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Area guide · Family and villas
Living in The Lakes
Emaar’s gated villa and townhouse community between the Montgomerie and Emirates golf courses, with six sub-communities and The Lakes Club. Suits families who want a garden close to Media City and the Marina.
Nearest landmarks
- Dubai Marina Mall3.1 km · 8 min
- Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah7.7 km · 18 min
- Burj Khalifa, Downtown17 km
History
The Lakes is part of Emirates Living, the master community Emaar started in 1999 alongside The Springs, The Meadows and Emirates Hills. It was built between two golf courses, the Montgomerie and Emirates Golf Club, around winding lakes and tree-lined streets. Like its neighbours, it was sold freehold, so foreign buyers can own their home and its land.
Bayut’s area guide counts about 600 villas and townhouses in six sub-communities: Deema, Forat, Ghadeer, Hattan, Maeen and Zulal. Emaar and a separate Bayut article from October 2026 treat Hattan as its own neighbourhood, and that article puts The Lakes at nearly 1,000 homes, so counts vary by source.
What it’s like to live here
Homes are villas and townhouses, each with a private garden, and many look onto a lake or a golf course (Property Finder). Property Finder lists two to six bedrooms and Bayut three to seven, but three-bedroom homes are the most common: 61 of the 83 homes for rent on Property Finder in October 2026 had three bedrooms. Units usually include a maid’s room and parking for one or two cars (Bayut).
Life centres on The Lakes Club, about 30,000 sq ft, with a gym, pools, tennis and squash courts, the Reform Social & Grill restaurant and a Choithrams supermarket. There are also parks, barbecue areas, playgrounds and paths for walking and cycling.
Who it suits
Families, and people who work nearby. Property Finder matches the area to families (100%) and retirees (70%). Media City, Internet City and JLT are usually less than 15 minutes away, and two schools are about 1 km from the community.
For investors it is a steady family rental. Bayut puts the return on villas at 3.76% (October 2026), against 3.12% in The Meadows and 1.84% in Emirates Hills.
Getting around
There is no Metro station. Al Fardan Exchange station on the Red Line (called Al Khail until March 2025) is about 6 minutes’ drive from the centre of the community (Bayut). The Lakes Turnoff bus stop on First Al Khail Street is served by the F31 feeder bus, and Ghadeer residents can walk to it in a few minutes.
Dubai Marina Mall is 7 to 8 minutes away by car, Dubai Media City about 10, Mall of the Emirates about 13 and Atlantis The Palm about 18 (Bayut). Bayut puts Dubai International Airport about 30 minutes away and Property Finder about 25.
Schools, healthcare and shopping
Dubai International Academy in Emirates Hills (IB, rated Outstanding by KHDA, AED 45,000 to 80,000 a year on Property Finder) is about 900 m away, and Regent International School in The Greens (UK, Very Good, AED 49,000 to 104,000) about 1 km. Bayut notes that Ghadeer and Hattan 3 residents can walk to Regent. There is a Raffles nursery in The Lakes, and Emirates International School in The Meadows (IB, Very Good) is about 2.2 km away.
Clinics in JLT are about 10 minutes away, and Saudi German Hospital, Al Zahra Hospital and American Hospital Dubai are the nearest large hospitals (Bayut). Choithrams in The Lakes Club covers daily shopping, Geant Express is a 4-minute drive, and Dubai Marina Mall and Mall of the Emirates are within about 15 minutes.
Things to check before you rent or buy
- Know the sub-community. Bayut’s asking prices run from AED 2,392 per sq ft in Ghadeer to AED 4,644 in Hattan (September 2026).
- Villa or townhouse? Check the type, the plot and whether the home backs onto a lake, a fairway or a road.
- Check the condition. These are established homes, so look closely at air conditioning, plumbing, roofs and any extensions.
- Major changes to a home need approval or a no-objection certificate from Emaar.
- Prices have eased. Bayut’s asking index fell 5.1% to AED 2,729 per sq ft in the 12 months to September 2026, and Property Finder’s average recorded sale is about AED 9.25 million, 4% lower than the previous period. Sales slowed to 46, 29.2% fewer than a year earlier.
- Rents differ by sub-community. Bayut’s rent index is AED 105 per sq ft overall, down 2% in a year, with 12-month changes from −6.16% in Forat to +52.75% in Hattan (September 2026).
- Ask for the latest service charge statement before you buy.
Facts and figures from Bayut’s price and rent indices, area guide and Emirates Living market article, Property Finder Community Insights and transactions, and KHDA data via Property Finder, with history from Gulf News and Emaar. Checked October 2026. Numbers change as homes are renovated and resold.
Location
Getting around The Lakes
Schools, transport, shops, places to eat and things to do in and around The Lakes, and how far it is to the airports, Downtown and the coast. Tap a place to find it on the map.
Market
Prices and rents in The Lakes
What homes sell and rent for here, with the date and source of every figure.
Latest price change: −5.1% (asking price per sq ft, 12 months to Sep 2026 (Bayut))
Average sale prices
Property Finder DLD transactions, ‘Last year’ view (46 sales), checked October 2026
| All homes (average recorded sale) | AED 9,245,087 |
|---|
Average annual rents
Median asking rents by bedroom, Property Finder Community Insights listings (checked October 2026)
| 3-bed home | AED 291,670 |
|---|---|
| 4-bed home | AED 407,000 |
Over time
About these numbers and where they come from (9 sources)
Bayut figures are average asking prices and rents from listings on Bayut, not completed sales. Sales counts are Dubai Land Department records shown by Property Finder or DXBinteract. Yields are gross, before service charges and other costs. Checked October 2026; we update these figures regularly. They are area averages, not a valuation of any one home.
Sources: Bayut price index, The Lakes (Sep 2026), Bayut rent index, The Lakes (Sep 2026), Bayut area guide, The Lakes, MyBayut, Popular communities to buy villas in Emirates Living (updated 20 Oct 2026), Property Finder Community Insights, The Lakes, Property Finder transactions, The Lakes, Gulf News, Emirates Living fact box, Emaar, Emirates Living, Wikipedia, Al Fardan Exchange (Dubai Metro)
Own a home in The Lakes?See what it could rent or sell for, from recent lets and sales nearby. Free, with no obligation.
Who it suits
Who buys and rents here
An established mid-to-upper villa and townhouse market: Property Finder’s median asking price is about AED 8 million and Bayut’s asking index is AED 2,729 per sq ft (September 2026).
Investors who buy here
- Buyers who want an established Emaar villa or townhouse at a lower price than The Meadows (Property Finder median asking price about AED 8 million against AED 13.7 million)
- Owner-occupiers who renovate an older home and later let it to families
- Investors willing to accept a return of about 3.8% (Bayut, October 2026) for steady family tenants
People who live here
- Families with children at Dubai International Academy or Regent International School, both about 1 km away
- Professionals working in Media City, Internet City and JLT
- Residents who want a club with a gym, pools and courts on the doorstep
Homes
Homes in The Lakes with us now
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Nearby: The Greens and The Views · Emirates Hills · Barsha Heights
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Is The Lakes a freehold area?
Yes. The Lakes is a freehold Emaar community, so foreign buyers can own a villa or townhouse and its land outright.
How far is The Lakes from the airport?
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is about 27 km away in a straight line. Bayut puts the drive at about 30 minutes and Property Finder at about 25. Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) is about 22 km away.
Is there a Metro station in The Lakes?
No. Al Fardan Exchange station on the Red Line (called Al Khail until March 2025) is about 6 minutes’ drive from the centre of the community (Bayut). The F31 feeder bus stops at The Lakes Turnoff on First Al Khail Street.
How much does it cost to rent in The Lakes?
Median asking rents on Property Finder are about AED 291,670 a year for a three-bedroom home and AED 407,000 for a four-bedroom (checked October 2026). Bayut’s rent index is AED 105 per sq ft, down 2% in the 12 months to September 2026. Rents vary with the sub-community, view and condition, so ask us for current rents on a specific home.
What rental yield can investors expect in The Lakes?
Bayut puts the return on villas at 3.76% (October 2026, based on advertised prices and rents). That is before service charges, maintenance and any time without a tenant, so the net return will be lower.
Have property prices gone up in The Lakes?
Over two years, yes, but they have dipped recently. Bayut’s asking-price index rose from AED 2,479 per sq ft in September 2024 to AED 2,877 a year later, then fell 5.1% to AED 2,729 in September 2026. Property Finder recorded 46 sales in the past 12 months, 29.2% fewer than the year before, with an average recorded sale of about AED 9.25 million.
Who does The Lakes suit best?
Families who want a villa or townhouse with a garden, a community club and schools within about 1 km, close to Media City, Internet City and Dubai Marina. It is less suited to people without a car or to investors chasing high yields.
Nearby
Areas near The Lakes
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