Calculators / Property
Net Rental Yield
Gross yield divides rent by price and stops there. It ignores the four to eight percent of the purchase price you spend on the day you buy, and it ignores every recurring cost that lands between the tenant paying and you banking. This calculator does not.
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Defaults are set to Dubai: 4 percent Dubai Land Department transfer fee, 2 percent agency commission plus 5 percent VAT on that commission, and a service charge quoted per square foot per year. Change any of them for another market. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Read the rule, the arithmetic and the honest list of where this breaks.
Open the playbookQuestions people ask
What is a good net rental yield?
In Dubai, gross yields of six to nine percent are common and net yields of four to six percent are realistic once the service charge, management, vacancy and acquisition costs are taken out. The gap between the two is usually two to three percentage points. If a listing quotes a yield without saying which one it is, assume gross.
Why does the calculator divide by more than the purchase price?
Because you spent more than the purchase price. The transfer fee, the commission, the VAT on the commission and the trustee fee are real money you will never see again. Dividing income by price alone flatters the return by roughly the size of those costs, which in Dubai is around six to seven percent.
How much should I assume for service charges?
Service charges are quoted per square foot per year and vary enormously by building, from around twelve dirhams in a simple mid-market tower to over thirty in a serviced or waterfront development. Get the actual figure from the owners association before you buy. It is the single most under-modelled cost in Dubai property.
What is break-even occupancy?
The share of the year the property must be let for the income to cover the running costs and any mortgage. Above it you are profitable, below it you are funding the asset from your salary. It is the number that tells you how much bad luck the deal can absorb.
Investments Playbook publishes educational research and general information. Nothing on this site is personal investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Property and securities can fall in value. Past performance does not predict future returns. Figures shown are indicative and may be delayed. Always take regulated professional advice before acting.
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