Ready or off-plan: which apartment route suits you?
Choose a ready apartment if you want to move in or rent it out straight away; choose off-plan if you can wait for completion and would rather pay in instalments. Neither is automatically better. The right choice depends on your timeline, your cash flow and how much construction risk you are willing to carry.
With a ready apartment you can inspect the actual unit, check the building's running costs and compare it with similar flats nearby. The sale is registered at a DLD trustee office, and in freehold areas the developer must issue an electronic no-objection certificate (NOC) before the transfer.
With an off-plan apartment you buy from the developer before completion and pay according to its payment plan, usually spread across construction and sometimes continuing after handover. Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 requires a developer selling off-plan to open a project escrow account; buyers' payments are deposited into it, and no attachment may be imposed on them for the benefit of the developer's creditors. The trade-offs are delivery risk and the fact that you buy from plans rather than a finished home.
Our guide to off-plan vs ready property compares the two side by side, and escrow and RERA protection explains the safeguards.
What it costs to buy an apartment in Dubai
Budget for a 4% DLD registration fee plus several smaller fixed charges, and a little more if you borrow. These are paid on top of the purchase price, so build them into your budget from the start.
DLD's published fee schedule for registering a sale includes:
- Registration fee: 4% of the sale value, listed as 2% from the buyer and 2% from the seller. Your sale contract states who actually pays it, so check that clause.
- Title deed and map: AED 250 for the title deed and AED 250 for the map, plus knowledge and innovation fees of AED 10 each.
- Trustee office (service partner) fee: AED 4,000 plus VAT where the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, or AED 2,000 plus VAT below that, which can apply to smaller studios.
- Mortgage registration: 0.25% of the mortgage value, if you use a home loan.
Apartment owners also pay annual service charges for the building's shared areas. You can check the RERA-approved charges for a jointly owned building in DLD's Service Charge Index before you commit.
For the full picture, read our DLD fees guide and the step-by-step guide to buying property in Dubai.
Where to look for an apartment in Dubai
Start with how you will use the apartment: commute, schools and lifestyle if you will live in it, or tenant demand and service charges if you will let it. Dubai's apartment communities range from central business districts to waterfront towers and quieter inland neighbourhoods, and each suits a different buyer.
- Central districts: Downtown Dubai and Business Bay.
- Waterfront: Dubai Marina, Dubai Creek Harbour and Emaar Beachfront.
- Established apartment communities: Jumeirah Lake Towers and Jumeirah Village Circle.
- Inland neighbourhoods: Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai Sports City and Arjan.
Within any area, compare building quality, service charges and how many new towers are due nearby, as fresh supply affects resale and rental competition. Our guide to where to buy off-plan in 2027 and rental yields by community guide go deeper.
Buying an apartment with a mortgage
You can usually borrow, but the deposit you need depends on your residency status, the property's value and whether it is ready or off-plan. The Central Bank of the UAE sets maximum loan-to-value (LTV) limits that banks, finance companies and other mortgage lenders must follow:
- Expatriates, first home: up to 80% of the value below AED 5 million, and up to 70% above it.
- UAE nationals, first home: up to 85% at AED 5 million or less, and up to 75% above it.
- Second homes and investment property: up to 60% for expatriates and 65% for UAE nationals.
- Off-plan property: up to 50%, whatever the buyer or value.
The maximum loan term is 25 years, and your total debt repayments cannot exceed 50% of your gross salary and regular income. Remember that DLD fees come on top of the deposit.
Because the off-plan limit is lower, plan how you will fund construction-stage instalments before you sign. Read how to get a mortgage in Dubai and our off-plan mortgage guide, or model instalments with the off-plan payment calculator.
