Dubai property glossary
The terms you will meet when you buy, own or let a home in Dubai, from Ejari to Oqood, in plain English.
- BRNBroker Registration Number
- The registration number of an individual broker licensed by RERA. With the brokerage's ORN, it must appear in property adverts. Dubai property buying facts
- Completion certificate
- The certificate a planning authority issues when a building is complete: the Dubai Development Authority, Trakhees or Dubai Municipality, depending on the area. It starts the developer's ten-year liability for structural defects. Handover and snagging in Dubai
- Debt burden ratioDBR
- The share of income that goes on debt repayments. All monthly debt repayments together, a mortgage included, may not exceed 50% of income. How mortgages work in Dubai
- DLDDubai Land Department
- The Dubai government department that registers property sales, mortgages and leases and keeps the property register. Its regulatory arm is RERA.
- Dubai REST
- The Dubai Land Department's real estate app: service charges, lease registration, rental and sales indices, off-plan project tracking, broker checks and the developer's e-NOC for a sale.
- Ejari
- The system for registering tenancy contracts with RERA. Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 requires every lease to be registered. Renting out your Dubai property
- Escrow account
- The bank account of a development project into which off-plan buyers' payments are made. Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 the money may be used only to build that project. Buying off-plan in Dubai
- Form A
- The Dubai Land Department's standard contract between a seller and the broker marketing the property.
- Form B
- The Dubai Land Department's standard contract between a buyer and the broker acting for them.
- Form FMOU
- The Dubai Land Department's standard sale contract between buyer and seller, recording the price, the deposit and the transfer date. By custom the buyer pays a 10% deposit when it is signed. How to buy a home in Dubai, step by step
- Freehold
- Outright ownership with no time limit. Under Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006, non-UAE nationals can own freehold property in the areas designated for it.
- Golden Visa
- A long-term UAE residence visa. Property investors in Dubai can apply with property worth AED 2 million or more. The Golden Visa through property
- Handover
- The delivery of a completed home to its buyer. It starts the developer's one-year liability for defective installations. Handover and snagging in Dubai
- Leaseholdusufruct
- The right to use and benefit from property for a fixed term. Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 allows non-UAE nationals to hold it for up to 99 years in designated areas.
- Loan-to-valueLTV
- A mortgage as a share of the property's price. The Central Bank of the UAE caps it at 80% for an expatriate's first home up to AED 5 million, down to 50% for an off-plan home. How mortgages work in Dubai
- Madmoun
- The QR code issued with each Trakheesi advertising permit, which lets anyone confirm a property advert is approved. It has been required on printed and video adverts since 24 April 2023.
- Management entity
- The company that manages a jointly owned building or community and collects service charges under Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019. Owners are represented by an owners committee. Service charges in Dubai
- Mollak
- RERA's system for regulating jointly owned property: service charge budgets, owners' invoices and oversight of management companies. Service charges in Dubai
- NOCNo-objection certificate
- The developer's certificate that it does not object to a resale. For a sale in a freehold area DLD requires the electronic version, the e-NOC, issued through Dubai REST.
- Off-plan
- A home bought from the developer before it is built, paid in stages under a payment plan. Buying off-plan in Dubai
- Oqood
- The Dubai Land Department's interim register for off-plan homes, which records the buyer before a title deed exists. Registration costs 4% of the price plus AED 20. Buying off-plan in Dubai
- ORNOffice Registration Number
- A brokerage's registration number with RERA. It must appear in the brokerage's property adverts. Dubai property buying facts
- Payment plan
- The schedule of payments for an off-plan home: a first payment on booking, instalments during construction and a balance at or after handover.
- Registration trustee
- A DLD-approved centre that registers property sales and mortgages. Its fee on a sale is AED 4,000 plus VAT, or AED 2,000 plus VAT under AED 500,000. What it costs to buy property in Dubai
- RERAReal Estate Regulatory Agency
- The regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department. It approves service charges, registers leases through Ejari and regulates brokers and property advertising.
- Service Charge Index
- The Dubai Land Department's service for looking up the service charges RERA has approved for a jointly owned property, on the DLD website or in Dubai REST.
- Service charges
- The annual charges owners pay to manage, operate, maintain and repair jointly owned property. RERA must approve them. Service charges in Dubai
- Smart Rental Index
- The Dubai Land Department's rent index since January 2025, which classifies buildings by specification, finishes, location and facilities. Rent increases at renewal depend on how far a rent sits below its average. Renting out your Dubai property
- Snagging
- Inspecting a new home before accepting it and listing defects and unfinished work for the developer to fix. It is an industry practice, not a legal procedure. Handover and snagging in Dubai
- SPASale and purchase agreement
- The developer's sale contract for an off-plan home, setting out the price, the payment plan and the completion terms. Every off-plan sale must be entered in DLD's interim register.
- Title deed
- The Dubai Land Department's certificate of ownership, issued when a sale is registered in the property register. The issuance fee is AED 250.
- Trakheesi
- The Dubai Land Department's system for issuing property advertising permits. Every property advert must show its Trakheesi permit number.