Image Source: Tiger Downtown Ajman

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Written by Will Jones 

For years, Dubai has dominated the conversation around property investment in the UAE. Yet if you talk to brokers today or look at recent transaction numbers, another story is emerging. Ajman, the country’s smallest emirate, is quietly turning into one of the most interesting markets for investors who want both lifestyle and returns, and Tiger Downtown Ajman sits right at the center of that shift.

We went through the latest market reports and official announcements on Ajman and found a clear pattern. Transaction values have climbed sharply in the last two years, with total real estate deals in 2024 reaching about 20.5 billion dirhams, up more than 20 percent year on year. Some analysts now describe Ajman as a value market in the “early growth” phase rather than a niche alternative to Dubai.

Yields are a big part of that story. Detailed breakdowns of rents and prices show average residential rental returns in Ajman often ranging between about 8 and 10 percent, with studios and one-bedroom apartments typically at the higher end of that band. That is before you add the premium that furnished, resort-style communities can command.

Against this backdrop, Tiger Downtown Ajman is not just another launch. It is a full-scale lagoon front city, backed by one of the UAE’s longest-established developers, built in a market that is finally on the radar of serious investors.

A resort-style masterplan, not just a tower

Tiger Downtown Ajman is planned as a complete community. The official launch materials and project brochures describe a 5-million-square-meter master plan with 76 buildings arranged around a central lagoon. Of those, 20 towers sit directly on the lagoon edge, while the remaining buildings form a perimeter with layered streets, parks, and inner courtyards.

At the heart of the community is a large man-made lagoon, roughly 375 meters long, framed by promenades, elevated walkways, and plazas. Around it, you have more than 25 named amenities: outdoor pools, a Jacuzzi and spa, gym and health club, tennis and other sports courts, linear parks, an amphitheater, kids' play areas, food truck zones, outdoor dining, and a central promenade with retail and cafes.

When you walk through the amenity list, what stands out is that it reads more like a resort than a typical apartment project. Residents can take a jog around the lagoon tracks in the morning, work from home or from a cafe on the promenade, then end the day by the water or at an outdoor cinema under lights. Families get nurseries, health facilities, playgrounds, and green spaces inside the community, so daily life does not require constant driving across the city.

Phase one, Orchid Towers, sets the tone. It introduces fully furnished studios, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, duplexes with two to four bedrooms, and a limited number of six-bedroom penthouses in some towers, all positioned to capture lagoon or park views. Units come ready to live in, which is important for investors who want to move quickly from purchase to rental without spending extra on anything.

Tiger Properties: a long track record behind a new Ajman landmark

We also looked at who is behind the project. Tiger Holding and Tiger Properties are not new entrants chasing a hot cycle. The company dates back to 1976 and lists around 50 years of experience, with more than 270 completed projects and about 12,000 employees across construction, real estate, facilities management, hospitality, and other sectors.

That scale matters in off-plan investing. You are not only buying into a master plan, but you are also trusting that the developer can deliver multiple phases over the years, maintain quality consistency, and keep the community intact so that values are protected. Tiger Properties has already delivered towers and communities in Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi before turning its attention to this large Ajman scheme.

In his official launch statement for Tiger Downtown Ajman, CEO of Tiger Properties, Eng. Amer Waleed Al Zaabi made the intent very clear:

“We continue to strengthen our presence in the real estate market through high-quality projects that meet the growing demand for ownership and investment.”

He went on to call Tiger Downtown a “significant addition” thanks to its location, amenities, and pricing, and confirmed that construction is planned over three years, with handover for the first phase in the fourth quarter of 2028.

Where lifestyle and numbers meet

From an investment perspective, we compared what Tiger Downtown Ajman is offering against the broader Ajman market. On pricing, current studio apartments in Orchid Towers are being marketed from roughly 420,000 dirhams, fully furnished. That gives you resort-style facilities and lagoon access at a price that is a fraction of equivalent waterfront stock in many Dubai districts, even after recent price rises there.

Then there is the flexible payment structure, which Tiger Properties describes as a 70/30 plan, with 20 percent down, installments through construction, and the balance after handover, often aligned around a one percent per month structure on certain unit types.

On the income side, Ajman is already known for strong apartment rental returns, with detailed yield studies showing average gross yields of around 8 to 10 percent in well-located buildings, and even higher for some smaller units. Property experts quoted in recent coverage of Ajman’s market highlight a combination of lower entry prices, rising tenant demand, and improving infrastructure as the main reasons yields have held up so well.

If you overlay that environment onto a new, highly amenitized community with furnished stock and strong lifestyle appeal, you have the ingredients for both rental premiums and long-term capital appreciation. Furnished apartments, in particular, often command higher rents than bare units, something Ajman market guides also point out.

A supportive legal and market framework

One concern many investors used to have about secondary cities in the region was regulation. Here again, Ajman has moved. In 2025, the emirate issued a new real estate law designed to increase transparency, protect investors, and encourage further development. The legislation covers contribution-based projects and introduces tighter oversight by the Department of Land and Real Estate Regulation, with a central register for projects and investor participation.

That sits on top of an already active market. Official and independent reports show Ajman’s real estate transaction values growing strongly through 2024 and 2025, with both local and foreign buyers playing a role. Analysts now frame Ajman as a market where prices are still relatively low by UAE standards but where the growth curve is clearly pointing upward.

For a large-scale, multi-phase project like Tiger Downtown Ajman, the regulatory and market backdrop is important. It means you are not relying only on the developer’s promises; the wider environment is set up to support completion and long-term operation.

Community living that encourages people to stay

Beyond numbers and laws, we also looked at how Tiger Downtown Ajman is planned as a place where people actually want to live for the long haul. The master plan allocates substantial space to parks, promenades, and family facilities, along with schools, nurseries, health centers, mosques, and everyday services.

In practical terms, that means a resident can start the day with a run around the lagoon, send children to school within or near the community, work in the city or remotely, and still come back to a setting that feels more like a holiday destination than a typical urban block. Over time, it is communities like this that tend to hold their value, because tenants stay longer and end users are reluctant to sell.

As Eng. Amer Waleed Al Zaabi summed it up in his closing remarks at launch: the aim is to “deliver projects that elevate the residential experience and meet client aspirations,” with Tiger Downtown Ajman positioned as a flagship example of that strategy.

Who should be looking at Tiger Downtown Ajman now

From an investment point of view, Tiger Downtown Ajman speaks to three main profiles.

• UAE residents who feel priced out of prime Dubai waterfront districts but still want water views and a strong amenity base.


• Overseas investors searching for higher yields than they might find in more mature global markets, without stepping into speculative or unregulated territory.


• End users who plan to live in Ajman or commute to Sharjah and Dubai, and who want a home that feels like a resort rather than a compromise.

After looking through the project documents, market data, and the developer’s own history, the picture that emerges is consistent. Tiger Downtown Ajman is designed as a place where you can live well, invest sensibly, and be part of a community that is likely to grow in both scale and value over the coming years.

Bookings for Orchid Towers have already begun through Tiger Properties, with a dedicated sales team handling enquiries by phone, email, and online. For investors who want to combine resort-style living with serious returns in a rising emirate, this is one launch that deserves a closer look while early-phase pricing is still on the table.