How to Check an Off-Plan Project in Dubai Before You Buy

An off-plan purchase is a promise you pay for over several years. Most projects in Dubai are delivered, and the rules around off-plan sales are among the strictest in the region — but the checks below are still worth an afternoon before you commit.

1. The project is registered

A developer may only market and sell a project once it is registered with the Dubai Land Department and approved by RERA. Look the project up in the DLD's Dubai REST app or on the DLD website and note its project number. If you cannot find it, ask why before paying anything.

2. It has an escrow account

Dubai's escrow law (Law No. 8 of 2007) requires buyers' payments for an off-plan project to go into an escrow account opened for that project at an approved bank. The money is released for construction as it progresses. Check that the account in your SPA and payment instructions is the project's escrow account.

3. Construction is moving

Dubai REST shows the reported completion percentage of registered projects. For a project that launched some time ago, compare its progress with the handover date you are being promised.

4. The developer has delivered before

• How many projects has the developer completed in Dubai?
• Were they handed over close to the promised date?
• Visit a finished building: look at the finishing, the lifts, the common areas, and ask residents how maintenance works.
• For a newer developer, look at who stands behind it and how far its first projects have progressed.

5. The land and the plans match

Check that the plot is where the brochure says, and what is planned around it. A sea or park view in a render can depend on land nearby that has not been built yet.

6. The broker is registered

Real estate brokers in Dubai must be registered with RERA and carry a broker registration number (BRN). Ask for it, and check that the brokerage is licensed.

7. The advert has a permit

Property adverts in Dubai need a permit from the DLD's Trakheesi system, and the permit number appears on the advert. A listing without one is a reason to ask more questions.

8. The SPA says what you were told

Read the SPA against the brochure and the offer you received: unit size, specification, price, every instalment, the completion date, late-delivery terms, default terms, resale conditions and the estimated service charges. What is in the SPA is what counts.

9. The payment plan is affordable if things slip

Handover dates can move. Make sure you can still meet the handover payment if it arrives later — or earlier — than planned, and if mortgage terms change by then.

10. You know the exit

Know before you buy whether and when you can resell before handover, what the developer charges for an assignment, and what share of the price must be paid first.

Red flags

• Pressure to pay a large amount before you have seen an SPA.
• A project or developer you cannot find on the DLD's systems.
• Instructions to pay into a personal account or one that is not the project's escrow account.
• A “guaranteed return” that is not written into the contract.
• A broker who will not give a BRN or a permit number.

Questions people ask

How do I check if a project is registered with RERA?

Use the Dubai Land Department's Dubai REST app or website to look up the project and the developer. A registered project has a project number and shows its escrow account and construction progress.

Should I pay a developer directly or into an escrow account?

Instalments for a registered off-plan project should go into the project's escrow account. Be wary of any request to pay instalments into a personal or unrelated account.

What is a red flag when buying off-plan?

Pressure to pay before you see an SPA, a project you cannot find on the DLD's systems, payments to accounts that are not the project's escrow account, and a broker who cannot show a RERA registration number.