The verdict in three sentences
In Dubai, a local agency is often the better pick for a property manager that wants a native Arabic and English site, meetings in Business Bay or JLT and a photographer on site; some local freelancers are also cheaper than Kolonell. A remote studio like Kolonell makes sense when your landlords are international investors, often English or French speaking, and you want natively written copy delivered at a fixed price of 2 900, 4 900 or 8 900 USD in 3 to 4 weeks. The choice comes down to your landlords' language, the tenant portal (quoted on request at Kolonell) and ownership of the domain.
Which criteria should you compare in Dubai?
Local prices are prudent ballparks, drawn from public rate cards of UAE agencies, minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co for Dubai agencies and rates visible on Upwork and Fiverr. The dirham is pegged to the dollar at about 3.67 AED to 1 USD.
| Criterion | Local Dubai agency | Local freelancer | Remote studio (Kolonell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, 2026 ballpark | 20 000 to 120 000 AED (5 400 to 32 700 USD) | 4 000 to 15 000 AED (1 100 to 4 100 USD) | 2 900 / 4 900 / 8 900 USD, fixed |
| In-person meetings | Yes | Often | No: Google Meet calls |
| Property photos and video | Often offered | Sometimes | Not included: your images or a local photographer |
| Arabic | Often native | Variable | Supplied by you or quoted separately |
| Native English or French | English variable, French rare | Variable | Included |
| Time zone | Yours | Yours | Team on GMT, 4 hours behind Dubai |
| Timeline | 6 to 12 weeks | 3 to 8 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Ownership | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
To be clear: if your only criterion is the price of a simple site, a Dubai freelancer will cost less. Kolonell brings native copywriting, a project manager reachable at your hour with a written update every week, a fixed price and full ownership. Details are on our international website offer.
When is the Dubai agency the right choice?
- Your landlords and tenants read Arabic first. Native Arabic copy, proofread by a local team, is best done locally.
- You publish many video tours of flats in Dubai Marina, Downtown or Jumeirah Village Circle: an agency with a film crew on site saves weeks.
- You want a tenant portal tied to your management software (Yardi, AppFolio or a regional tool) with rent payments and maintenance requests. That is an application, quoted on request at Kolonell; an agency that knows your tool may move faster.
- You work through frequent office meetings, with sign-off by the managing director face to face.
When does a remote studio fit?
The remote model works well when the site's job is to reassure non-resident landlords: they want to know who collects the rent, how the lease is registered, what management costs and how they are kept informed. Kolonell delivered, for instance, the trilingual French, English and Arabic site of Orven Properties, an off-plan real estate advisory in Dubai for international investors, with project pages, investor guides and WhatsApp enquiries.
| Element | Starter 2 900 USD | Growth 4 900 USD | Premium 8 900 USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services (long-term management, short-term letting, maintenance) | 1 page | 1 page per service | Detailed pages with process |
| Community pages | No | 3 to 5 communities | Up to 10 communities |
| Landlord form (project, community, property type) | Simple | Qualified | Qualified with documents |
| Guide for non-resident landlords | No | 1 guide | Several guides |
| WhatsApp contact button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bilingual FR/EN site | No | No | Included; Arabic supplied or quoted separately |
| Support | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months |
Payment is by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff, 50 % on delivery.
Which rules and needs apply to a Dubai property manager?
In Dubai, real estate activity falls under RERA and the Dubai Land Department; residential leases are registered through the Ejari system. Short-term holiday home letting requires a permit from Dubai's tourism authority. Your site can explain these steps in general terms and display your real registration numbers, without promising yields, occupancy rates or letting timelines.
For data, the federal personal data protection law (PDPL) applies to mainland companies; firms set up in free zones such as the DIFC follow their own rules. Keep forms to the minimum, especially for passport copies: a secure tool is better than email. Aiming for WCAG 2.2 AA improves accessibility for every visitor. This is not legal advice.
Which questions should you ask both suppliers?
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- Who writes the Arabic, English and French, and who proofreads them?
- Are the domain and hosting in your name?
- Does the landlord form feed your CRM or only an inbox?
- What does a new community page cost after launch?
- Is the tenant portal included, quoted separately or postponed?
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Karim H. runs a 9-person property manager handling about 320 flats, half of them for landlords living in Europe. A Dubai agency offers 70 000 AED, about 19 100 USD, for an Arabic and English site. A local freelancer offers 12 000 AED, about 3 300 USD, without copywriting. Karim picks Kolonell Premium at 8 900 USD for a French and English site, plus about 1 500 USD of Arabic translation by a Dubai translator: 10 400 USD in total, 8 700 USD less than the agency and 7 100 USD more than the freelancer. He pays the difference for native French copy aimed at his European landlords.
FAQ
Can Kolonell write the site in Arabic?
No, Arabic is supplied by you or quoted separately. We write natively in English and French; a bilingual FR/EN site is included in Premium at 8 900 USD.
Is the time difference a problem?
The team is on GMT, 4 hours behind Dubai all year. Google Meet calls fit into your day, usually late morning or afternoon in Dubai.
Can you organise a shoot of the flats?
No, Kolonell does no shooting and no visits. You supply your photos or book a local photographer for 10 to 20 properties.
How long does launching the site take?
Allow 3 to 4 weeks on Starter and Growth, usually 4 to 6 weeks on Premium according to the written schedule set at kickoff.
Is the tenant portal included?
No, it is an application quoted on request. The tiers at 2 900, 4 900 and 8 900 USD cover the public site.
Let's scope your project. Send us your services, your communities and your landlords' languages, and we reply with a fixed-price tier and delivery in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
