SPECIALISTS IN RAK REAL ESTATE
FAQ
Questions about property in Ras Al Khaimah
Straight answers on buying, renting, letting and living in RAK, including the risks. Every figure is dated and sourced.
Karolina Dean, Managing Director & Co-Founder
Updated October 2026
Buying ↓ 6 questions
Letting ↓ 3 questions
Costs and our fees ↓ 3 questions
The market and the risks ↓ 6 questions
Renting ↓ 4 questions
Living in RAK ↓ 9 questions
01 · BUYING
Buying a home in RAK
Can foreigners buy freehold property in RAK?
Yes, in RAK's freehold areas, which include Al Marjan Island, Al Hamra Village and Mina Al Arab. You own the home outright, with a title deed issued by RAK Municipality, and you don't need to live in the UAE to buy.
The full guide: Buying in RAK as a foreigner →
Which areas of RAK can foreigners buy in?
The three established areas are Al Marjan Island, Al Hamra Village and Mina Al Arab: beaches, marinas, schools nearby and an international community already living there.
Newer freehold areas are opening along the coast and inland, including Marjan Beach and RAK Central. If you like a project elsewhere, we confirm its freehold status before you go further.
EVERY OFF-PLAN SCHEME IN RAK, IN ONE REGISTER →
THE AREA GUIDES: AL MARJAN ISLAND → AL HAMRA VILLAGE → MINA AL ARAB → MARJAN BEACH → RAK CENTRAL →
What does property cost in RAK?
It depends on the area, the developer and the type of home. Apartments on Al Marjan Island average AED 1,160 per sq ft, the highest of the areas tracked. Villas average AED 927 per sq ft in Mina Al Arab and AED 818 in Al Hamra Village.
Prices move, so we give you current prices for the projects that fit your brief.
ValuStrat, Q2 2026
How does the buying process work?
Off-plan: you pay the reservation into the project's escrow account. The developer must sign the sale contract with you within 30 days, then register your purchase with RAK Municipality, and you pay in stages until handover. How escrow works → What the new law changes →
A finished home: an offer, a memorandum of understanding and usually a 10% deposit, then the transfer at RAK Municipality and the balance.
You don't need to be in RAK for most of it: a power of attorney can cover the registration.
RAK Law No. 10 of 2026
What is the real difference between buying off-plan and buying a ready property?
Off-plan, you buy from the developer before or during building, pay in stages and usually wait one to three years for the keys. Prices have risen during construction on several RAK projects, but nothing guarantees it, and a developer who has never finished a project is a real risk.
A finished home you can see before you buy, let at once, and its running costs are known. You pay more up front.
Most sales in RAK today are off-plan, and finished homes in the established areas are scarce. Which suits you depends on your timing, your cash and how much building risk you will take.
How does residency work and what does buying property have to do with it?
There are three main routes to UAE residency: a job with a UAE company, your own company (in RAKEZ, for example), or property.
Property worth AED 2m or more, off-plan or finished, may qualify you for the UAE Golden Visa, and several properties can be added together. Below that, buying alone doesn't give you residency. You apply from inside the UAE, and the authorities decide.
RAKEZ, Dec 2025; u.ae, Jul 2026
02 · COSTS AND OUR FEES
What it costs, and how we're paid
The costs on top of the price, and who pays us.
What transaction costs should I budget for on top of the purchase price?
The main one is RAK's 4% transfer fee. On a finished home, RAK's fee list puts 2% on the buyer and 2% on the seller; who actually pays is agreed in the sale. Add AED 200 for the title deed and AED 200 for the plan.
Off-plan, you pay all 4% as the registration fee when the developer registers your purchase, unless the developer offers to cover some of it. Off-plan you pay us nothing (below). If you buy a finished home through a broker, ask for their fee in writing first.
RAK Municipality
How is Dean Property paid?
Off-plan, the developer pays our fee, so you pay us nothing.
Renting: the tenant pays us 5% of a year's rent, plus VAT, when the tenancy contract is signed. Letting: the landlord pays 5% of a year's rent. Managing a home: 7% of the rent, minimum AED 500 a month.
Every fee is in the agreement you sign with us before we start.
Who pays when you act for both sides?
If we act for both the landlord and the tenant on the same home, both pay us, and both are told in writing, as RAK law requires.
Off-plan, the developer pays us, and you can see our commission agreement if you would like to.
RAK Law No. 6 of 2008; RAK Law No. 10 of 2026
03 · RENTING
Renting a home in RAK
Cheques, deposits, registration and notice.
How many cheques can I pay my rent in?
Usually four a year, agreed with the landlord. Fewer cheques can mean a lower rent. The cheques are post-dated, and a bounced cheque is a breach of the contract.
How much is the deposit?
No RAK law sets it. It is usually 5% of a year's rent, paid to the landlord and returned when you leave, less the cost of any damage. Our move-in photos protect you.
Is there Ejari in RAK?
No. Ejari is Dubai's system. In RAK the contract is registered with RAK Municipality on RAK Digital: AED 50, plus 5% of a year's rent (at least AED 200) spread over your Etihad WE bills. It takes two working days.
RAK Municipality
What notice do I give, and can the rent go up?
Under RAK Municipality's standard contract, either side says at least two months before the end whether it will renew, and you give three months' notice to leave early. The rent cannot rise until a year after your first contract ends.
RAK Municipality, standard tenancy contract
EVERY COST OF MOVING IN, WITH A WORKED EXAMPLE: RENTING IN RAK →
04 · LETTING
Letting your home
What management covers, and where the rent goes.
What does property management include?
Finding tenants and handling renewals, starting about 90 days before the lease ends; checking each rent payment reaches you, and chasing if it doesn't; repairs through licensed contractors, paid by you; and inspections at move-in, move-out and once a year, with a short note each time.
It costs 7% of the rent, minimum AED 500 a month, invoiced to you monthly.
Do you hold the rent or the deposit?
No, never. Rent and deposits go straight from the tenant to you, and you pay contractors directly. We check each payment reaches you.
Can I manage a RAK property remotely from Europe?
Yes, with a long-term tenant and someone on the ground. A 12-month tenancy gives a steady income and needs little from you, but UAE tenancy law protects tenants, and repairs and renewals need someone here.
That is what our management does. Budget for it from the start, with the service charge.
05 · THE MARKET AND THE RISKS
The market, and the risks
What could lift prices, and what could hold them back.
What does the Wynn resort actually mean for property values?
Wynn Al Marjan Island, a $5.7bn resort with the UAE's first casino, is due to open in September 2027. It has already lifted prices, put RAK in front of buyers who would not have looked before, and brings thousands of jobs that need homes.
The caution: prices closest to Wynn already reflect the opening, and buyers who came in during 2022 are in a very different position from buyers in 2026. We are not cautious about the resort; we are cautious about treating it as a guarantee of further gains at any price or in any place.
Wynn Resorts, Aug 2026
Around 25,600 new units are expected by 2030. Is oversupply a risk?
In some places, possibly. Cavendish Maxwell counts 25,600 new homes due by 2030, most in 2028 and 2029; CBRE counts more than 34,000 from 2026 to 2030. If people arrive more slowly than homes complete, rents and prices could fall around 2029.
On the other side: 8,500 new hotel rooms are planned by 2030, 19,000 new companies set up in RAKEZ in 2025, and RAK is aiming for 3.5 million visitors a year by 2030.
Our view: which home you buy matters more when supply is rising. A sea-front home in a well-run community will behave differently from an inland unit in an ordinary scheme.
Cavendish Maxwell, Jul 2026; CBRE, Sep 2026; RAKEZ, Feb 2026; RAKTDA, Jan 2026
How does the conflict in the Middle East affect property in RAK?
It does affect the market. The conflict involving Iran reached the UAE in February and March 2026, and Dubai's listed property shares fell about 21% in under two weeks. About half of Wynn's $600 million budget rise came from it.
Listed shares reprice at once; the price of a home moves more slowly, and the two are not the same thing. RAK is the northernmost emirate, but sentiment across the UAE is affected wherever trouble lands.
We are not telling clients to wait, and we are not pretending the risk isn't there. We are telling them to be more selective than a year ago. Our analysis, March 2026, updated October →
DFM Real Estate Index, Mar 2026; Wynn Resorts, Aug 2026
How liquid is the resale market — how easy is it to sell?
Less liquid than Dubai, and much less than the main European markets. Most sales in RAK are off-plan, there are fewer buyers for finished homes, and the market for one particular unit can be narrower than the headline figures suggest.
So hold for longer and choose carefully: a sea-front apartment in a well-run building with a record of letting finds a buyer faster than an inland unit in an ordinary scheme. We suggest holding for seven to ten years. If you plan to sell within three, look hard at the numbers first.
What are the main risks?
The developer: some RAK developers have not yet finished a project, and delays happen. Check what they have delivered.
Selling: the resale market is thin.
Service charges: buildings with many amenities can charge a lot, which cuts your net rent. Check the current charge before you buy.
Currency: the dirham is pegged to the US dollar, so your return in euros or pounds moves with the dollar.
Supply: 25,600 new homes are due by 2030. If they fill more slowly than planned, the price rises developers show may come later, or not at all.
None of these makes RAK a poor place to buy. Together, they make choosing the right home matter more.
Cavendish Maxwell, Jul 2026
How does RAK compare with Dubai as an investment?
RAK is cheaper to buy into, with a different risk. Coastal apartments cost less per sq ft than similar sea-front homes in Dubai. For RAK as a whole, REIDIN puts the gross yield on apartments at 2.99% (September 2026), and ValuStrat puts the average across apartments and villas at 5.3% (Q2 2026); ask us for further yield analysis. Neither RAK nor Dubai has income tax, capital gains tax or an annual property tax for individuals.
Dubai is the more liquid market: more buyers when you sell, a bigger rental market and a better-known name. Some buyers hold in both, Dubai for liquidity and RAK for the entry price and the income. What matters is what you want from it, and over what time.
06 · LIVING IN RAK
Living in RAK
Schools, the heat, the commute and day-to-day life.
How does RAK compare with Dubai as a place to live?
They suit different people. Dubai is a large, busy city with everything that comes with that. RAK is smaller, quieter and more open: more space for your money, the sea and the mountains close to home, and international schools that cost less.
Dubai has more jobs, a bigger social scene and better public transport, and it is 1 hour away: close enough for an evening, far enough to leave behind. Families who move here usually want a different pace; those expecting a smaller Dubai tend to be disappointed.
Is Ras Al Khaimah safe?
Yes. The UAE ranks among the safest countries in the world, and RAK is calmer still: children get about on their own, and evenings on the waterfront are unhurried. In 2024 InterNations ranked RAK first in the world for how easily expats settle in.
InterNations Expat Essentials Index, Nov 2024
What is the summer heat actually like and does it significantly affect daily life?
Yes, for about four months. From June to September it is regularly over 40°C and humid, and the middle of the day is spent indoors: most people are out early and in the evening.
October to April is the reward: around 18°C to 28°C, with the beaches and the mountains at their best. Many families spend part of the summer in Europe.
Can I live in RAK and commute to work in Dubai?
Many people do. Allow 60 to 90 minutes each way, depending on where you start and finish. Most of the traffic is through Sharjah, so leave before or after the peak. Road works to ease that stretch are under way, and Etihad Rail will link RAK with Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
What are the international schools like?
RAK has 21 private schools that teach a foreign curriculum: British, IB, American, SABIS, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino. Tuition runs from about AED 3,000 to AED 72,500 a year, as the schools publish it. The RAK Department of Knowledge rates each school and publishes its report.
We’ve placed two children in RAK schools. Our Schools in Ras Al Khaimah guide → sets out every school’s curriculum, fees, rating and drive times side by side.
RAK Department of Knowledge and the schools’ own fee lists, Oct 2026
What is healthcare like for residents?
RAK has private hospitals and clinics for most needs. In our experience a GP appointment is usually the same day or the next, and a specialist within days. Once your health insurance is active you register with your passport or Emirates ID.
For complex care, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are within reach.
What does it cost to live in RAK?
Less than Dubai, and much less than London or Amsterdam. Rents start from about AED 28,000 a year for a studio, AED 65,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and AED 120,000 for a three-bedroom villa.
Plan for housing, school fees, a car (public transport is limited) and health insurance. There is no income tax or capital gains tax.
Property Finder, Sep 2026
How straightforward is the practical setup — driving licence, banking, utilities?
Mostly quick. Many licences, the UK's and most EU countries' among them, exchange for a UAE licence without a test. Electricity and water come from Etihad WE, internet and mobile are reliable, and shops and deliveries run seven days a week.
The bank account takes longest: banks need your residence visa first, so allow three to four weeks from the visa.
Is there enough to do in RAK or is it too quiet?
It is quieter than Dubai: there's no Downtown and no big nightlife district. RAK has Jebel Jais and the Hajar Mountains, beaches and water sports along the coast, a growing list of resorts, and Dubai 1 hour away. With 8,500 new hotel rooms planned by 2030, that list is getting longer.
For families who want space, nature and community, RAK works well; if you need a city, it won't. Karolina has lived here since 2022: ask her.
CBRE, Sep 2026
