Guides & Insights
Clear answers to your UAE mortgage questions
Buying a home in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE shouldn't feel like decoding a contract. Our guides break it all down in plain English, written by brokers who do this every day.
Everything you need to buy with confidence
Mortgages in the UAE come with their own rules, their own jargon and their own surprises. We've turned years of broker experience into clear, honest guides so you can make decisions without the guesswork.
Use the filters below to jump straight to your situation, whether you're a first-time buyer, an overseas investor, or a resident looking to refinance and lower your monthly payments. Every guide is reviewed by our team and updated as the market moves.
No fee to you. The bank pays us when your mortgage completes, so the advice in these guides is the same advice we'd give you face to face.
- Filter by topic: First-time buyers, Non-residents, Refinancing, Islamic finance, Costs & fees, Credit (AECB)
- Written in plain English, no hidden product pitches
- Reviewed by our brokers and updated as rates and rules change
Featured: Monthly UAE Mortgage Rates Tracker
Rates move, and a small difference can mean thousands of dirhams over the life of your loan. Each month we publish indicative mortgage rates from across the market so you can see where things stand before you speak to a bank.
These are indicative starting rates and the rate you're offered depends on your profile, the property and the lender's criteria on the day.
This month's indicative rates
- 3-year fixed: from 3.99% (indicative)
- 5-year fixed: from 4.19% (indicative)
- Variable: from 4.8% (indicative)
We track rates across 19+ UAE banks and lenders, including Emirates NBD, Mashreq, ADCB, Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Commercial Bank of Dubai and RAKBANK. We don't favour any single bank. We compare the whole market and recommend what genuinely fits you.
Browse by topic
Six core clusters cover the questions we hear most often. Start with the one that matches where you are right now.
- First-time buyers — How UAE mortgages work, deposit and salary requirements, the step-by-step buying journey, and pre-approval explained.
- Non-residents & overseas buyers — Buying from abroad, who can borrow, deposit expectations for non-residents (indicative), and the documents you'll need.
- Refinancing — When it pays to switch, how a buyout works, early settlement fees, and what you can realistically save.
Warning: You may have to pay penalties if you pay off your financing early.
تحذير: قد تضطر إلى دفع غرامات في حال قمت بسداد التمويل مبكرًا.
- Islamic finance — How Sharia-compliant home finance works (Ijara, Murabaha and diminishing Musharaka), and how it compares to a conventional mortgage.
- Costs & fees — The true cost of buying: DLD fees, agency commission, bank arrangement fees, valuation and the smaller charges people forget.
- Credit (AECB) — What your AECB credit score means, how lenders read it, and practical steps to strengthen your profile before you apply.
Latest guides
Our most-read and most-recent articles. Each one is a self-contained read with clear next steps, so you never finish a guide wondering what to do next.
First-time buyers
- How a UAE mortgage actually works: a beginner's guide
- How much deposit do you really need to buy in Dubai? (indicative figures inside)
- Pre-approval vs final offer: what's the difference and why it matters
Non-residents
- Can I get a UAE mortgage if I live abroad? A practical checklist
- Non-resident deposits and what banks look for (indicative)
- Buying Dubai property from overseas: the full step-by-step
Refinancing
- Is it worth refinancing your UAE mortgage right now?
- Mortgage buyouts explained: process, timeline and fees
- Early settlement charges: what to check before you switch
Warning: You may have to pay penalties if you pay off your financing early.
تحذير: قد تضطر إلى دفع غرامات في حال قمت بسداد التمويل مبكرًا.
Islamic finance
- Ijara, Murabaha and Musharaka: Islamic home finance made simple
- Islamic vs conventional mortgages: which is right for you?
Costs & fees
- The real cost of buying a home in the UAE, line by line
- DLD and registration fees explained (indicative)
Credit (AECB)
- Your AECB score and your mortgage: what lenders see
- Five practical ways to strengthen your credit before applying
Download the free UAE Mortgage Handbook
Want it all in one place? Our free handbook walks you through the entire journey, from working out your budget to getting the keys. It covers eligibility, deposits, the document checklist, the full cost breakdown and the questions to ask any broker.
No cost, no obligation. Just the clear, practical guidance we'd give a friend buying their first home in the UAE.
Enter your email and we'll send the PDF straight to your inbox.
- Step-by-step buying journey from budget to handover
- Eligibility and deposit explained, with indicative figures
- Complete document checklist
- Full cost and fee breakdown
- Questions to ask before you commit to any lender
Ready to move from reading to doing?
Guides are a great start. The fastest way to real numbers is our 2-minute eligibility check. It tells you roughly what you could borrow and which lenders are likely to say yes, with no impact on your credit and no obligation.
Prefer to talk it through? Book a free consultation and one of our brokers will answer your questions, no pressure and no fee to you.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Are these guides specific to the UAE?
Yes. Every guide is written for buyers in Dubai and across the UAE, covering the rules, fees and lender criteria that apply here rather than generic mortgage advice from elsewhere.
How often is the rates tracker updated?
We refresh our indicative rates monthly. They're a starting point for comparison. The rate you're actually offered depends on your profile, the property and each lender's criteria on the day.
Do the guides cover non-residents and overseas buyers?
They do. We have a dedicated cluster for non-residents and overseas buyers, including who can borrow, indicative deposit expectations and the documents banks typically ask for.
Is the handbook really free?
Yes. The handbook is free and there's no obligation. We share the same practical guidance we'd give you in person. We're paid by the lender when your mortgage completes, never by you.
What's the difference between reading a guide and getting advice?
Guides help you understand the landscape. Personalised advice looks at your specific situation across 19+ UAE banks and lenders. Start with the 2-minute eligibility check or book a free consultation when you're ready.
Turn the guidance into your mortgage
Check your eligibility in 2 minutes, or speak to a broker for free. The bank pays us when your mortgage completes, so there's never a fee to you.