Commercial property in Dubai: buying and leasing

Commercial property in Dubai, offices, retail units and warehouses, runs on different rules to a residential flat: different Ejari registration, different service charge structures, different fit-out obligations, and often a different licensing requirement depending on where the unit sits. This guide covers what an owner or a tenant needs to know, and looks specifically at office leasing in Tecom, Barsha Heights and The Greens, three of the areas people search for by name.

Leasing a commercial unit: the practical differences from residential

Ejari for commercial. Every commercial tenancy in Dubai must be registered on Ejari, exactly as a residential one must be, through RERA's system. The difference is the documentation required: a commercial Ejari registration additionally needs a valid trade licence for the tenant business, and the registered activity on that licence generally needs to match what will operate from the unit. A landlord or agent will ask for the trade licence before registering the tenancy; without it, Ejari registration will not go through.

Typical lease terms. Commercial leases in Dubai are commonly written for 1 to 3 years, longer than the standard 1-year residential norm, sometimes with a renewal option built in. Rent is usually quoted per square foot per year rather than as a flat annual figure, which makes unit-to-unit comparisons easier once you know the size.

Fit-out. A commercial unit is typically handed over as shell and core or with a basic Cat A fit-out, and the tenant fits it out to their own specification (Cat B) at their own cost, unless otherwise agreed in the lease. Fit-out works generally require landlord or developer approval, a fit-out NOC, and Dubai Civil Defence sign-off before the space can be occupied, on top of any DEWA connection work. Build fit-out time and cost into your move-in timeline; it is rarely a same-week process.

Service charges on commercial space. Commercial service charges are typically higher per square foot than residential in the same building, reflecting heavier use of common areas, higher cooling loads and different maintenance obligations. They are set by the owners' association or master developer under Dubai's jointly owned property rules, the same framework that governs residential service charges, and are usually billed to the unit owner, who in turn may pass some or all of the cost to the tenant depending on what the lease says. Always confirm in the lease whether service charges sit with the landlord or the tenant, and at what rate, before you sign.

Utilities. DEWA connection for a commercial unit is a separate account and process to residential, and larger units, particularly warehouses and industrial space, may need a higher-capacity power connection arranged in advance with DEWA, which can take longer than a standard residential hookup.

Buying commercial property

Foreign nationals can buy commercial property under the same freehold framework that applies to residential, in areas designated freehold by DLD; the mechanics of transfer, Form F, DLD fees and the trustee appointment broadly follow the residential process. What differs is the yield profile and the tenant risk: commercial leases run longer, but a vacant commercial unit can sit empty for longer between tenants than a residential one, and buyers should factor that into their return expectations rather than assuming residential-style occupancy.

Where to lease office space: Tecom, Barsha Heights, The Greens

Tecom (Dubai Internet City / Dubai Media City area). Tecom is Dubai's original tech and media free zone cluster, and it remains one of the most established addresses for office tenants, particularly in media, technology and professional services. Buildings here range from large corporate towers to smaller business centre floors offering serviced and co-working desks, which is why "business centre in Tecom" is such a common search: tenants wanting a flexible, smaller footprint without committing to a full floor. Office stock is a mix of free-zone licensed space (tied to Dubai Internet City / Dubai Media City licensing) and open, non-free-zone buildings in the wider Tecom district, so confirm which licensing regime applies to the specific building before you commit, since it affects what business activity you can legally run from it.

Barsha Heights (formerly Tecom). Sitting just south, Barsha Heights is a denser, more mixed commercial and residential district with a large stock of mid-rise office and retail space, generally at a lower rate per square foot than the newer towers closer to Sheikh Zayed Road. It suits tenants who want proximity to the same business cluster without free-zone licensing requirements, since most Barsha Heights buildings sit outside the free zone and allow mainland-licensed businesses to operate directly.

The Greens. Primarily known as a residential villa and low-rise apartment community, The Greens also has a smaller stock of low-rise office space, generally suited to smaller businesses and boutique operators wanting a quieter, greener setting close to Sheikh Zayed Road and Dubai Marina, rather than a large corporate footprint. Parking is typically easier here than in the denser Tecom towers, and the building types are lower rise, which appeals to tenants who want a less corporate, more standalone office presence.

Across all three, access to Sheikh Zayed Road and the Dubai Metro (Internet City, Nakheel and Sharaf DG stations serve the wider area) is a genuine advantage over office clusters further from the main corridor, and it is one of the reasons this cluster keeps attracting relocating and expanding businesses.

Retail and warehouse space: what differs again from office

Retail units carry their own considerations beyond the general commercial rules above: footfall and frontage matter as much as the fit-out condition, and many retail leases in busier malls or community centres include a turnover rent component on top of the base rent, calculated as a percentage of the tenant's sales, which is worth understanding fully before you sign, since it changes your actual cost as your business grows. Warehouse and logistics space, concentrated in areas like Dubai Investments Park, Jebel Ali and Dubai South, involves different practical questions again: loading bay access, ceiling height, floor load capacity, and power supply for any industrial equipment, all of which should be confirmed against your specific operational needs before committing, not assumed from a general description of "warehouse space".

Free zone vs mainland: why it changes what you can lease

Dubai's free zones, including the Tecom free zone covering Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City, offer benefits like 100% foreign ownership of the operating company and, historically, different tax treatment, in exchange for the business being licensed to operate within that free zone specifically. A free-zone licensed business generally needs to lease space inside that free zone's own buildings; it cannot simply lease a mainland office and expect to operate under a free-zone licence from it. Mainland-licensed businesses have more geographic flexibility in where they can lease, but do not get the free-zone company structure benefits. This distinction drives a lot of the difference between areas like Tecom and Barsha Heights, covered in more detail in our dedicated guide to office space across Tecom, Barsha Heights and The Greens.

Questions to ask before you sign a commercial lease or purchase

• Is the unit inside a free zone, and does that match the licence the business will operate on?
• What fit-out condition is the unit handed over in, and who pays for works beyond that?
• What is the current service charge rate, and who is responsible for paying it, landlord or tenant?
• Is the trade licence ready, or ready enough, to register Ejari without delay?
• For a purchase, what has the vacancy history on this unit or building been, not just the advertised yield?

The bottom line

Commercial leasing and ownership in Dubai follow the same broad legal framework as residential, DLD registration, Ejari, RERA-governed service charges, but the details differ enough to catch out anyone assuming it works the same way. Confirm licensing zone, fit-out responsibility and service charge allocation before you sign anything, and treat Tecom, Barsha Heights and The Greens as genuinely different propositions even though they sit close together on the map.

Rules on free-zone licensing, fit-out approvals and service charges are set by the relevant free zone authority, Dubai Civil Defence, DEWA and the building's owners' association, and can vary by building. Confirm the specifics for any unit before committing.