Dubai office sale prices rose 25.9% in 2025, while rents climbed 22.9%, as occupancy tightened across the city, according to Cavendish Maxwell’s latest report (pdf).

Sales volume also rose 53.6%, with transactions climbing to roughly 4.6k units — the strongest year since 2014 — while total transaction value more than doubled to AED 13.1 bn.

Demand is still skyrocketing — and supply barely showed up: Dubai attracted 373 new international firms in 2025, reinforcing occupier pressure as offices continue to face a structural squeeze. This came as just 87k sqm of the projected 224k sqm pipeline materialized, marking a 39% delivery rate that kept stock growth at 0.9% and landlords firmly in control.

Capital rotation was highest in off-plan sales: Transactions jumped to 1.4k in 2025 from 177 in 2024, a 697% jump, with off-plan value leaping to AED 4.6 bn from AED 700 mn. Ready offices weren’t idle either — transaction value rose 46.2%, with the average ticket climbing to AED 2.7 mn from AED 2.1 mn, suggesting buyers weren’t just active, but underwriting the next cycle.

Zooming out

The supply crunch has triggered expansions everywhere, including DIFC and Dubai Silicon Oasis. DIFC is undergoing not one, but two phases of expansion: the first is set to boost office space by 600k sq ft, and the second, AED 100 bn phase is set to accommodate 42k companies and 125k workers. This comes as occupancy rates have hit 99.8% in the financial hub. Meanwhile, Dubai Silicon Oasis is set to see a AED 12.8 bn expansion aimed at accommodating an influx of AI, web3, and smart mobility firms.

Zooming out

even further…

Offices aren’t alone: Cavendish Maxwell Research Manager Ali Siddiqui has previously told us retail occupancy is hovering near 98% at major malls, while warehouse rents are up 16.8%, as leases increasingly skew toward renewals over relocations. The pattern is hard to miss — supply constraints are calcifying into pricing power across asset classes.

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