Dubai’s new residential communities: Which phases have been handed over?

The first keys change a development in a way that a sales launch cannot. There is a specific building or cluster to ask about, a home that can be inspected and a manager who should be able to explain how move-in works. The rest of the community may still be taking shape. Santorini at DAMAC Lagoons, Jannat at Midtown and Elan at Tilal Al Ghaf illustrate three different stages of delivery, from the first homes in a large master plan to an apartment district joining an existing community. DAMAC’s Santorini handover release · Deyaar’s Jannat update · Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ 2023 report

Santorini at DAMAC Lagoons was the first cluster to receive homeowners

DAMAC reported in November 2025 that it had delivered the first homes in Santorini and welcomed the first residents. The cluster belongs to DAMAC Lagoons, a low-rise development beside DAMAC Hills. The announcement concerns the first units in one cluster. If you are looking at another part of the development, ask for that cluster’s own delivery record and the documents for the specific home. DAMAC’s first handover announcement

Look at the facilities in the same way. DAMAC’s 2026 update describes the water bodies at Lagoons as being commissioned in phases alongside residential and infrastructure work. Ask which entrance or facility your household can use now, whether it needs a resident card and whether access differs by cluster. For everyday shopping, DAMAC Hills Mall is a separately operating destination in the neighbouring development, with visitor hours and an opening date published by its operator. Check the route from your actual gate rather than assuming the mall is part of Santorini. DAMAC’s phased commissioning update · DAMAC Hills Mall visitor information

When you visit Santorini, start at the gate you would actually use. Ask where visitors and deliveries are directed and whether the route to your home is shared with any work still under way. If you have a regular school or work trip, test it from that gate at the time you would normally leave. For a cluster where only the first batch of handovers is documented, the useful detail is which street and unit the manager can confirm today. A resident’s experience on another street may be different.

Jannat adds two apartment towers to Midtown in Dubai Production City

In March 2026, Deyaar said it expected to complete Jannat in the coming days. Its later construction update says it secured completion certificates, was handing homes over and had already seen the first residents move in. The two statements describe different stages of the same project. The later update establishes that handover started, while its Q2 2026 entry is the expected completion period and gives no precise date for the first keys. Deyaar’s 24 March update · Deyaar’s subsequent handover update

Deyaar launched Jannat as Midtown’s final residential district, with two towers linked by a bridge. The project page lists studios and one- to three-bedroom apartments. That gives a household a different set of questions from a low-rise cluster. Check the lobby and lift route from your assigned parking space, ask how a furniture delivery is booked, and find out which shared facilities are available from your tower. Deyaar lists pools and terraces among the project features. Ask the building manager about access for your specific home and whether any booking or access card is needed. Jannat launch and tower design · Deyaar’s project and apartment details

Deyaar’s project page describes Midtown’s Retail Boulevard as having convenience, pharmacy, food and other shops. Use that as a starting point and verify the particular outlet you would rely on. A ground-floor shop in the wider community may be a straightforward walk from one building, while your entrance may take you through a different part of the podium. Ask the manager to show you the route, including any access-controlled doors, and check that the business is serving customers when you expect to use it. Deyaar’s description of the Retail Boulevard

Elan gives Tilal Al Ghaf an earlier record of home deliveries

Majid Al Futtaim Properties reported in its 2023 financial statements that more than 900 homes had been handed over in Elan, the first neighbourhood at Tilal Al Ghaf. That is a different kind of milestone from an announcement that a first batch has begun. It gives a buyer an established phase to ask about within a master community built in stages. For a particular townhouse, check the title and whether anyone is living in it. The developer’s earlier handover count tells you about the phase, while the current seller and manager can confirm whether you could occupy the home and when. Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ 2023 financial statements

Tilal Al Ghaf’s master community declaration distinguishes communal parts of the lagoon from private sections reserved for certain properties. It also says resident access is subject to rules and restrictions. If the lagoon is part of your decision, ask which section Elan residents can use, what access rules apply and what is operating when you visit. The declaration describes how access is structured. Current rules and any temporary restrictions are questions for community management. Tilal Al Ghaf master community declaration

For Elan, use the visit to test the route between the home and the places you expect to use. Ask which gate your address is assigned to and whether there is pedestrian access to any shared facility that matters to you. Then do the same check from a home in another Tilal Al Ghaf phase if you are comparing the two. Even within one development, a short distance on a sales map can involve a different gate, access rules or a route that only works by car. Ask management for the current route and check it from the house. Master community rules and phased development

Compare what each handover record proves

Use the phase and the date together when you compare the evidence. The first handovers at Santorini matter because they show the master development had begun to receive homeowners. Deyaar’s update is about the last residential district of a named apartment community, where the arrival experience also depends on the particular tower. The Elan figure gives a count from an earlier reporting period. None of those measures gives you the current number of units for sale or rent. Ask for availability and the move-in date for the specific unit you are offered. Santorini handover record · Jannat handover record · Elan delivery record

Verify a normal weekday from the actual address

Start with one routine that would be difficult to change, such as a school drop-off or the first commute of the day. Check which gate you can use and how the route connects to the road you need. If you expect to walk somewhere, follow the pedestrian route from the entrance and check crossings and access-controlled doors. Then choose one errand, such as buying groceries or collecting a prescription. Confirm the outlet and its hours with the operator and test the journey from the home. A shop in a neighbouring development can be useful even if you need to drive there. An internal shop can also be convenient if there is a direct path from your building.

For leisure facilities, ask for the exact entrance and the current resident access terms. A pool listed among the project features, a lagoon being commissioned in phases and a facility governed by a master community declaration each call for a different check. Ask whether your unit has access now and who issues the card or booking credentials. If access begins later, record the answer separately from the handover date. That makes it easier to compare what you will use immediately with what you can wait for. Jannat facility descriptions · DAMAC phased commissioning update · Tilal Al Ghaf access framework

Ask the manager how the first day works for your unit. For an apartment, check whether you need to book a service lift and where the truck can stop. For a townhouse, ask how the gate admits movers and where large items can be unloaded. If you expect to work from home, confirm which internet provider can serve the address and how soon installation can be booked. Get the contact for building or community access and the contact for problems inside the home. Keep the confirmed dates together before setting a move. If you have two viewing appointments, ask each manager the same questions about vehicle access, deliveries and utility connections, then compare their written answers.

Before committing, put the home, the access route and the facilities you need on one page. For the home, record whether you have inspected it and who confirms the handover date. For the route, record the entrance and what you checked in person. For each facility, distinguish the operator’s confirmed access from a developer description or a plan. A phase with fewer facilities can suit your routine if the services you need are already available. A phase with more on the master plan may suit you if you have flexibility about when those services come into use.

Ask for a handover record that matches the deal you are offered

If you are buying a delivered home, ask the seller for the unit’s title and any handover paperwork they can share. Confirm which date ownership can transfer and when you will receive possession. If you are renting, ask the owner or manager to confirm the unit is ready for your tenancy and that you can register and set up services on the planned dates. If a viewing takes place in a different home with a similar layout, arrange to see the actual unit before committing. The conditions inside the home and the route to its door are part of the comparison.

For homes still being offered in a later phase, check the separate project record and ask where the handover timeline appears in the draft contract. An earlier delivery in the same community gives you a useful reference for questions about layout and management, but later work may involve a different contractor, entrance or amenity schedule. Write down which promises are specific to the phase you are considering, then ask what evidence you can expect to receive as it progresses. Dubai Land Department’s project status enquiry

If two homes fit your budget, use the evidence you gathered to compare how soon each can support the life you plan to lead. For Santorini, that means confirming the cluster and the facilities currently available to it. At Jannat, the tower and its connection to the rest of Midtown matter. In Elan, check the particular home’s availability and the access rules that apply to its address. Those checks turn a master plan into a decision about an actual home.