Lacina Residences Ghaf Woods Dubailand Dubai

Lacina Residences is the second phase of Ghaf Woods, Majid Al Futtaim's planted-forest community in Dubailand: 324 homes in three buildings, 1 to 3 BHK apartments, 3 BHK duplexes and penthouses. The source listing shows it from AED 1.3 M (about Rs 3.35 crore) for a 1 BHK, on a 60/40 plan with 10% down and handover in Q4 2028.

Two things to settle before the numbers. First, availability: one portal reports Lacina sold out, as phase 1 did, so the AED 1.3 M may be a later release or a resale. Second, the date: Q4 2028 on most portals, April 2028 on the source listing, Q4 2027 on one page that appears to be quoting phase 1. What is not in doubt is the developer — the group behind Mall of the Emirates and Tilal Al Ghaf — and the price, which is a brand price for the district.

At a glance

Price and unit pricing

Phase 1 launched from AED 1.2 M and priced a 1 BHK at about AED 1,850 per sq ft; Lacina's AED 1,850 to 2,075 is the usual step up for a second phase. Against the wider district the gap is large: Dubai Land Residence Complex trades at AED 800 to 1,200 per sq ft with a median near AED 1,266, and Dubai Silicon Oasis at about AED 1,400. Lacina is asking 40 to 100% more than its neighbours for the developer, the forest concept and lower density. Whether that premium holds at resale is the question; phase 1's sell-out says buyers are paying it now.

Payment plan and total cost

10% on booking, 50% in instalments during construction, 40% on handover. Worked on the AED 1.3 M entry unit:

The service charge is not published, and it matters more here than in a tower: the forest, trails and parks that make Ghaf Woods different are maintained out of the owners' service charges. Ask the developer for the budgeted rate per sq ft and how the community landscaping is funded before you model a yield.

Location and connectivity

Ghaf Woods is in Dubailand, the inland belt reached by Dubai-Al Ain Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, near Global Village and IMG Worlds, with Dubai Silicon Oasis and Academic City as the nearest employment belt. Downtown and Dubai International Airport are each about 25 minutes; there is no metro. The community's selling point is inward-looking: planted ghaf trees, a claimed cooler microclimate, trails and parks rather than a view of the city.

The neighbours are the affordable end of Dubai — Dubai Land Residence Complex, Silicon Oasis — which is why the price gap between Lacina and the district is so wide. For an unbranded comparison in the same belt, Deca's Milos Residences in DLRC sells 1 to 3 BHK at roughly half Lacina's rate. See all Dubai projects we track and the projects list.

Amenities and specifications

Three buildings among planted ghaf trees, with apartments that have dual balconies and duplexes and penthouses at the top. Community amenities quoted: pools, gyms, forest trails, parks and retail, shared with phase 1. Majid Al Futtaim's Tilal Al Ghaf sets the finish standard the group is known for; the Ghaf Woods apartments are pitched a level below that but above the district.

Not published: the fit-out and appliance schedule, parking allocation or service-charge budget. Final specification as per the SPA.

About the developer

Majid Al Futtaim was founded in 1992 and is one of the Gulf's largest private groups: Mall of the Emirates, the regional Carrefour franchise, hotels and cinemas. Its property arm is master developer of Tilal Al Ghaf in Al Barsha South, where AED 3 billion of contracts for the Alaya and Elysian Mansions phases are due to complete around mid-2026, and of Ghaf Woods, whose phase 1 sold out and began construction in 2024.

The one public note of caution: in 2025 Gulf News reported the company clarifying Tilal Al Ghaf handover timelines after buyers received notices citing regional logistics and material-supply pressures; the company said its schedule held. For a 2028 handover that is worth knowing, not because the group might not finish — it will — but because dates on large masterplans move. Get yours in the SPA.

For overseas buyers

Any nationality. Dubai's designated freehold areas are open to buyers of every nationality, resident or not: no local partner, no residence visa needed in order to buy, and the Land Department issues the title deed in your own name. On the AED 1.30 million entry price the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee is about AED 52,000 (USD 14,200), and registration, trustee and agency charges take the all-in cost to roughly 6% to 7% over the price. UAE banks lend non-residents about 50% to 60% of the price, which is why the developer payment plan above carries most overseas purchases. The paragraphs below work the numbers for an Indian buyer, the largest single group buying in Dubai, but the ownership, visa and yield rules are the same whatever passport you hold.

Ghaf Woods is freehold, so a foreign buyer holds the title outright. AED 1.3 M exceeds one person's LRS allowance of USD 250,000 (about AED 918,000), so plan on two allowances or two financial years; the 60/40 plan helps, with only AED 780,000 due before the 2028 handover. A 2 BHK at AED 2.5 M clears the AED 2 M Golden Visa threshold; the 1 BHK does not.

No UAE tax applies to the property or rent; an Indian tax resident declares rent and any sale gain in India. On yield: the surrounding district yields 7 to 9.5% gross on stock at AED 800 to 1,200 per sq ft; at AED 1,925 per sq ft a Lacina 1 BHK renting at a premium to DLRC's AED 45,000 to 90,000 range still returns nearer 4 to 5% gross, and the community's forest upkeep sits in the service charge. Buy this for the home or the visa, not the income.

On exit: a sold-out community from a corporate developer tends to hold value and trade on resale, and phase 1's demand is the evidence. The risk is buying at the top of a brand premium two years before handover; compare Lacina's rate with phase 1 resales before you agree a price.

Pros

• A corporate developer with a retail and hotel balance sheet behind it, not a project-company with one building
• Ghaf Woods phase 1 sold out and Lacina is reported sold out, which supports resale demand
• A 10% booking with 40% due at handover keeps most cash out until 2028
• Genuine unit variety up to 3 BHK duplexes and penthouses, so the community will have families, not only investors
• A 2 BHK at AED 2.5 M qualifies for the Golden Visa
• Community concept — planted forest, cooler microclimate — is distinctive in Dubailand's sea of towers

Cons

• About AED 1,925 per sq ft is well above Dubailand's residential complex at AED 800-1,200 and Silicon Oasis at about AED 1,400; you are paying for the concept and the brand
• Handover is Q4 2028, more than two years out, on a community whose phase 1 was 18% built on the latest data
• One source reports Lacina sold out; the source listing's AED 1.3 M may be a resale or a later release — ask
• Handover printed as Q4 2027, April 2028 and Q4 2028 across sources
• The developer has had one public clarification on Tilal Al Ghaf timelines after buyer notices
• Dubailand location: 25 minutes from Downtown and the airport, no metro
• No source prints the DLD project number or the service charge; forest maintenance will be in the service charge

Who this is for

• End users and long-hold investors who want a corporate developer and a distinctive low-density community
• Golden Visa buyers at 2 BHK level (AED 2.5 M and up)
• Indian families who can spread a 60/40 plan across financial years and two LRS allowances
• Buyers who prefer a master-planned community with a landlord-developer to a stand-alone tower

Who should look elsewhere

• Yield-first investors — at AED 1,925 per sq ft in a district that rents at AED 45,000-90,000 for 1-2 BHK, the maths is thin
• Anyone who needs a home before 2029
• Buyers who want a central or metro-served address
• Anyone who cannot confirm whether units are still available from the developer or only on resale

Our verdict

A reasonable long-hold or Golden Visa buy at 2 BHK level for someone who wants Majid Al Futtaim's name and Ghaf Woods' concept and can wait until 2028. Not a yield play. Confirm availability, the DLD project number and the SPA date, and compare the rate with phase 1's AED 1,850 per sq ft before agreeing a price.

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 Lacina Residences?

The source listing shows 1 BHK from AED 1.3 M (about Rs 3.35 crore). Portals print AED 1.25 M, 1.3 M and 1.4 M for 1 BHK and about AED 2.5 M for 2 BHK. One source reports the phase sold out, so ask whether the AED 1.3 M figure is a developer release or a resale.

What is the payment plan?

60/40: 10% on booking, 50% during construction, 40% on handover. On AED 1.3 M that is AED 130,000, 650,000 and 520,000, plus a 4% DLD fee of AED 52,000.

When is the handover?

Q4 2028 on most portals; the source listing prints April 2028; one page prints Q4 2027, which looks like a phase 1 date. Get the SPA date.

How big are the units?

1 BHK 675 to 1,052 sq ft, 2 BHK 1,121 to 1,966 sq ft, 3 BHK apartments and duplexes up to 3,246 sq ft, across 324 homes in three buildings.

Is it RERA registered?

It is a registered phase of Majid Al Futtaim's Ghaf Woods, but none of the sources we checked prints the project number. Verify on the Dubai REST app before booking.

Does it qualify for the Golden Visa?

A 2 BHK from about AED 2.5 M does; a 1 BHK at AED 1.3 M does not reach the AED 2 M threshold.

How does an overseas buyer pay for it?

Ghaf Woods is freehold. Under the LRS (the Reserve Bank of India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme) each resident Indian can send USD 250,000 a year (about AED 918,000); AED 1.3 M needs two allowances or two financial years, and the 60/40 plan spreads it naturally, with 40% due in 2028. Buyers of any other nationality can own on the same terms: Dubai's designated freehold areas are open to all nationalities, there is no residency requirement and no local partner, and the Land Department issues the title deed in your own name.

What rental yield is realistic?

Dubailand's residential complex yields 7 to 9.5% gross on stock at AED 800 to 1,200 per sq ft; Lacina costs about AED 1,925 per sq ft. Expect a gross yield nearer 4 to 5% unless the forest concept commands a premium rent, and less after service charges that include forest upkeep.

Want to know whether Lacina still has developer units, what resales are asking, and how it compares with Ghaf Woods phase 1? Ask Realty Hunting and we will send the current picture.