Elie Saab Residences, Emaar Beachfront

A freehold apartment in Grand Bleu Tower, with the title deed registered in your name at the Dubai Land Department. Dubai allows people who are not UAE or GCC nationals to own freehold in the areas designated for it, under Regulation No. 3 of 2006. What transfers is the title to the apartment itself, your share of the common parts, and the right to use the building's facilities. Usufruct and leasehold rights of up to 99 years are the other routes open to non-nationals in Dubai. The designation covering this plot, and the exact unit, are confirmed for the specific residence before you commit.

Owner use all year. There is no fixed week to schedule and no cap on nights, because you hold the apartment outright rather than a share of it. Owners who want to let the residence while they are away can do so short term under Dubai's holiday home permit regime, or on a longer tenancy registered with the Dubai Land Department. The permit route, the building's house rules and any restriction the owner association places on letting are confirmed for the specific residence before you commit, subject to availability.

A service charge is payable each year to the owner association, assessed on the floor area of the apartment. The Dubai Land Department runs a service charge index that records the rate approved for each project, so the figure can be checked against the register rather than taken on trust. The rate for Grand Bleu Tower is confirmed for the specific residence before you commit. The UAE does not tax the personal earnings of individuals. How your own country treats the property is a question for your own adviser.

Grand Bleu Tower sits on its own stretch of sand, with the pool deck, the garden rooms and the children's water play set between the tower and the beach. The marina, the yacht club and the shops at Emaar Beachfront are a walk away rather than a drive. Inside, the finishes and the joinery were specified by Elie Saab. The list below sets out what is on site and what comes with the apartment.

Grand Bleu Tower is an Emaar building at Emaar Beachfront carrying interiors by Elie Saab, which Emaar describes as the first Elie Saab designer building anywhere. The design takes its cue from the Art Deco district in Miami, with graphic lines and heavy finishes. The mix runs from one, two and three bedroom apartments up to four bedroom penthouses, whose interiors Elie Saab designed. Apartments start at 1,051 sq ft, about 98 sq m. The floor count, the number of apartments, the architect of record and the handover date are confirmed before you commit.

Emaar Beachfront is a peninsula development at Dubai Harbour, planned for 27 towers and more than 10,000 residences, with 1.5 km of shoreline and a retail mall of 13,000 sq m. Dubai Harbour itself holds two marinas and a cruise terminal. Dubai Marina is a minute away, Downtown Dubai about 15 minutes, and Dubai International Airport about 20 minutes. Al Maktoum International is about 45 minutes. The drive times are Emaar's own figures.

The sale is registered at the Dubai Land Department and the process is short. In a freehold area the developer issues a no objection certificate, which the buyer obtains through the Dubai REST app. Both sides then attend a registration trustee with an Emirates ID, or a passport if you are not resident. Registration costs 2% of the sale value from the buyer and 2% from the seller, plus AED 250 for the title deed and a trustee fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT on any sale of AED 500,000 or more. The department quotes 25 minutes for the transaction itself.

Avory deals with Emaar's sales office for the residences the developer still holds, and with owners and their agents for resale. After you enquire we confirm the unit, its floor area, its service charge and the title position, then arrange a viewing in Dubai or a walk through by video. We can introduce a conveyancer and a registration trustee. We hold no stock of our own, and owner stays are subject to availability. Request access.