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It is how most international investors enter the Dubai market — transaction data from [DXB Interact](https://dxbinteract.com) shows off-plan sales accounting for well over half of all Dubai property transactions in recent years, and in strong launch months closer to 70%. The launch pricing, the payment plans and the first pick of units all sit in this segment. Here is how the process runs in practice, from launch day to title deed, including the protections the [Dubai Land Department](https://dubailand.gov.ae) has built around it and the risks that remain. Why buy off-plan at all ----------------------- Three reasons keep pulling buyers to launches instead of the secondary market. **Launch pricing.** Developers price early phases below comparable ready stock — typically 10–20% below, in our experience — and reprice later phases upward as the project sells through. Buyers in phase one of a well-chosen project effectively bank that spread before the first pile is driven. **Payment spreading.** Instead of paying 100% on transfer day (or financing it with a mortgage from day one), you pay a booking amount of 5–20% and then instalments spread across two to four years of construction. There is no interest on a developer payment plan; it is simply staged purchase price. For investors moving capital out of the Netherlands in tranches, that structure alone is often the deciding factor. **New stock, first pick.** At launch you choose from every layout, floor and view in the building. You get current specifications, and you get the statutory protections that come with new construction in Dubai: a one-year defects liability period and a ten-year structural warranty from the developer. Choosing the developer and the project -------------------------------------- Off-plan risk is developer risk, so this step matters more than any clause you negotiate later. Before we shortlist a project for a client we verify four things: - **Delivery track record.** What has this developer actually handed over, and how late? A name with fifteen delivered towers and average delays under six months is a different proposition from a first-time developer with a rendering. - **RERA registration and project status.** Every off-plan project must be registered with RERA and carry a project number. You can verify the project, its escrow account and its official completion percentage yourself through the Dubai REST app or [dubailand.gov.ae](https://dubailand.gov.ae) — if a project does not appear there, do not pay a dirham. - **The escrow account.** The reservation form and SPA must state the DLD-supervised escrow account number. Payments go to that account, never to a general company account. - **Location fundamentals.** Infrastructure timelines, surrounding supply, and realistic rental demand at handover — not the marketing brochure's version of them. 1. Launch day and reservation ----------------------------- New projects sell in launch phases, and the best-priced units go within days, sometimes within hours. Registered buyers submit an expression of interest (EOI) with a refundable deposit — usually AED 20,000–100,000 depending on the developer — before launch. On launch day they confirm a specific unit with a reservation form and a booking payment, typically 5–20% of the purchase price. The reservation form already states the unit, price, payment schedule and escrow account; read it as carefully as the contract itself, because it binds you. 2. The Sales & Purchase Agreement ------------------------------------- Within weeks you sign the SPA, the contract that fixes price, unit specification, payment schedule and the anticipated completion date. Points we check for every client: - the penalty and termination clauses on both sides; - the anticipated versus long-stop completion dates — the long-stop is the date after which you gain contractual remedies, and it typically sits 12 months beyond the anticipated date; - the permitted area tolerance (commonly 3–5%; you want compensation if the delivered unit is smaller); - what "fair wear" tolerance the specification allows on finishes and materials; - service-charge estimates for the community, in writing. 3. Escrow-protected payments ---------------------------- Every payment on a registered off-plan project goes into a DLD-supervised escrow account, mandatory under Dubai's Law No. 8 of 2007 — the core protection introduced after the 2008 crash, described on the [official UAE government portal](https://u.ae). The developer can only draw funds against construction progress certified by an independent engineer, and 5% of the project value is retained in the account for a year after completion to cover defects. Your money is ring-fenced for your building; it cannot be diverted to the developer's next project or its marketing budget. Typical plans run 60/40 or 80/20 (during construction / at or after handover), and some developers offer post-handover plans that stretch two to five years beyond completion — useful if you want rental income servicing the final instalments. ### What a 60/40 plan looks like on an AED 1.2M unit MilestoneInstalmentAmount (AED)Booking / reservation10%120,000SPA signing (within 30–60 days)10%120,00020% construction complete10%120,00040% construction complete10%120,00060% construction complete10%120,00080% construction complete10%120,000Handover40%480,000**Total****100%****1,200,000**Construction-linked milestones are the honest version of a payment plan: you pay when the independent engineer certifies progress, not on arbitrary calendar dates. Date-based plans exist and are not automatically bad, but they shift timing risk onto you. 4. Oqood registration and what the purchase actually costs ---------------------------------------------------------- Your purchase is pre-registered at the Dubai Land Department as an Oqood, the off-plan equivalent of a title deed. Registration is your legal proof of ownership of the contract — never skip or postpone it. The 4% DLD fee is usually due at this stage, though some launches absorb it as an incentive (in which case, check whether the "incentive" is already baked into the price). Cost itemTypical amount on AED 1.2MDLD registration fee (4%)AED 48,000Oqood admin fee~AED 40–1,000 depending on developer handlingDeveloper admin / booking feeAED 3,000–5,000Agent commissionUsually paid by the developer on off-plan**Indicative total on top of price****~AED 52,000–54,000**Budget roughly 4.5% on top of the purchase price and you will not be surprised. 5. Construction milestones and staying informed ----------------------------------------------- Developers publish progress reports and RERA publishes official completion percentages; we verify both against site visits before clients release milestone payments. Photographs from the developer's marketing team are not evidence — certified inspection reports and the DLD's own project status are. 6. Selling before handover -------------------------- If your plans change, off-plan contracts can usually be resold (assigned) before completion. The mechanics: - most developers require a minimum paid-in percentage first, commonly 30–40% of the purchase price; - the developer issues a No Objection Certificate (NOC), for which they charge a fee — typically AED 500–5,000, with a handful of developers charging more; - the new buyer takes over your SPA and remaining payment schedule, and pays their own 4% DLD fee on the resale price; - in a rising market, assignments routinely trade at a premium over the original launch price, which is how many investors exit off-plan positions without ever taking handover. 7. Snagging and handover ------------------------ At completion you inspect the unit (snagging): every wall, joint, fitting and appliance is checked against the SPA specification, defects are logged and the developer fixes them before — or contractually shortly after — you accept. We recommend a professional snagging firm; the AED 1,500–3,000 it costs is trivial against what a missed waterproofing defect costs later. You then pay the final instalment, take the keys, and the one-year defects liability period starts running. 8. Title deed, service charges and after ---------------------------------------- After handover the Oqood converts into a full title deed in your name at the DLD. From there you can furnish, let or move in. You also start paying service charges — the annual fee for maintaining the building and community, typically AED 10–30 per square foot per year depending on amenities. Budgets are approved and audited by RERA through the Mollak system, but the number still belongs in your yield calculation from day one, not as an afterthought. The protections — and their limits ---------------------------------- The framework is genuinely strong: escrow under Law 8 of 2007 ring-fences your money, Oqood registration secures your legal position, and if RERA cancels a stalled project, a committee liquidates the escrow account and refunds buyers from it. If a buyer defaults, Law 13 of 2008 sets a sliding scale of what the developer may retain, tied to the project's completion percentage — so even walking away is regulated, not arbitrary. What the framework does not protect you against: delays (compensation depends on your SPA, not on the law), a falling market at handover, or a developer that delivers on time but below the render's implied quality. Those risks are managed by developer selection, not by regulation — which is why we only shortlist projects from names with a verifiable delivery record. Frequently asked questions -------------------------- ### What happens if the developer delays the project? Delays of six to twelve months are common and, on their own, rarely give you an exit. Your remedies live in the SPA: once the long-stop date passes, most contracts allow termination and a refund of paid instalments from escrow. If a project stalls entirely, RERA can cancel it and refund buyers from the escrow account. Before that point, patience — and a developer chosen for its track record — is the real protection. ### Can I sell before handover, and what does it cost? Yes, by assignment, usually once you have paid in 30–40% of the price. The developer charges an NOC fee of roughly AED 500–5,000, and your buyer pays the 4% DLD fee on the resale price. In rising markets assignments often sell at a premium, making this a standard exit route. ### What does the escrow account actually protect? It protects your instalments from misuse: the developer can only draw against independently certified construction progress on your project, and 5% stays retained for a year after completion. It does not protect you against delays or price falls — it ensures the money builds your building or comes back to you if the project is cancelled. ### What exactly is snagging? The pre-handover inspection where the unit is checked against the contracted specification. Defects — misaligned doors, cracked tiles, faulty AC, poor sealant work — are listed and the developer must remedy them. Use a professional inspector; you only get real leverage before you accept the keys. ### What service charges should I expect after handover? Typically AED 10–30 per square foot per year, set by the community's RERA-approved budget. High-amenity towers sit at the top of that range. Ask for the estimate in writing at SPA stage and put it in your net-yield calculation. ### Do I pay the 4% DLD fee again on an assigned unit? Yes. The 4% registration fee applies to each transfer, so a buyer of an assigned off-plan contract pays it on the resale price, even though the original buyer already paid it at Oqood registration. *Considering a launch? [Contact us](/contact). We often have allocations before public release.* Ready for the next step? 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