How buying off-plan in Dubai works
You reserve a unit and sign a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with the developer. The sale is then registered on DLD's Interim Real Estate Register (Oqood), and you pay instalments on the agreed schedule until handover. Once the project is complete and registered with DLD, the title deed is issued for units that are fully paid.
Key points at each stage:
- Registration: Dubai law requires sales of off-plan units to be recorded on the Interim Real Estate Register. A sale that is not registered is treated as null and void.
- Fees: DLD charges a registration fee of 4% of the property's value. DLD has said that the buyer pays this fee to the developer, who then completes the registration. Our DLD fees guide lists every charge.
- Instalments: DLD says the payment schedule is based on construction progress. Before you pay an instalment, you can ask the developer for a letter from the DLD-approved project consultant confirming the completion percentage.
- Handover: DLD says developers must register completed projects as soon as they receive the completion certificate. Fully paid units then move from the Interim Register to the Real Estate Register, and the title deed is issued.
For the full process, read our Oqood guide and the off-plan buying guide.
Protections built into Dubai's off-plan rules
Dubai's off-plan rules are designed so that buyers' money is used to build the project they bought into. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, a developer that wants to sell off-plan must open a separate escrow account for each project with a DLD-accredited escrow agent. Buyers' payments are deposited into that account.
- Ring-fenced funds: the law reserves the escrow account for building that project only. The developer's creditors cannot claim the money in it.
- Retention after completion: once the completion certificate is issued, 5% of the escrow account is held back. It is released one year after the units are registered in buyers' names.
- Registration before sale: to register a project, DLD requires a 30% guarantee, among other conditions. The developer can meet it by completing 30% of construction, providing a bank guarantee for 30% of construction, or depositing the equivalent in cash.
- Cancelled projects: under the Interim Register law as amended in 2017, if RERA cancels a project by reasoned decision, the developer must refund all buyers' payments, following the procedures in the escrow law.
These rules reduce your risk without removing it. Delays, changes to specifications and resale conditions still depend on your SPA and on the developer. Our escrow and RERA guide explains each safeguard.
How to use these listings
Start with the filter that matters most to you, then narrow down from there. The count at the top of the page reflects the current listings.
- By property type: apartments, villas and townhouses.
- By area: community pages such as JVC, Business Bay and Dubai Hills Estate, or the full list of areas.
- By developer: projects grouped by developer, including Emaar and Sobha.
- By handover year: projects due to complete in 2026, 2027 or 2028.
- By budget and payment plan: under AED 1 million, from AED 2 million, or flexible payment plans.
On each project page, check the payment plan, the expected handover date and the developer before you enquire. If you want the latest releases first, go to new launches.
Checks to make before you pay a deposit
Check the project with DLD before you pay anything. You can do most of these checks online through DLD's own services.
- Confirm the project is registered. DLD's Project Status Enquiry lets you search by project name, project number or land number and shows the completion percentage. You can also use it through DLD's WhatsApp service on 8004488.
- Find the escrow account. The Dubai REST app shows off-plan buyers the project's escrow account number, construction progress and site photos. Make every payment to that account.
- Read the SPA. Check the handover date and any grace period, the payment schedule, the specifications, and what happens if the final floor area differs from the plan.
- Budget the full cost. Add the 4% DLD fee, the AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees, mortgage registration (0.25% of the loan) if you are borrowing, and the service charges you will pay after completion.
- Check the developer. Look at completed projects and the developer's record on delivery dates using our developer checklist.
If anything doesn't match what you were told, stop and ask the developer to confirm it in writing.
