The Archive by Imtiaz at DLRC: Prices, Payment Plans, Floor Plans and Investment Case

The Archive by Imtiaz: Units, Prices, Amenities & Investment

The Archive by Imtiaz is a fully furnished, library themed residential tower by Imtiaz Developments in Dubai Land Residence Complex (DLRC), Wadi Al Safa 5, Dubailand, Dubai. The building runs B+G+3P+13+R, which is 17 levels above basement, and sits directly on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) beside Al Ain Road (E66). Imtiaz Developments is registered with the Dubai Land Department as Developer No. 1129, was founded in 1993, and has delivered more than 2,000 residential units across a portfolio the company values above AED 10 billion. Prices start at AED 666,000 for a studio of 384 to 426 sq ft, AED 979,000 for a one bedroom of 546 to 1,234 sq ft, AED 1.6 million for a two bedroom of 1,022 to 1,686 sq ft, and AED 1.9 million for a three bedroom of 1,305 to 1,884 sq ft, per the Imtiaz developer feed on Property Finder. Construction started on 11 August 2026 and completion is listed for 1 September 2028, giving a Q3 2028 handover. Buyers choose between two developer plans: 20% at booking, 30% across six construction instalments and 50% on handover, or 20% at booking, 40% across six construction instalments and 40% after handover. The 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee sits on top of both. Ownership is freehold and open to all nationalities, and any unit above AED 2 million meets the UAE Golden Visa investment threshold. The defining feature is a two storey library holding roughly 10,000 books at the building entrance, supported by a Reading Lounge, a Writer’s Room, a rooftop Reading Salon, an outdoor cinema, mini golf, rooftop adult and children’s pools and a dedicated pets area. Every home is handed over furnished, with designer furniture, Italian finishes, BOSCH kitchen appliances and smart home technology. This article is part of our Raw District by Imtiaz Buyer Guide, a complete resource for NRI and international investors looking to understand ROI, property types, and long-term strategy in Dubai.

Six Highlights That Carry Real Data

1. Entry at AED 666,000 in a freehold zone where the DLD median sale price is AED 751,000. Dubai Land Department derived community data shows a median transacted price of AED 751,000 for DLRC as of January 2026. A studio at The Archive sits below that median, which is why the sub AED 1 million bracket is the genuine bracket here rather than a marketing hook.

2. The developer is DLD registered No. 1129 with more than 2,000 units delivered since 1993. Imtiaz reported six handovers in the first half of 2026 with ten more scheduled, alongside 1,462 residential units sold worth AED 2.6 billion in the same period. Delivery record is the single biggest risk control on a 2028 handover.

3. Construction has already started. The developer feed logs a construction start of 11 August 2026 against a 1 September 2028 completion. That is a 24 month build on a project already past the paper stage, which is not true of every DLRC launch competing for the same buyer.

4. Two payment structures, one of which defers 40% past handover. Option A is 20/30/50. Option B is 20/40/40, with the final 40% falling due after keys. Agency listings report the post handover tranche running at roughly 3.3% per quarter across three years. Confirm that schedule with the developer before you sign.

5. DLRC rents support real yield, but the maths needs honesty. Twelve month aggregated DLRC asking rents run near AED 44,000 for studios, AED 61,000 for one beds, AED 80,000 for two beds and AED 124,000 for three beds. Against The Archive’s launch prices that is roughly 6.6% gross on a studio, 6.2% on a one bed, 5.0% on a two bed and 6.5% on a three bed at today’s rents. Furnished delivery and rent growth to 2028 should lift those figures, but the 5% two bedroom number deserves scrutiny.

6. It is priced above the DLRC median per square foot, not below it. At AED 666,000 for 384 sq ft, the studio works out near AED 1,734 per sq ft. One beds sit near AED 1,793, two beds near AED 1,565 and three beds near AED 1,456. DLD derived community data puts the DLRC median around AED 1,266 per sq ft. This is a furnished premium product inside a value district, not a discount buy. For context, the DLD recorded an Imtiaz Cove Grand Residence studio in DLRC at AED 1,860 per sq ft in February 2026, so the pricing is consistent with what Imtiaz product already clears in this community.

Project Overview: Builder, Price and Location

The Builder

Imtiaz Developments started as a construction firm in Dubai in 1993 and registered with the Dubai Land Department as Developer No. 1129 in April 2016. It is led by CEO Masih Imtiaz, holds Dubai Chamber registration No. 242022 and DED licence No. 718965.

What separates Imtiaz from most mid market Dubai developers is that it does not outsource the build. Design, construction, joinery, aluminium and glass fabrication, investment, property management and after sales all sit in house. That vertical model is the stated reason behind its handover record, including the early completion of Pearl House II in Jumeirah Village Circle. The company cites more than 40 active projects and a pipeline above AED 10 billion. In JVC alone it lists seven sold out projects.

The Archive follows Raw District Phase 1 and Phase 2 in the developer’s launch sequence, and Cove Grand and Cove Edition 5 within DLRC specifically. Imtiaz is not a newcomer to this postcode.

Prices and Unit Sizes

Sizes and prices above come from the Imtiaz developer feed on Property Finder. Some agency listings quote a two bedroom entry of AED 1.55 million and a studio from 360 sq ft. Where numbers diverge, the developer feed is the figure to trust.

Add the 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee plus registration and admin charges to every price. Buyer funds sit in a DLD registered escrow account, which is standard for off plan in Dubai and worth knowing if you are buying from overseas.

The Two Payment Plans

On an AED 666,000 studio, the booking payment is AED 133,200 before the DLD fee. Option B suits buyers timing a remittance or planning a resale before the final tranche lands. Option A costs less overall if you can fund the handover payment.

The Location

DLRC is a freehold apartment district in Wadi Al Safa 5, framed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), Al Ain Road (E66) and Emirates Road (E611). The Archive fronts E311 directly.

Schools inside and beside the community include The Aquila School within DLRC and GEMS FirstPoint School in neighbouring The Villa, with Chubby Cheeks Nursery and Step by Step Nursery covering early years. Silicon Central Mall in Dubai Silicon Oasis is the nearest large retail anchor.

The tenant catchment is the real point. Dubai Academic City, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Silicon Oasis sit on the doorstep, which keeps the DLRC rental pool deep at the mid market price point rather than seasonal.

Who Should Actually Invest in The Archive

Best Suited To

• Yield first investors buying studios or one bedrooms. These are the two typologies where entry price and the DLRC rent band line up above 6% gross. Furnished delivery means the unit is rent ready on handover with no fit out gap.
• NRI and overseas buyers who cannot pay cash upfront. The 60/40 plan pushes 40% of the price past 2028, which suits buyers timing a remittance or a resale before the final tranche.
• First time Dubai buyers testing the market under AED 1 million. DLRC is one of the few freehold zones where sub AED 1 million is the median reality rather than an outlier.
• Golden Visa buyers at the larger layouts. At AED 1.9 million the entry three bedroom sits just under the AED 2 million threshold, so a bigger layout or a higher floor is the route to visa eligibility on a single unit.
• End users who want a genuinely differentiated building. The library concept is not a floor plan gimmick. It is a two storey working library at the entrance, and for the right buyer that alone is the reason to choose this over the tower next door.

Not Suited To

• Short hold flippers. DLRC is a yield district, not a capital appreciation district. Completed DLRC stock saw 20% to 35% price recovery across the 2022 to 2025 cycle, but this is not a Marina style resale market.
• Buyers chasing the cheapest price per square foot in DLRC. This is priced at a premium to the community median. If entry rate per foot is your only metric, other DLRC launches will beat it.
• Anyone who needs metro access today. The Dubai Metro Blue Line is planned for this corridor but is not open. Car dependency is real until it is.

The DLRC Community: Pros and Cons

Pros

DLRC delivers Dubai’s mid market yield case better than almost any other freehold zone. Aggregated 2026 data puts gross yields in the 7% to 9.5% band across the community, well ahead of the 5% to 7% Dubai apartment average. Entry pricing sits below Jumeirah Village Circle, Arjan and Dubai Silicon Oasis. Tenant demand is structural rather than cyclical because of the academic and technology employment clusters next door. Freehold ownership, RERA escrow protection and full title deed registration apply exactly as they do anywhere else in Dubai. Service charges typically run AED 8 to 14 per sq ft a year, which is manageable at this price point.

Cons

DLRC has no master developer. It covers more than 200 tracked buildings from independent developers, so quality and management standards vary building to building and no single authority protects the streetscape. Supply is heavy, with over 30 active or recently launched projects competing for the same tenant. Downside risk is sharper than in premium districts. Where prime Dubai segments dip 8% to 12% in a correction, DLRC can dip 20%. Walkability remains weak and the retail offer is thin compared with JVC. Reported price growth for the wider Dubailand area also diverges sharply by source, so treat any single growth figure as directional rather than settled.

Amenities

The Archive lists 18 amenities and the library floors sit at the centre of all of them. The building holds a two storey signature library of roughly 10,000 books wrapped by a spiral stair, a Reading Lounge, a Writer’s Room, and a rooftop Reading Salon with fireplace, firepit and water feature. Wellness covers a gym set beneath a gold and glass lattice, built to the developer’s Raw Theory health concept. Outdoors there are rooftop adult and children’s pools, a rooftop terrace garden, an outdoor cinema, a rooftop barbecue and lounge, floating cabanas over a shallow water feature with sunken seating, mini golf, landscaped relaxation lounges, a kids’ play area and a dedicated pets’ area. The residential entrance gallery and lobby, 24/7 concierge and security, CCTV and covered parking complete the list.

Floor Plans

Four typologies span ten published layouts. Studios come as Type 1 at 384 sq ft and Type 2 at 426 sq ft. One bedrooms run Type 1 at 546 sq ft, Type 1 Executive at 605 sq ft, Type 2 at 1,053 sq ft and Type 2 Executive at 1,234 sq ft. Two bedrooms come as Type 1 at 1,022 sq ft and Type 2 at 1,686 sq ft. Three bedrooms come as Type 1 at 1,305 sq ft and Type 2 at 1,884 sq ft. Every unit is delivered fully furnished with designer furniture, Italian finishes, BOSCH kitchen appliances and smart home technology, with floor to ceiling windows and private balconies throughout. Bathroom counts per layout are not published in the developer feed, so request the floor plan pack for room by room dimensions.

Location

Dubai Land Residence Complex, Wadi Al Safa 5, Dubailand, with direct frontage on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) and immediate access to Al Ain Road (E66) and Emirates Road (E611). Dubai Academic City and Dubai Outlet Mall are about 5 minutes away. Global Village and IMG Worlds of Adventure are about 10 minutes. Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is about 15 minutes. Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Dubai Design District, Dubai Creek Harbour and Dubai International Airport all sit around 20 minutes out. The Dubai Metro Blue Line is planned for this corridor but is not yet operational.

Why Invest in The Archive by Imtiaz

1. Sub AED 1 million freehold entry in a district where the DLD median sale price is AED 751,000.
2. Fully furnished handover removes the fit out cost and the vacant months between completion and first tenant.
3. Two payment plans, one deferring 40% of the price beyond a Q3 2028 handover.
4. A DLD registered developer, No. 1129, with more than 2,000 delivered units and six handovers in the first half of 2026 alone.
5. DLRC gross yields tracking 7% to 9.5% against a 5% to 7% Dubai apartment average.
6. A concept no competing DLRC tower is running, which matters for rental differentiation in a district with 30 plus live launches.
7. Golden Visa eligibility on any unit crossing AED 2 million.