Mercer House JLT Dubai

Mercer House is Ellington Properties' two-tower scheme in Uptown Dubai, the district DMCC is building at the north-east end of Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT). The North Tower has 34 residential floors and the South Tower 41, over four levels of parking and a podium carrying a 45,000 sq ft man-made beach. Studios of 514 to 557 sq ft are quoted from AED 1.15 million (about Rs 2.96 crore), and the range runs through one to three-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom penthouses. The plan is 20/50/30 and handover is on record for Q3 2027.

This is no longer a launch. The North Tower was released in January 2024, the main contract has been let and the keys are about a year away. That changes what a buyer is really paying: the entry figure is a broker's quote, one agency now prints a much higher starting price, and most of what is on offer is resale stock at a premium to the developer's list.

At a glance

Price and unit pricing

The sources give three different entry points and they are not in conflict so much as describing different stock. AED 1.15 million is a studio quote on a broker's project page. AED 2,149,000 to 2,900,000 is what one-bedroom owners are asking on Bayut. AED 4.4 million is Metropolitan's current "from" figure, which reads as the cheapest unit the developer itself still holds. The source listing gave no price. Ellington's own price list settles it, and a resale price should be checked against DLD transactions for the tower.

No source we checked gives an Uptown Dubai or JLT average per square foot, so we do not print a community comparison. What the table does show is the spread inside the building: the one-bedroom asks run from about the studio's rate to roughly a third above it, depending on floor and view.

Payment plan and total cost

20% on booking, 50% through construction, 30% at handover — a 70/30 plan with nothing owed after the keys. Worked on the AED 1,150,000 studio:

Timing is the real issue. With about 12 months to Q3 2027, instalments that fell due during the build are already behind the project, so a buyer from the developer today should expect to pay them alongside the booking amount. On a resale you pay the seller's paid-in amount plus any premium, take over the remaining instalments and pay the 4% DLD fee on the full price. Either way this is a front-loaded purchase, not a long runway.

Service charges are not published for either tower. Budget for them once the building's first DLD-approved budget is issued, before you settle on a rent assumption. For how Dubai plans compare, see our guide to Dubai property payment plans.

Location and connectivity

Uptown Dubai is DMCC's mixed-use district at the north-east end of JLT, off First Al Khail Street, built around the Uptown Tower. It sits beside the JLT lakes and cluster towers, with Dubai Marina and JBR across Sheikh Zayed Road and Jumeirah Islands and Emirates Hills to the south. JLT is served by the Dubai Metro Red Line along Sheikh Zayed Road, and Al Khail Road is the other artery for Downtown and the airports.

JLT is one of Dubai's established rental markets, with offices, schools and a working lakeside retail strip. Uptown itself is still being built out, so the first residents of Mercer House will move into a district that is partly finished. None of the sources we found gives drive times from the site, and we do not guess them.

Ellington's other JLT scheme, UH by Ellington (Upper House), is two 31-storey towers with studios from AED 750,000 and is the cheaper way into the same developer here. For the wider market see apartments for sale in JLT and the JLT area guide. Everything we track in the emirate is on all Dubai projects, and the wider list is on the projects page.

Amenities and specifications

The podium is the headline: a 45,000 sq ft man-made beach with sun loungers, cabanas, a pool bar and a three-level beach clubhouse. Ellington also lists family and skyline pools, a rooftop infinity pool, a multi-sports complex for ball games, fitness studios, spa rooms and retail. Apartments are quoted with floor-to-ceiling windows and views over the JLT lakes.

Not published: the fit-out and appliance schedule, parking per unit, the total unit count across both towers, the service-charge budget and the escrow bank. A beach club of this size will be paid for through the service charge, so ask for the budget before you buy. Final specification as per the sale and purchase agreement.

About the developer

Ellington Properties, founded in 2014, is a design-led Dubai developer with delivered buildings in Jumeirah Village Circle, Downtown Dubai, Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Dubai Hills Estate and Arjan. Belgravia Heights in JVC entered handover in December 2022, Ellington House in Dubai Hills Estate handed over through 2025, and in May 2026 it began handing over Ellington House II and Arbor View.

One 2026 review puts Ellington's typical slippage at two to four months past the stated date, which makes late 2027 a sensible planning date here. Mercer House is a large job for it: the main contract, worth more than AED 1 billion (about USD 272 million), went to China Railway 18th Bureau Group, and the ground was broken with DMCC.

For Indian buyers

Ownership. JLT is freehold and open to every nationality, resident or not, with the title deed issued in your name by the Dubai Land Department. The UAE charges no annual property tax and a residential sale does not attract VAT, so the government cost is the 4% DLD transfer fee — AED 46,000 on the studio — plus the AED 40 Oqood fee.

Remittance and Golden Visa. The Liberalised Remittance Scheme allows USD 250,000 per person per financial year. The studio's AED 1,150,000 is about USD 313,000, so one person needs parts of two financial years, while a couple remitting together covers it in one — which matters on a schedule that falls due within about a year. The studio misses the AED 2 million Golden Visa threshold by AED 850,000; a one-bedroom at AED 2,149,000 clears it by AED 149,000. See our Golden Visa property guide.

Yield and tax. Metropolitan's JLT figures put a one-bedroom's average rent at about AED 150,000 a year as of August 2025, and agency projections for new JLT towers run 6% to 8% gross. Both are forecasts until the building lets in late 2027, and the service charge comes off first. Rent and any capital gain are taxable in India for an Indian tax resident, with credit for tax paid abroad where it applies; the UAE levies none on either.

Pros

• An entry at about AED 2,237 per sq ft in a two-tower scheme with a 45,000 sq ft beach club
• About 12 months to handover, so the rent starts sooner than on most off-plan stock in Dubai
• A contractor of scale on a contract of more than AED 1 billion
• Uptown Dubai is DMCC's own district, next to an established JLT rental market
• Ellington's handovers since 2022 have run two to four months late at worst on one review's count
• The one-bedroom resales at AED 2.15 M and up clear the Golden Visa line

Cons

• The AED 1.15 M studio figure is a broker's quote; Metropolitan now prints a starting price of AED 4.4 M, which suggests the developer's own small units have sold
• The studio misses the AED 2 million Golden Visa line by AED 850,000
• No service charge published for either tower
• No source prints the DLD project number, the escrow bank or the total unit count
• Bayut's one-bedroom asks run to AED 2,986 per sq ft, well above the studio rate — check any resale price against DLD transactions
• Sources disagree on the North Tower's floor count, which the developer's own page settles at 34

Who this is for

• Investors who want an Ellington finish in JLT with keys in about a year
• Buyers who want a Golden Visa and can stretch to a one-bedroom resale
• End users who work in DMCC, JLT or Dubai Marina
• Indian buyers who can fund a short, front-loaded schedule from a couple's LRS allowances

Who should look elsewhere

• Anyone who wants a long, light instalment run — most of this plan falls due within a year
• Buyers who need the developer's price rather than a resale premium
• Anyone who will not verify the tower, the paid-in amount and the DLD project number before paying
• Yield buyers who need a published service charge before they can do the sum

Our verdict

Mercer House is a short-horizon Ellington purchase in a district that DMCC is still finishing. The number to hold is about AED 2,237 per sq ft on the studio, with keys in about a year, a contractor on a contract of more than AED 1 billion and a beach club that no other JLT tower offers. The catch is the price trail: the AED 1.15 million studio figure comes from a broker's page, Metropolitan now prints AED 4.4 million as the starting price, and the one-bedrooms on Bayut ask AED 2.15 to 2.9 million. That spread says the developer's small units have largely sold and most buyers now meet a resale premium. Price any unit against DLD transactions for the tower before agreeing to a figure.

A sound buy for an investor or end user who wants an Ellington apartment in JLT with keys in 2027 and can fund a front-loaded schedule. Buy a one-bedroom if the Golden Visa matters, because the studio misses the line by AED 850,000. Not for anyone looking for a long, light instalment run or the developer's launch price. Confirm the tower, the paid-in amount on any resale and the DLD project number before paying.

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 Mercer House?

Studios of 514 to 557 sq ft are quoted from AED 1.15 million — about Rs 2.96 crore or USD 313,000, roughly AED 2,237 per sq ft. One-bedrooms of 940 to 971 sq ft are listed for resale at AED 2,149,000 to 2,900,000. Metropolitan prints a starting price of AED 4.4 million, which reads as what the developer still holds; ask Ellington for its current price list.

What is the payment plan?

20% on booking, 50% through construction and 30% at handover. On a AED 1,150,000 studio that is AED 230,000, AED 575,000 and AED 345,000, plus AED 46,000 of DLD transfer fee — about AED 1.2 million in all before service charges.

When is the handover?

Q3 2027 on the published record; propsearch prints 31 July 2027. Ellington's recent handovers have run up to two to four months late on one review's count, so plan for late 2027 and get the contract date in writing.

Does Mercer House qualify for a Golden Visa?

Not at the studio price: AED 1.15 million is AED 850,000 short of the AED 2 million threshold. A one-bedroom resale at AED 2,149,000 clears it by AED 149,000. Confirm with the Dubai Land Department how an off-plan unit is assessed.

Who is building it?

Ellington Properties is the developer, having broken ground with DMCC. The main contract, worth more than AED 1 billion or about USD 272 million, went to China Railway 18th Bureau Group.

How many homes are there?

The North Tower was released in January 2024 with 325 residences over 34 residential floors; the South Tower has 41 residential floors. No source we found prints the total for both towers.

What rental yield can I expect in JLT?

Agency figures for JLT put a one-bedroom's average rent at about AED 150,000 a year as of August 2025 and projected yields at 6% to 8% gross. Nothing at Mercer House rents until late 2027, so treat both as forecasts and subtract a service charge that has not been published.

Can an Indian buyer purchase here?

Yes. JLT is freehold for every nationality and the title deed is issued in your name by the Dubai Land Department. The studio's AED 1.15 million is about USD 313,000, more than one person's LRS allowance of USD 250,000 a year, so a couple remitting together covers it in one year.

Compare with other Dubai projects

More by Ellington: Ellington House (from AED 1.4 M, ready), Ellington Arbor View (from AED 860,000, ready) and Ellington Belgravia (from AED 820,000, ready).

A similar budget elsewhere in Dubai: Binghatti Aquarise (from AED 1.15 M, handover 2027), Riviera Lodge (from AED 1,142,000, off-plan) and Binghatti Ghost (from AED 1,162,500, ready).

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.