How much you can borrow comes down to two limits

The two limits that bind

Two separate ceilings apply to every Dubai mortgage, and whichever is lower decides the outcome. The first is 50% of your monthly income after existing commitments: the maximum repayment a lender will count. The second is the loan-to-value cap set by your residency lane. A high income does not override a low LTV cap, and a large down payment does not override the debt-burden limit.

The stress test and the term

Lenders test whether repayments still fit within 50% if the rate rose to EIBOR + 0.5%, not at today's headline rate. The term matters too: the maximum is 25 years, and it shortens if that would carry the loan past a lender's maximum age at maturity. The calculator on this page runs both checks against your numbers: the result is the number, not a paragraph explaining it.

What counts as income

Banks count base salary reliably; allowances, bonuses, and commission are typically included at a discount or averaged over recent months. Rental income from other property and self-employed profit are both usable but need more documentation to be accepted at face value. Exactly how much of each a lender counts varies bank to bank.

The rules, with their sources

Does bonus or commission income count toward what I can borrow?

Usually, but not at full face value. Lenders typically average it over recent periods and apply a discount before adding it to base salary for the 50% calculation. A broker can tell you how a specific bank treats your pay structure.

Does an existing mortgage in my home country reduce what I can borrow here?

Yes. It counts as an existing monthly commitment, which reduces the room left under the 50% limit for a new Dubai mortgage repayment.

Is there a minimum salary to qualify?

Each bank sets its own minimum, and they vary. The rule that applies everywhere is 50%: if your income after commitments cannot support a viable repayment within that limit, the minimum salary question does not arise.

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