Guides to off-plan Dubai
DLD project status: how to check any Dubai project
What ACTIVE, FINISHED and the completion percentage really mean, how often the registry updates, and the fastest way to track changes automatically.
Read the guide →Registry basicsOqood explained: off-plan registration, certificate & fees
What the Oqood certificate proves, how to download yours from Dubai REST, what registration costs, and why it matters until the title deed exists.
Read the guide →HandoverSnagging in Dubai: process, checklist & choosing a company
When to snag, what a professional inspection covers, typical prices, and a room-by-room checklist you can take to your handover appointment.
Read the guide →HandoverThe handover process: from completion notice to keys
Every step between 100% construction and moving in: the notice, final payments, snagging window, key collection and what can go wrong at each stage.
Read the guide →Market dataBest off-plan projects in Dubai 2026 — ranked by real registry data
Ranked by verified construction pace, developer on-time record and price momentum from official DLD data — not by commission.
Read the guide →DevelopersEmaar vs Damac: delivery track records compared
Two of Dubai's biggest developers, compared on what the registry actually shows: on-time delivery, current portfolio progress and delay history.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsEscrow accounts: where your off-plan money actually sits
How Law 8 of 2007 protects your installments, when developers can draw funds, and how construction milestones control the money.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsHandover delayed? Your rights and options
Grace periods, compensation, and when you can walk away — what the SPA and RERA actually allow when a project runs late.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsWhat to do when your off-plan project stalls
How escrow protection actually works, when a quiet project becomes a worrying one, and the practical escalation path through RERA and DLD.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsCancelled projects: the RERA refund process
What happens when RERA cancels a project — the liquidation committee, how escrow refunds work, and realistic timelines.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsVerify before you buy: the 10-minute due-diligence check
How to confirm a project's DLD registration, its escrow account and the developer's real track record before you sign anything.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsOff-plan red flags: how buyers get burned
Unregistered projects, payments outside escrow, guaranteed-return promises and render-vs-reality gaps — the warning signs, with real examples.
Read the guide →Buyer's rightsThe SPA: clauses to check before you sign
Anticipated completion date, the 12-month grace clause, area-variance tolerance and penalty symmetry — the contract terms that decide disputes.
Read the guide →BuyingHow to buy off-plan in Dubai: the complete process
From choosing a project to Oqood registration: reservation, SPA, payment plans, fees and the checkpoints where buyers should slow down.
Read the guide →BuyingDLD fees explained — and the 4% “waiver” decoded
The 4% transfer fee, Oqood registration charges and admin costs, plus what a “DLD waived” promotion actually costs you.
Read the guide →BuyingPayment plans decoded: 60/40, 80/20, post-handover, 1% monthly
How construction-linked installments work, what post-handover plans really cost, and how to check a milestone invoice against certified progress.
Read the guide →BuyingMortgages on off-plan property
The 50% LTV rule for under-construction property, handover-triggered drawdowns, and how banks treat different developers.
Read the guide →BuyingSelling before handover: assignments, NOCs & thresholds
Most developers require 30–40% paid before resale. How assignment sales work, what NOCs cost, and how to price against real transactions.
Read the guide →BuyingGolden Visa through property: the AED 2M route
How off-plan purchases count toward the AED 2M threshold, the conditions that trip applicants up, and the process after handover.
Read the guide →HandoverMoving in: DEWA, chiller, gas, internet & access cards
The practical week-one checklist for a brand-new building — utility connections, district cooling surprises, and who to call for what.
Read the guide →HandoverFrom Oqood to Title Deed: your final ownership document
How and when the Oqood converts to a title deed after handover, the Dubai REST process, and typical timelines.
Read the guide →HandoverRenting out your new unit: realistic rents by area
Real achievable rents from official Ejari contracts, gross yields by area, the Ejari process and what agents charge.
Read the guide →OwningService charges: your first bill, explained
What service charges cover, how Mollak sets and audits them, typical AED/sqft by building type, and what to do when a bill looks wrong.
Read the guide →Market dataDubai's supply pipeline: what actually hands over in 2026–2027
Launch announcements are marketing; certified construction progress is not. Delivery forecasts by area from the official registry.
Read the guide →DevelopersThe Developer Delivery Report 2026
The annual ranking of Dubai developers by measured on-time delivery — the citable edition of the live reliability league table.
Read the guide →BuyingOff-plan vs ready: the honest comparison
The classic decision, answered with delay-risk statistics from the registry instead of broker talking points.
Read the guide →Market dataDo off-plan buyers actually make money?
Launch-to-handover price analysis from 100,000+ official DLD transactions: where buyers gained, where they didn't.
Read the guide →Market dataMarket Pulse: Dubai off-plan in Q3 2026
Prices, volumes, off-plan share and rents this quarter — the homepage numbers, narrated.
Read the guide →Market dataDubai off-plan delays 2026: how many projects are actually late
The share of Dubai's active off-plan market past its planned handover date, the median delay in months, and where delays cluster — from official DLD registry dates.
Read the guide →Registry basicsDLD vs RERA vs Dubai REST vs Mollak: who does what
The regulator, the registry, the app and the service-charge system — untangled in plain language.
Read the guide →Registry basicsThe off-plan glossary
Every term a Dubai off-plan buyer meets — Oqood, SPA, escrow, NOC, snagging, Ejari, assignment — each explained in a paragraph.
Read the guide →BuyingBuying from abroad: the overseas buyer's off-plan handbook
POA rules, remote SPA signing, moving money in, and how to keep eyes on your project's construction from 5,000 km away.
Read the guide →Written from what the registry actually shows — the same official data behind every page on this site. Spotted something outdated? Tell us and it ships with the next morning's rebuild.