Off-Plan Projects in Dubai Silicon Oasis

Projects on this page include The Hillgate by Ellington Properties, Timez by Danube Properties, Empire Lake Views by Empire Developments, Oasis Lofts by Uniestate Properties, Belle Vie by Zimaya Properties and Linden Residences by BlackSoil Real Estate Development. 7 Seasons by Dugasta and Coventry 2 by GFS Developments are also listed. Finish and running costs differ from tower to tower, so compare buildings one by one.

Studios and apartments. Every project on this page is an apartment building. Ellington lists studios and one, two, three and four bedroom homes at The Hillgate, including two bedroom plus study layouts and three bedroom duplexes, which are the largest apartment types a developer names on this list. Timez units run from 626 to 3,169 sq ft. If you want a luxury studio or a penthouse, ask each developer for its floor plans and the floor the unit sits on.

Villas and townhouses. None of the current off-plan projects in DSO is a villa or townhouse. DSO's houses are in two finished communities. Semmer Villas has 560 four bedroom villas of 3,100 sq ft, and Cedre Villas is a gated community of 1,207 villas built by Arabtec, with three to five bedrooms in luxury, executive, twin and town house types. If you searched for a ready to move villa in Dubai Silicon Oasis, these existing homes are where to look.

DSO describes itself as an integrated free zone technology park of about 7 sq km where people both live and work. It was established by Law No. 16 of 2005, many people still call it DSOA after the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, and today it operates under the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, formed in 2021. It is home to the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Campus (Dtec) and the Rochester Institute of Technology. DSO counts more than 100,000 residents and entrepreneurs, with tower apartments, two villa communities, student housing, schools, clinics, parks and shops inside its boundary.

DSO is in eastern Dubai, where Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) meets Dubai Al Ain Road (E66). There is no metro station in the community today. The Dubai Metro Blue Line, which the RTA is now building, runs from International City towards Dubai Silicon Oasis and on to Academic City, with its opening planned for 2029. Until then, most residents rely on a car, so plan your commute on the RTA journey planner from the exact building. If you are also weighing off-plan apartments near Dubai Silicon Oasis, International City sits on the same planned Blue Line route.

Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, a developer who wants to sell homes off-plan must apply to the Dubai Land Department to open an escrow account for the project, buyers' payments are deposited into that account, and the money is reserved for building that project alone. Law No. 13 of 2008 set up the Interim Property Register, and a sale of an off-plan unit is void unless it is entered in it. The Dubai Land Department runs this register through its Oqood system. In practice:

1. Pay only into the escrow account. The account details belong in your sale contract. Do not send money to any other account.
2. Get the sale registered. Ask for proof that your contract has been entered in the Interim Property Register before you treat the purchase as done.
3. Check the developer. Several developers on this list are smaller firms, so visit buildings each one has already handed over in Dubai and read our guide on how to check a developer before buying off-plan.
4. Look up the service charges. The Dubai Land Department Service Charge Index shows the approved service fees for a project by year, on its website and the Dubai REST app. A new tower may have no approved figure yet, so ask the developer for its estimate in writing.

One more protection is worth knowing: once the completion certificate is issued, the law requires the escrow agent to hold back 5% of the account, and that sum is only released to the developer one year after the homes are registered in the buyers' names.

Off-plan gives you a new building and stage payments during construction, with a wait until the handover date in your contract. A finished apartment, or a villa in Semmer or Cedre, lets you see the exact home, check the service charge history and move in straight away. There is no single best off-plan project in DSO: the right one depends on the unit size you need, the developer's record and the building's running costs. See our Dubai Silicon Oasis area guide for daily life.