Buying off-plan in Dubai
How payment plans work, where your money is held, what you register with the Dubai Land Department, and what to check before you reserve.
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Off-plan or ready: how to choose in Dubai
How the two compare on payments, fees, mortgages, protection and moving in, using the rules that apply to each.
Side by side
| Ready home | Off-plan home | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | The price at transfer, after a deposit that by custom is 10% on Form F | In stages set by the payment plan, through construction and at or after handover |
| Dubai Land Department fee | 4% transfer fee plus AED 520 in title deed fees | 4% Oqood registration plus AED 20 |
| Other fees | Registration trustee fee, agency fee, developer NOC | Any administration charge the developer sets |
| Mortgage limit | Up to 80% for an expatriate's first home up to AED 5 million | Up to 50% |
| Where your money goes | To the seller at transfer | Into the project's escrow account |
| Moving in or letting | From the day of transfer | After handover |
| What you can inspect | The home itself | Plans, specifications and, where there is one, a show apartment |
When a ready home makes sense
- You need to move in, or start earning rent, soon
- You want to borrow more than half the price
- You want to see and inspect exactly what you are buying
When off-plan makes sense
- You would rather spread payments over the construction period
- You want a new home in a district that is still being built
- You can wait for handover and plan around the expected completion date
What to weigh
With a ready home, the questions are the condition of the home, the service charge, and the price against similar homes in the same building or community. With off-plan, they are the developer, the escrow account, what triggers each instalment, and what the sale agreement says about delays. Buying off-plan in Dubai lists the checks, and the buying costs calculator shows the fees on either.
Questions buyers ask
Is off-plan property cheaper than ready property in Dubai?
Not as a rule. Developers set off-plan prices and the resale market sets ready prices, so compare the price per square foot of similar homes in the same area, and remember an off-plan home can only be lived in or let after handover.
Which is easier to finance, off-plan or ready?
A ready home. Under the Central Bank of the UAE's limits a bank may lend up to 80% on an expatriate's first ready home worth up to AED 5 million, against 50% on an off-plan home.
Are the Dubai Land Department fees different?
Both pay 4% of the price. A ready home adds AED 520 in title deed fees and the registration trustee fee; Oqood registration of an off-plan home adds AED 20.
Where does my money go when I buy off-plan?
Into the project's escrow account, which under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 can be used only to build that project.
Sources
- Dubai Land Department: property sale registration
- Dubai Land Department: registering the initial (off-plan) sale
- Central Bank of the UAE: Resolution 31/2/2020 amending the mortgage regulations
- Khaleej Times: how expatriates take out a mortgage in the UAE (October 2024)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Law No. 8 of 2007 on escrow accounts
- Meraas: guide to Form F (April 2026)
Keep reading
Handover and snagging in Dubai
What happens when an off-plan home is completed: the completion certificate, your title deed, inspecting for defects, and how long the developer must put things right.
Read the guide