Investing in DubaiA decree on rents in Dubai, right, should lower inflation and soften the property market there, according to estate agent Hamptons International, which has opened a new office in the emirate.

On January 1st, Dubai's government capped annual rent increases at 7 per cent. It has also passed a condominium law which will make investors' rights and obligations clearer. Hamptons is predicting that the property market in Dubai will stabilise in 2007 as a result of these laws.