Art Bay Al Jaddaf Dubai

Art Bay is a joint project of Ellington Properties and Dutco Group on the Dubai Creek shore at the Jaddaf Waterfront, beside the Jameel Arts Centre. It is two mid-rise buildings, Art Bay East and Art Bay West, of 11 to 12 storeys, with studios and one to three-bedroom apartments from about 430 to 2,459 sq ft including balconies. The developer's minimum in Q2 2024 was AED 1,800,000 (about Rs 4.64 crore), and the plan is 20/50/30.

The handover date is the thing to pin down. Most project pages print Q3 2026, which ends this month, one prints December 2026 and another Q4 2027, and none confirms completion. Art Bay is also a small project by Al Jaddaf standards: Art Bay East has 99 homes, while the district's newer towers run to several hundred.

At a glance

Price and unit pricing

We print AED 1,800,000 as the starting price because it is the developer's minimum on the most detailed source, dated Q2 2024, and the one-bedroom figure of AED 1,814,828 sits right on it. The AED 1.05 million studio quote comes from one broker. With only 8 studios in Art Bay East, those were likely the first units to go; if a studio is still on offer, get it on Ellington's price list before counting on it.

Against the district, Art Bay is expensive. Bayut's studio asks in Al Jaddaf run from AED 498,000 to AED 1,368,639, averaging about AED 739,561 over six months, and district guides put rates at roughly AED 1,200 to 1,900 per sq ft. A studio at AED 1.05 million on 450 sq ft is about AED 2,333 per sq ft, above that band. What the premium buys is the Creek frontage, a smaller building and Ellington's finish.

Payment plan and total cost

20% on booking, 50% during construction, 30% at handover. Worked on AED 1,800,000:

On a building this close to its earliest date, the 50% construction slice is not spread over years. Instalments follow build milestones, and those already reached fall due at or soon after booking, so a late buyer may owe most of the 70% within months. Ask for the milestone schedule and what has already been called before you pay.

No service charge is published for Art Bay. The nearest published figure in the district is Binghatti Creek at about AED 15.36 per sq ft a year; a smaller, amenity-rich Ellington building may cost more to run. On a 450 sq ft studio that benchmark is about AED 6,900 a year. Get Ellington's estimate in writing.

Location and connectivity

Al Jaddaf sits on the south bank of Dubai Creek between Dubai Healthcare City and Ras Al Khor, with Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Khail Road at its edges. Art Bay is on the Jaddaf Waterfront, the Creek-front strip that Bayut calls Culture Village, beside the Jameel Arts Centre and across from Palazzo Versace. Units face the Creek, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai Festival City.

District guides put Downtown Dubai about 10 minutes away off-peak, DIFC and Business Bay 10 to 12, and Dubai International Airport about 12. Al Jadaf Metro on the Green Line is inside the district, which most mid-market Dubai communities do not have. The waterfront is still filling in, so expect construction nearby for a few more years.

Two other Al Jaddaf projects in our current set make useful comparisons: Binghatti Moonlight and Azizi Leily. Everything we track in the emirate is on all Dubai projects, and the wider list is on the projects page.

Amenities and specifications

Quoted for the project: a swimming pool and a children's pool, a gym and a yoga studio, a wellness centre, a games room, a lobby lounge and an outdoor theatre. Views are over the Creek towards the Jameel Arts Centre and Palazzo Versace.

Ellington designs its own interiors, and its buildings are sold on finish more than on amenities. Not published: the fit-out and appliance schedule, parking per unit, the service-charge budget, the escrow bank and the unit count for Art Bay West. Ask for the specification sheet attached to the SPA. Final specification as per the sale and purchase agreement.

About the developer

Ellington Properties, founded in 2014, builds design-led mid-rise residential buildings. Its delivered work includes Belgravia in JVC, handed over early in 2017, Belgravia Square, DT1 in Downtown, Wilton Terraces in MBR City and the Ellington House buildings in Dubai Hills Estate — more than 2,000 homes by one count. It reports 96% occupancy across delivered projects.

Published records show 847 units handed over in 2023, three projects within 60 days of schedule and one four months late after a contractor change. That is a cleaner record than most developers at this price. Art Bay is a joint project with Dutco Group, a long-established Dubai contracting and investment group, which adds a builder's balance sheet to Ellington's design team.

For Indian buyers

Ownership. Al Jaddaf is freehold for foreign buyers, resident or not, and the Dubai Land Department issues the title deed in your name. The UAE has no annual property tax and no VAT on a residential sale, so the government cost is the 4% DLD transfer fee — AED 72,000 on AED 1.8 million — plus the AED 40 Oqood fee.

Remittance. The Liberalised Remittance Scheme allows USD 250,000 per person per financial year. AED 1,800,000 is about USD 490,000, which is two years of one person's allowance or one year for a couple. The AED 360,000 booking is about USD 98,000. Because the building is near its earliest date, the construction instalments may come quickly, so plan the transfers before you book rather than after.

Golden Visa. The threshold is AED 2 million of property. At AED 1.8 million a unit misses it by AED 200,000; the one-bedroom at AED 1,814,828 misses by about AED 185,000. A two or three-bedroom above AED 2 million would clear it, but no source prints those prices.

Rent and tax. District guides quote Al Jaddaf gross yields near 5.7%, and Bayut puts the average studio rent at about AED 55,696 a year. To earn 5.7% gross a AED 1.8 million unit needs about AED 102,600 a year, well above what the district's smaller units let for, so a buyer here is paying for the address rather than the yield. Rent and any capital gain are taxable in India for an Indian tax resident; the UAE levies no income tax on the rent.

Pros

• Creek-front plot on the Jaddaf Waterfront, next to the Jameel Arts Centre, with little room for new buildings in front
• Ellington's delivery record: 96% reported occupancy and only one reported delay, of four months
• Small buildings: Art Bay East has 99 homes over 11 to 12 floors
• Al Jadaf Metro in the district and Downtown about 10 minutes away
• 30% of the price falls at handover, which a UAE mortgage can cover
• Near completion on the earliest date, so the construction wait is short

Cons

• At the AED 1.8 M minimum, the entry is well above the Al Jaddaf studio average of about AED 740,000 on Bayut asks
• Handover printed three ways — Q3 2026, December 2026, Q4 2027
• Misses the AED 2 M Golden Visa threshold by AED 200,000 at the minimum
• The studio price (about AED 1.05 M) comes from one broker and only 8 studios exist in Art Bay East
• No service charge, escrow bank or unit count for Art Bay West published
• At district yields near 5.7%, a AED 1.8 M one-bedroom needs about AED 102,600 a year of rent

Who this is for

• End users who want a Creek-front mid-rise home near Downtown with a short wait
• Buyers who value Ellington's design and delivery record over a low rate per sq ft
• Buyers who can pay 20% now and mortgage the 30% at handover
• Anyone who wants a smaller building than the district's large towers

Who should look elsewhere

• Yield-first investors: the entry price is high for Al Jaddaf rents
• Golden Visa buyers at the minimum price, unless a larger unit takes them over AED 2 M
• Anyone who needs a fixed handover date before booking
• Buyers who want a studio: there are very few, and their price is unconfirmed

Our verdict

Art Bay is a small, design-led pair of buildings on one of the better plots in Al Jaddaf: on the Creek shore beside the Jameel Arts Centre, ten minutes from Downtown, with a metro station in the district. Ellington's record is the strongest argument for it: one reported delay of four months across its recent handovers and 96% occupancy in its finished buildings. The weak side is price. At AED 1.8 million for the smallest unit it costs more than twice the average studio ask in the district, and the rent that price needs is well above what Al Jaddaf pays. The handover date also needs settling, because three are in circulation.

A good buy for an end user who wants a Creek-front mid-rise home near Downtown from a developer with a clean delivery record, and who can wait for the SPA date. A weak one for a yield investor, and not a Golden Visa route at the minimum price. Get Ellington's current price list, the building (East or West) and the completion date in writing before paying the 20%.

Talk to Realty Hunting for the current price list, the developer's latest payment plan and a site-visit plan.

Run this project's numbers yourself. The calculator opens on the price and unit size above; change the currency, the rent or the mortgage and it recalculates the fees, the cash you need on day one and the net rent.

FAQs

What is the price of Art Bay?

The developer's minimum was AED 1.8 million (about Rs 4.64 crore) in Q2 2024, with one-bedrooms from AED 1,814,828. One source says the launch started at AED 1.7 million and one broker quotes studios from about AED 1.05 million. Ellington's current price list settles it.

What is the payment plan for Art Bay?

20% on booking, 50% during construction and 30% at handover. On AED 1,800,000 that is AED 360,000, AED 900,000 and AED 540,000, plus AED 72,000 of DLD fee.

When is the handover for Art Bay?

Most sources print Q3 2026, one December 2026 and one Q4 2027. None confirms completion yet. The date in your SPA is the one that binds the developer.

Is Art Bay one building or two?

Two: Art Bay East and Art Bay West, separated by a road, both on the Creek shore. Art Bay East has 99 homes; West's count is not published. Check which building your unit is in.

Does Art Bay qualify for a Golden Visa?

Not at the minimum. The threshold is AED 2 million of property; AED 1.8 million misses it by AED 200,000. A two or three-bedroom priced above AED 2 million would clear it, but no source prints those prices.

What rental yield can I expect at Art Bay?

District guides quote Al Jaddaf gross yields near 5.7%, and Bayut puts the average studio rent at about AED 55,696 a year. A AED 1.8 million unit needs about AED 102,600 a year to match 5.7%, so treat Art Bay as an end-user building first.

Can an Indian resident buy at Art Bay?

Yes. Al Jaddaf is freehold for foreign buyers and the DLD issues the title deed in your name. Under the LRS each person can remit USD 250,000 a financial year; the AED 360,000 booking is about USD 98,000.

Compare with other Dubai projects

Also in Al Jaddaf: Ramada Residences by Wyndham (from AED 1,850,000, off-plan), Creek Views (from AED 1,938,489, handover 2027), Binghatti Pinnacle (from AED 1,449,999, ready) and Binghatti Moonlight (from AED 1,429,999, off-plan).

More by Ellington: Ellington Altiera Heights (from AED 1.9 M, handover 2028), Riverton House (from AED 2 M, handover 2028) and One River Point (from AED 1,456,053, handover 2027).

A similar budget elsewhere in Dubai: DAMAC Residenze (from AED 1,800,000, ready), Harbour by Prestige One (from AED 1,800,000, handover 2027) and Sobha Verde (from AED 1.8 M, handover 2026).

Read next: Off-Plan Property in Dubai: How It Works · Dubai Property Payment Plans: 1% Monthly, Post-Handover and More · The Cost of Buying Property in Dubai. Every Dubai project we track is listed on the Dubai section.