How Much Mortgage Can I Get in the UAE? Salary, Deposit and Debt Limits

Every UAE bank answers the question in the same two steps. First, how much can you afford to repay each month? Second, how much of the property’s price is the bank allowed to lend? Your mortgage is the lower of the two answers.

Most people only think about the second step, the deposit. In practice the first step is the one that decides the figure for most salaried buyers, and it is the one you can do something about before you apply.

Step one: the 50% debt limit

UAE Central Bank rules cap your total monthly debt repayments at 50% of your monthly income. That is every repayment, not just the new mortgage: car loans, personal loans and credit cards all come out of the same half of your salary.

• Loan repayments count at their actual monthly amount.
• Credit cards count even when you clear them in full every month. Most banks treat around 5% of each card’s limit as a monthly commitment, whatever the balance.
• Income is what the bank can verify: the salary on your salary certificate and bank statements, and only part of any allowances, commission or bonus.

Step two: how much of the price the bank can lend

The Central Bank also caps the loan as a share of the property’s value. For a first home that is already built:

• Expat residents: up to 80% for a property up to AED 5 million, and 70% above that. A deposit of at least 20% or 30%.
• UAE nationals: up to 85% up to AED 5 million, and 75% above. A deposit of at least 15% or 25%.
• Second and investment properties: lower limits, so a larger deposit.
• Off-plan property: generally no more than 50% until the building is complete.
• Non-residents: lenders set their own limits, commonly asking for 35% to 50% down.

A worked example

An expat resident earns AED 30,000 a month and has a car loan of AED 2,000 a month and one credit card with an AED 20,000 limit.

1. Half of the salary is AED 15,000, the most that can go on debt each month.
2. The car loan takes AED 2,000 and the card about AED 1,000, leaving AED 12,000 for the mortgage.
3. At 4.5% over 25 years, AED 12,000 a month repays a loan of roughly AED 2.16 million.
4. At 80% loan to value, that loan supports a property of about AED 2.7 million, with a deposit of about AED 540,000.

Without the car loan and the card, the same salary supports a loan of about AED 2.7 million. That is the difference the first step makes. Banks also test your repayments at a higher rate than the one they offer you, to check you could still pay if rates rise, so treat any figure worked out this way as a ceiling, not a promise.

What else limits the amount

• Age: most banks want the mortgage repaid by 65 if you are salaried, or around 70 if you are self-employed, so the term shortens as you get older.
• Term: 25 years is the maximum. A shorter term raises the monthly payment and lowers what you can borrow.
• Minimum salary: each bank sets its own, and it varies more between banks than most people expect.
• Employer and job: banks lend more readily to employees of companies on their approved list, and usually want to see that you have passed probation.
• Credit report: missed payments on your AECB report reduce the offer or end the application.

The cash you need on top of the deposit

Since February 2025, the purchase costs cannot be added to the mortgage, so you need them in cash alongside the deposit. In Dubai they normally include:

• Dubai Land Department transfer fee of 4% of the price, plus an admin fee.
• Mortgage registration fee of 0.25% of the loan, plus an admin fee.
• Agent commission, normally 2% of the price plus VAT.
• Bank arrangement fee, often up to 1% of the loan, and a valuation fee of a few thousand dirhams.

As a rough guide, budget 7% to 8% of the price for costs, in addition to the deposit. On an AED 2 million property with 20% down, that is about AED 550,000 in cash in total.

Before you start viewing

1. List every monthly repayment and every credit card limit you have.
2. Close or reduce cards you do not use.
3. Work out your borrowing ceiling and your total cash requirement.
4. Get a pre-approval, so you can make an offer knowing what a bank will lend.

Our mortgage calculator runs the numbers for a property price and deposit. To find out what banks will actually offer you, we compare lenders against your salary, commitments and residency, and handle the application through to the keys.