Dubai off-plan, evaluated honestly.

How does Dubai law protect off-plan buyers?

An off-plan unit is sold before construction is finished, often before it starts. Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, every off-plan project must be registered with RERA and have its own escrow account at an approved bank. The developer draws on that account only as construction milestones are certified. Your purchase is registered on the DLD’s interim register, Oqood.

“Any Developer who wishes to sell Units off-plan must submit to the Department a request to open an Escrow Account.”

Dubai Law No. (8) of 2007, Article 6

That framework reduces fraud risk. It doesn’t remove delivery risk, supply risk or the risk of overpaying.

Quick check: before paying anything, verify the developer, the project’s RERA number and the escrow account on the Dubai REST app or the DLD website.

What five tests should every off-plan deal pass?

The stakes are large: off-plan accounted for about 69% of Dubai sales by volume in 2025 (149,290 transactions), according to DLD data compiled by DXB Interact via fäm Properties, and around 452,000 units were under construction at year end.

1. Developer delivery record. I look at the developer’s last completed projects: how late they were against the first promised date, finish quality at handover and how the buildings run now.
2. Supply at handover. How many similar units complete in the same community in the same window? Heavy simultaneous handovers hold rents and resale prices down.
3. Real service charges. Developer estimates are compared with what similar completed buildings are actually billed, using the DLD’s published service-charge rates.
4. Exit liquidity. If you need to sell before handover, what does the SPA allow, and what discount would a buyer expect? I model exits at different points in the payment plan.
5. Yield at today’s rents. Current rents for similar completed units, minus service charges, vacancy and letting costs. Below about 5% net, the deal is mostly a bet on prices rising.

If the numbers don’t add up, I say so and we walk away.

Are big-name developers always safer?

• Established master developers (Emaar, Sobha, Meraas, Nakheel): long delivery records and prime addresses, usually with a price premium and more conservative payment plans.
• Large, fast-moving developers (DAMAC, Select Group, Azizi and similar): big pipelines and more aggressive payment plans, with more variation between projects.
• Boutique and newer developers: the most generous terms and the most delivery risk. I consider these only with a verified escrow account, location merit independent of the brand, and completed buildings to inspect.

Questions I ask before you sign

• What is the realistic handover date, based on past delivery?
• What is the RERA project number, and which bank holds the escrow?
• How saturated will the community be at handover?
• What are real service charges at comparable completed buildings?
• What would a resale before handover realistically fetch?
• What does the SPA say about delay, cancellation and buyer default?

How an engagement runs

1. Discovery (free, 30 minutes): capital, timeline, risk tolerance, and whether this is investment or relocation.
2. Market analysis (about 5 working days): pricing benchmarks, supply in your target areas, DLD comparables and a shortlist of three to six projects.
3. Diligence (about 5–10 working days): developer record, RERA and escrow checks, site visits where relevant.
4. Transaction support: SPA review, payment-plan questions, escrow verification and handover inspection, executed with RERA-licensed brokers and conveyancers.

The method is written up in full in off-plan due diligence in Dubai and the 2026 off-plan market.