Reports from Dubai reveal that developers have begun work on new real estate projects comprising 19,500 residential units, while JLL estimates that only 221 of these meet the needs of middle-income earners, and CBRE estimates that approximately 70,000 new residential units will be completed in Dubai by the end of 2018—more than double the number completed in 2013-2014, but this is less than the record set in 2007-2008, which reached 90,000 residential units.

In the same context, Matt Green, Head of Research at CBRE Middle East, said 'These units are not being completed at a rapid pace, and that is why we are seeing a significant negative impact on the rental market '.

The shortage of housing units suitable for low-income earners has led to rising rents and caused large numbers of tenants to flee to the outskirts of the city to live in less glamorous and luxurious homes and neighborhoods, far from their workplaces, or to the emirate of Sharjah , where housing costs are more affordable.

Dubai’s real estate market has experienced fluctuations over the past ten years, shifting from a boom to a slump, followed once again by a boom. Property prices and rents have stabilized over the past year but remain 50% higher than their levels two years ago, according to Cluttons estimates, and are expected to rise again by 2017 as Dubai prepares to host Expo 2020.