JLT     Dubailand        DIFC        Jumeirah       Business         Dubai         Downtown   Palm   City-Wide
                                                                                                                                                                                                               Greens             Sports     Gardens                                                    Village         Bay            Marina          Dubai  Jumeirah Apartment
                                                                                                                                                                                                               & The               City                                                                  Circle                                                         Average
                                                                                                                                                                                                               Views
                                                                                     Dubai City-Wide Sales Price Trends
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       14%
                              1600                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    13%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              7%                           6%
                                                                                                                                                                                                               5%
                              1400                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         3%           3%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         2%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        0%

                              1200                                                                                                                                                                                                            -4%
Sales price in AED / sq.ft.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -6%                                          -6%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            -10%

                              1000
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -18%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                -21%
                              800
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                -28%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -29%           -29%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -30%

                              600                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -34%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -38%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -39%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -42%             -41%
                              400

                                     Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan    Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul   Oct   Jan   Apr   Jul                                                                                                    Year-on-Year % Change                   Change in Price Since Peak 2014
                                     14     15    15    15    15    16    16   16     16    17    17   17     17    18     18   18    18     19    19   19     19    20   20    20    20     21    21    21

                                                                                            Dubai City-Wide Apartment Sales Price                                   Dubai City-Wide Villa Sales Price

    Source: REIDIN, CORE Research                                                                                                                                                                             Source: CORE Research

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DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Q3 2021

RESIDENTIAL RENTAL MARKET
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Villa Rents Q3 2020 vs. Q3 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                                          Dubailand            The Springs          Jumeirah               The                Arabian              Jumeirah             Palm                Emirates          City-Wide
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 and The             Village              Lakes               Ranches                Park             Jumeirah               Hills               Villa
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Meadows               Circle                                                                                                                   Average

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      33%
As seen over the last few quarters, demand for prime                                                             However, it is important to note that rental recovery
apartments in select districts has steadily increased,                                                           is not uniform across the market with most of
particularly in Palm Jumeirah, City Walk, a few high-                                                            apartment stock continuing to see rental contractions
end projects in Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai.                                                                 and absorption challenges – albeit the rate of rental
With limited supply in this niche segment, higher HNI                                                            declines is starting to decelerate. To further illustrate, 11
demand and flight to quality with a preference for                                                               out of the 12 apartment districts we track continue to                                                        16%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        15%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             14%                   14%                                                            14%
superior built and larger/open spaces, a few apartment                                                           see year-on-year rental contractions with apartments                                      13%
buildings are witnessing near full occupancy. However,                                                           in Palm Jumeirah being the only district to see a 12%
most of the mainstream and affordable apartment                                                                  rise. The weakest performing apartment districts are                                                                                                                                                                                       5%
market continues to be over-supplied with rents                                                                  the affordable areas of Discovery Gardens (-20%), Dubai                                                                            2%
and occupancies under pressure. This trend further                                                               Sports City (-12%) and Dubailand (-10%). With supply
reinforces the increasing segmentation in the                                                                    projections for this year and next year remaining high,
residential market. While the instance of rental rises                                                           we expect rents in sub-urban apartment districts to
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -7%
and low vacancy levels are being witnessed and widely                                                            remain under pressure.
talked about, it is limited to the villa market and a
few prime apartment districts. Furthermore, most                                                                 While Expo 2020 may see corrections in its pre-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -17%
rental rises are in the new-let villas as landlords have                                                         pandemic projections of 25 million visitors, it is
been able to list and rent villas at 5-25% higher rents,                                                         expected to draw a large portion of these projected
however, we haven’t witnessed similar levels of rental                                                           visitors from October 2021 until April 2022 and                                                                                                                                                                                                                         -25%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -28%               -28%
escalations in lease renewals, potentially due to RERA                                                           showcase the UAE on a global stage while creating                                                                                                                                                        -29%
rental regulations.                                                                                              thousands of direct and indirect jobs. We foresee an
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -33%
                                                                                                                 influx of jobs during this period in Dubai, especially                                                                                                                             -34%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          -37%
Villas in Palm Jumeirah have seen a soaring 33% rental                                                           within the travel, tourism, events and exhibition,
rise, largely due to limited availability and strong local                                                       technology, marketing and logistics sectors.
and new international demand for prime waterfront                                                                Furthermore, we expect a section of these international
properties. Other established villa areas such as The                                                            visitors to be attracted to the business, employment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Apartment Rents Q3 2020 vs. Q3 2021
Springs and The Meadows (16%) and The Lakes (15%)                                                                and social proposition that Dubai offers and look to
also performed well and the city-wide villa rental                                                               relocate to Dubai thus translating into increased rental
average was up by 14% year-on-year.                                                                              demand over the near term.                                                              Dubai       Dubailand           The              JLT          Business       Discovery       Dubai          Jumeirah          DIFC            Palm   Downtown City-Wide
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Sports                        Greens                            Bay          Gardens         Marina          Village                        Jumeirah   Dubai Apartment
                                                                                                                                                                                                          City                         and The                                                                         Circle                                           Average
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Views
                                                                               Dubai City-Wide Rental Trends                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          12%

                       120

                       100
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -1%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       -5%                              -4%                                              -4%                                                            -5%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         -7%                                          -7%
                       80
Rents in AED/ sq.ft.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      -10%                                                                                                            -10%
                                                                                                                                                                                                        -12%

                       60                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -19%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      -20%

                       40

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           -31%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              -32%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            -35%
                       20                                                                                                                                                                                                    -38%                                                                                                            -38%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             -39%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               -41%                                                                                                                           -40%

                        0
                                                                                                                                                                                                            -48%                                                                                                               -48%
                             Sep   Dec   Mar   Jun   Sep   Dec   Mar   Jun   Sep   Dec   Mar   Jun   Sep   Dec    Mar   Jun   Sep   Dec   Mar   Jun   Sep   Dec    Mar   Jun   Sep   Dec   Mar   Jun
                              14    14    15    15    15    15    16    16    16    16    17    17    17    17    18     18    18    18    19    19    19    19    20     20    20   20     21    21
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             -53%

                                                                                                     Dubai City-Wide Villa Rents                                  Dubai City-Wide Apartment Rents
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Year-on-Year % Change                    Change in Price Since Peak 2014
 Source: REIDIN, CORE Research                                                                                                                                                                         Source: CORE Research

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Commercial Market

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DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Q3 2021

  OFFICE MARKET SUPPLY                                                                                                                                                                                           OFFICE MARKET DEMAND

 Over 990,000 sq. ft. of total office space has been                                                                                                                                                             While new market entrants were limited pre-pandemic,                      market, the flight to quality trend that has been playing
 delivered YTD 2021. Major deliveries include the                                                                                                                                                                we have seen a sharp rise in first phase expansions                       out for a while now has resulted in the absorption of
 first phase of the Deira Enrichment Project by Ithra                                                                                                                                                            with nearly 40% of our office inquires coming from this                   most of the prime sub 5,000 sq. ft available office stock.
 and the first phase in the business cluster of Dubai                                                                                                                                                            segment. The remaining demand stems from existing                         With an undersupply in select size and superior build-
 CommerCity, both projects witnessing steady leasing                                                                                                                                                             occupiers who are either expanding or who had taken                       quality stock, some landlords are achieving higher
 activity from both existing occupiers in the vicinity                                                                                                                                                           a wait and see approach over the last 12-18 months and                    rentals than the area average for such well-appointed
 and new market entrants. Other smaller standalone                                                                                                                                                               now looking to relocate.                                                  units, particularly in the strata office districts such as
 or mixed-use projects include offices at Dubai Courts,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Business Bay and JLT.
 Al Fattan Downtown near City Walk and SOL Bay in                                                                                                                                                                Although the market is abuzz with smaller spatial
 Business Bay.                                                                                                                                                                                                   requirements, we are seeing limited movement above                        We foresee further polarisation in office market
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 the 15,000 sq. ft mark except in select prime office                      performance with an increasing under-supply in the
 There are no major office handovers scheduled for Q4                                                                                                                                                            buildings. Most major occupiers are continuing to stay                    fitted, furnished and superior maintained stock as
 2021. In 2022, over 1.34 million sq. ft. of office space is                                                                                                                                                     in existing premises, either due to competitive lease                     most of these units are being absorbed and becoming
 forecast including phases of large-scale projects such                                                                                                                                                          renewals executed over the last 18 months or because                      unavailable. On the other hand, we predict Grade B and
 as the first phase of the office portfolio in District 2020,                                                                                                                                                    they are currently operating under a hybrid model                         shell and core properties, unless repurposed and fitted,
 Uptown Tower (Uptown 2020) in JLT and the next                                                                                                                                                                  and are yet to take a call on their long-term expansion                   to continue facing challenges in attracting occupiers
 phases of Dubai CommerCity.                                                                                                                                                                                     and workplace strategy. We expect this segment                            and witnessing contraction in occupancy levels.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 of the market to mobilise from early 2022 as most
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 international occupiers are expected to return to the                     Furthermore, most of the migration of old Dubai
                                       Dubai Office Supply 2017 - 2023                                                                  Dubai Office Market in Numbers                                           office next year.                                                         occupiers to newer premises either in the immediate
                             2.50                                                                                                                       105.9 million sq. ft.                                                                                                              vicinity or to Sheikh Zayed Road and Business Bay
                                                                                                                                                            Total office stock
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 In terms of market performance, we are witnessing a                       has already taken place. As the rents stabilise and, in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 considerable amount of leasing activity since Q1 2021,                    many cases, increase and suitable options become
                             2.00
                                                                                                                                    34.3 million sq. ft.                          71.6 million sq. ft.           particularly in the 3,000 to 5,000 sq. ft. requirement                    unavailable, the value proposition of these new areas
                                                                                                                                    Grade A office stock                      Grade B & C office stock
                                                            2.31                                                                                                                                                 range. While there is an oversupply in the overall office                 would cease, making relocations more expensive.
  GLA in Million sq. ft.

                             1.50
                                    2.07

                             1.00                                       1.56                                                                                                                                                                                      Office Occupancy Q3 2020 vs. Q3 2021

                             0.50
                                               1.28
                                                                                 .99
                                                                                                  1.34
                                                                                                                                         17%                                          24%                                    100%                                                                                                                                18
                                                                                                             .91
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             90%                                                                                                                                 16
                                -
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             80%
                                    2017       2018         2019        2020E   2021          2022E        2023E                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 14
                                                                                                                                Average Grade A Office                            Grade B & C Office
                                                                                          Built          Expected                   Vacancy Levels                                 Vacancy Levels                            70%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 12

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         District GLA in Million sq. ft.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             60%
                                                                        Change in Average Office Rents Q3 2020 vs Q3 2021

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Occupancy
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 10
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             50%
                             250
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             40%
                             200
Rents in AED/sq. ft. /year

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             30%
                             150
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 4
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             20%
                             100
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              10%                                                                                                                                    2

                              50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              0%                                                                                                                                 0

                               0                                                                                                                                                                                                    Downtown   SZR*   D3   DIFC      DIC/   DAFZA    Barsha      JLT    Business    Bur    Deira         Garhoud       DHCC
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Dubai                          DMC/            Heights              Bay      Dubai
                                    Downtown   SZR (Trade    SZR (1st    D3      One              DIFC     DIC/     Barsha    DIP        JLT     Business      Bur        DAFZA      Deira   Garhoud     DHCC                                                         KV
                                      Dubai      Center      INTCHG             Central                    DMC/     Heights                        Bay        Dubai
                                                  to 1st      to 3rd                                        KV
                                                INTCHG      INTCHG)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Occupancy Q3 2020          Occupancy Q3 2021           District GLA in Million sq. ft.
                                                                                                                                                                      Average Q3 2020          Average Q3 2021
  Source: CORE Research                                                                                                                                                                                          Source: CORE Research

16 core-me.com/research                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              core-me.com/research 17
DUBAI MARKET UPDATE - CORE Research core-me.com/research
DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Q3 2021

OFFICE MARKET RENTS

Single-landlords and single-owned freezones have                                                                            Large strata districts such as Business Bay and JLT
mostly maintained headline rents over the last year and                                                                     are also witnessing a steady rise in occupancy levels
are not displaying the volatility in asking rents that the                                                                  due to an increase in market activity. Mirroring the
strata (multiple-ownership) market is now seeing.                                                                           rental market, the older Dubai districts of Bur Dubai,
The strata market is increasingly favouring landlords                                                                       Deira and Garhoud continue to see contractions in
after being tenant-friendly for years. In certain sub-                                                                      occupancy levels except for new-build properties such
markets where demand is exceeding supply, landlords,                                                                        as Dubai CommerCity and Deira Enrichment Project,
particularly for fitted units, are pushing for higher                                                                       which are seeing a robust take-up.
headline rentals with transactions being closed at

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 IN-FOCUS: UAE MOBILITY TRENDS
asking prices with fewer cheque payments

Most office distracts that we track have either seen
average year-on-year rents stabilise or witness a marked
uptick. Prominent asking rental rises were seen in DIFC
(13%), Downtown Dubai (16%), Sheikh Zayed Road (Trade
Center to 1st interchange, 6%), JLT (23%) and Business                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Grocery & Pharmacy
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   20%
Bay (15%) as most of the market activity is concentrated
in these areas. On the other hand, the older Dubai                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Residential
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Retail & Recreation
districts of Deira, Bur Dubai and Garhoud continue to                                                                                                                                                               0%

see rental declines.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Workplaces

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -20%                                                                                                                                                            Transit Stations
Occupancy levels and rental trends have largely moved                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Parks
hand in hand with newer DED areas and freezones
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -40%
witnessing stabilisation in occupancy levels or increases.
The sharpest rise in occupancy levels were witnessed
in DIFC with ICD Brookfield Place, Central Park Towers,                                                                                                                                                           -60%

Index Tower and Burj Daman seeing many new lease
executions. ICD Brookfield Place has particularly seen                                                                                                                                                            -80%
a high number of new leases executed in DIFC and
clearly shows the market appetite for prime office stock.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -100%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Feb 17, 2020                                     Aug 8, 2020                                       Feb 24, 2021                                    Sep 30, 2021

                                                                                                      Dubai Office Rents Q3 2021                                                                                 Source: Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Trends – Last updated 2 October 2021, 15:53 (London time), OurWorldInData.org/coronavirus

                                           600

                                           550
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ■ UAE’s retail and recreation activity is slightly above                                                       Change in Visitors by Category in UAE
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   pre-pandemic levels
                                           500                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Retail &        Grocery &       Public        Parks &        Workplace      Time spent
Annual asking rents in AED/sq. ft. /year

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Recreation       Pharmacy      Transport       Outdoor         Visitors       at home
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ■ We are visiting our grocery and pharmacy stores                                                                                Stations       Spaces
                                           450
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   nearly 32% more than we used to pre-pandemic.                                                                           32%
                                           400                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   29%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ■ Public transport is still 9% below pre-pandemic
                                           350
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   levels, however, it is expected to quickly catch up
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           5%                                                                          4%
                                           300                                                                                                                                                                     with the relaxation of Dubai Metro’s recent social
                                           250                                                                                                                                                                     distancing regulations                                                                                                                -9%                            -7%

                                           200                                                                                                                                                                   ■ Parks and outdoors space visitor activity is 25% down
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         -25%

                                           150
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   from pre-pandemic level, however, with the onset of
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    -36%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   winter months and a further relaxation of outdoor
                                           100
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   COVID-19 restrictions, we expect a quick revival                                                                                                              -53%
                                            50
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ■ Workplace visitor numbers have gradually improved                                                -65%

                                            0                                                                                                                                                                      over the last quarters with the current values just 7%                                                                         -79%
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -76%

                                                 Downtown
                                                   Dubai
                                                            SZR (Trade
                                                              Center
                                                                          SZR (1st
                                                                          INTCHG
                                                                                     D3    One
                                                                                          Central
                                                                                                    DIFC   DIC/
                                                                                                           DMC/
                                                                                                                  Barsha
                                                                                                                  Heights
                                                                                                                             DIP   JLT   Business
                                                                                                                                           Bay
                                                                                                                                                     Bur
                                                                                                                                                    Dubai
                                                                                                                                                                DAFZA      Deira   Garhoud   DHCC      Dubai
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Silicon     lower than pre-pandemic levels
                                                               to 1st      to 3rd                           KV                                                                                         Oasis                                                                                                                    Percentage change pre-pandemic levels* vs. April 2020 (the peak of
                                                             INTCHG      INTCHG)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                UAE mobility restrictions)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ■ The time spent at home in September has nearly
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Percentage change pre-pandemic* vs. September 2021
                                                                                                                                                            Rental range           Average rent AED / sq. ft.      equalled pre-pandemic levels with just a 4%
       Source: CORE Research
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.                                                      *Note: Pre-pandemic baseline days (the median value for the 5‑week period from January 3
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  to February 6, 2020)

18 core-me.com/research                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    core-me.com/research 19
DUBAI MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Q3 2021

Recent market leading research publications
                        CORE Research                       CORE Research                       CORE Research                                CORE Research
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                                                                                                                                                                                              Our extensive real estate databases are also utilised by
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                                                                                                                                                                                               reports based on client’s specific needs. Our team
                                                                                                                                                                                                 work closely with various real estate developers
                                                                                                                                                                                                    and investors across all asset classes and
                                                                              DUBAI                                            ABU                                                                    throughout the development process,
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