45% of UAE Renters Weigh Buying as Ownership Appeal Grows

A 45% share of UAE renters has considered buying a home, according to a market sentiment survey run by Bayut and dubizzle, and the economics behind that hesitation are now clearly mapped. Drawing on more than 2,000 completed responses across the two platforms, the survey splits that group into two distinct financial profiles: 18% are actively comparing purchase options, while 26% would move once they have saved for the downpayment and the initial costs that come with it.

For platforms, agents and lenders, the findings describe a sizeable pool of demand that is already formed but gated by affordability, financing and unclear total costs of ownership. Fibha Ahmed, VP of Property Sales at Bayut and dubizzle, framed the commercial opportunity directly. “Property journeys do not always fit into fixed categories. A renter today may already be planning to buy, while another may want to take that step but needs a clearer and more achievable path to ownership,” she said, adding that the interest is closely tied to people building a longer-term life in the UAE, which creates a role for platforms and agents to offer transparent pricing, trusted market context and practical guidance on the true cost of buying.

The motivations among those actively comparing purchases point to long-horizon financial calculus rather than short-term market timing. Of this group, 52% cited a desire to remain in the UAE for the long term, and 34% said mortgage and rental payments now appeared comparable. That convergence between monthly rent and mortgage servicing is the kind of signal that typically reshapes household balance-sheet decisions, and the survey suggests it is doing so here.

Meanwhile, the rental side of the market remains under immediate time pressure, which matters for how quickly any of this demand converts. Nearly half of renters, 47%, said they needed to move or renew a tenancy within one month, rising to 71% within three months. Expectations on pricing, however, are broadly settled: 50% expect rents to hold steady over the next 12 months, with 25% expecting an increase and 25% a decrease. The urgency, in other words, is driven by immediate housing needs rather than a shared view on where rents are heading.

Among renters searching for a new home, priorities were almost evenly split. Around 32% wanted to upgrade to a larger or better property, 31% were seeking a more affordable home, and 26% wanted a similar type of property. The market is therefore serving households seeking more space and those reassessing budgets at the same time.

On the buyer side, sentiment leans positive. Around 46% of prospective buyers expect property prices to rise over the next 12 months, against 35% expecting stability and 20% anticipating a decline. Confidence extends over a longer horizon too, with 60% describing themselves as very confident or cautiously optimistic about the market over the next five years. Demand appears anchored in personal housing needs: 72% of prospective buyers intend to purchase for personal use, and attractive property prices alongside the need for a home for personal or family reasons were the two most frequently selected motivations.

Much of that demand, though, remains early-stage. Nearly half of buyers, 49%, said they were still researching online, a stage at which timely advice, relevant property recommendations and clear pricing and community information shape whether interest becomes a transaction.

The survey also asked what would give market participants greater confidence to decide. Half wanted a better understanding of market trends, 40% selected greater price transparency, 34% pointed to recent transaction data, and 26% said more reliable guidance from agents would help. For real estate professionals, the results point to an opportunity to build longer-term relationships with rental clients: a rental enquiry may be an immediate housing requirement, but it can also mark the start of a future purchase, and addressing affordability questions, explaining financing options and providing transparent market evidence can clarify when buying becomes realistic.

The UAE Market Sentiment Survey collected 2,014 completed responses from Bayut and dubizzle users through 23 September 2026. Rental sentiment findings are based on approximately 669 renters, and the question on motivations of renters actively comparing purchase options had a base of 122 respondents. The survey reflects the views of participating platform users and is not a nationally representative poll of the UAE population; percentages may vary slightly due to rounding, and some questions allowed multiple answers. Whether the 26% waiting on downpayment savings convert into buyers over the coming year may be the clearest test of whether affordability or confidence is the real gate on this market.