DUBAI // A US website is offering an entire floor of the Burj Khalifa at auction - despite developer Emaar denying any knowledge of it.
The level, described as an "entire corporate floor above the 110th floor", is being offered by an American property auction portal, Freedom Realty Exchange, with bids starting at Dh19.9 million.
The company yesterday said that the online auction was being launched by Emaar Properties and would be accepting bids until June 28. But Emaar said it had nothing to do with the auction. A spokesperson said: "Burj Khalifa has not listed any such sales."
Freedom Realty Exchange's representative in Dubai, Heather Washington, said the auction was "completely legitimate". She declined to respond to Emaar's statement or to clarify whether the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) had approved the auction.
According to Rera, the authority is legally required to pre-approve any property auction in the emirate.
Freedom's website says bids for the auction will start at Dh19.9m, with a Dh400,000 deposit required to enter a sealed bid. Freedom Realty Exchange is owned and managed by LFC Internet Marketing, a member of the LFC Group in California.
"As far as notable real estate auctions, this one tops them all," Bill Lange, the president and chief executive of LFC Group, said in a statement. "The auction will attract serious buyers who understand that this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase an entire corporate floor in the Burj Khalifa at a price they determine through online bidding."
