How to verify an off-plan project before you pay

Everything that protects an off-plan buyer in Dubai depends on registration: of the project, of the escrow account, of your unit, of the developer, of the advertisement and of the agent. Each of these is checkable, most of them for free, through the Dubai Land Department's own channels. This guide puts the checks in order, says what each one proves, and tells you what to do when one fails. It assumes no legal knowledge and no local contacts; an overseas buyer can run all of it from a phone.

Before you start: what you need from the seller

Ask the developer or the agent, in writing, for:

1. The project's DLD project registration number
2. The developer's registration number with RERA
3. The project's escrow account: bank, account name, account number
4. The Trakheesi permit number for the advertisement you saw
5. The agent's BRN and the brokerage's ORN
6. The plot number or land title the project is being built on
7. A copy of the reservation form and SPA before you sign anything

A seller who can provide all seven within a day is normal. A seller who cannot, or who treats the request as unusual, has told you what you need to know.

Check 1: the project is registered with the DLD

Open the Dubai REST app, the DLD's official app, and search for the project by name or registration number. The record shows whether the project is registered and its status. Then cross-check the DLD projects dataset on Dubai Pulse, which lists every registered project with its status, percentage completed, date of last inspection and escrow account number. This dataset is public and refreshed by the DLD; it is the source for the verification block on our project pages.

What it proves: the project legally exists as an off-plan development, the developer has met the registration conditions, and an escrow account has been opened.

If it fails: stop. There is no escrow, no Oqood and no RERA oversight for an unregistered project. "Pre-launch" sales taken before registration, often on a promise that it will follow, carry the full risk with none of the protection.

Check 2: the escrow account matches

Compare the escrow account details the seller gave you with the account on the DLD record. Bank, name and number should match exactly. Pay only to that account, by bank transfer or manager's cheque, and keep the bank's confirmation naming the project and your unit.

What it proves: your money will sit in the project's escrow account, released only against certified construction progress, and visible to RERA.

If it fails: do not pay. A payment to any other account, including an agent's company, a "holding" account or a developer's general account, is outside the protection entirely, whatever receipt you are given. The escrow and Oqood guide explains why.

Check 3: the developer is registered

Look up the developer in the Dubai REST app. A registered developer has a RERA registration and a record of its projects. Read that record: how many projects, how many completed, and when. The Dubai Pulse dataset lets you see the developer's other projects with their status and completion percentages.

What it proves: the entity you are contracting with is licensed to develop and sell off-plan in Dubai, and you can see how it has performed before.

If it fails, or the record is thin: a developer with no completed project is not necessarily a bad one, but you are taking delivery risk on a track record of zero. Price that in, or choose a project with a developer that has delivered.

Check 4: the advertising permit (Trakheesi)

Every property advertisement in Dubai, from a portal listing to an Instagram post to a printed brochure, needs a permit issued through RERA's Trakheesi system, and the permit number should be shown on the ad. The permit ties the advertisement to a specific property and a specific advertiser. Check the number through the DLD.

What it proves: the advertisement was approved for that property by someone authorised to market it. It filters out the large volume of unauthorised listings, recycled renders and "exclusive allocations" from people with no mandate.

If it fails: the listing is unauthorised. The project may still be real, but you are not dealing with someone entitled to sell it. Go to the developer directly or to a broker who can show a valid permit.

Check 5: the broker is licensed

Ask for the agent's Broker Registration Number and the brokerage's Office Registration Number, and look both up in the Dubai REST app. The app shows the agent's name, photo, the brokerage they work for and whether the licence is current.

What it proves: the person advising you is licensed by RERA and accountable to it, and the brokerage is a real licensed office. Complaints and disputes go through RERA, which only helps if the broker is in the system.

If it fails: walk away from the intermediary, not necessarily from the project. Our own BRN and ORN appear in the footer of every page on this site for exactly this check.

Check 6: the land

Ask what the project is built on: the plot number and whether the developer owns the land or holds it under a development agreement with a master developer. The DLD record for the project links to the plot. For projects inside master communities (most of Dubai), the master developer's approval of the sub-development is part of registration.

What it proves: the developer has the right to build and sell on that land, and the project is not a scheme on land someone else controls.

If it fails: a project whose land position cannot be explained in one sentence is a project to avoid.

Check 7: the SPA and the payment plan

Read the Sale and Purchase Agreement before you sign the reservation form, not after. The reservation form often commits you to the SPA's terms and to a non-refundable booking amount. In the SPA, find and understand:

• The unit identification: number, floor, size, plot, and whether the size can change and by how much
• The completion date and the developer's permitted extensions
• The payment schedule and whether instalments are tied to construction milestones; the DLD registers payment plans, and a schedule that runs far ahead of the build is a risk
• The default clause: what the developer may do if you miss a payment, and what you may do if the developer is late
• Specification changes: what the developer may alter without your consent
• Service charges: the estimated rate per square foot
• Handover: the defects liability period and the process for snagging

What it proves: that the deal you were sold is the deal in the contract. The gap between a sales presentation and an SPA is where most disputes begin.

If it fails: negotiate or walk. A review by a lawyer costs a fraction of the deposit; the legal checks guide says when it is worth it.

Check 8: construction progress versus payments

The DLD record carries a completion percentage and the date of the last inspection. Compare it with the payment plan. A project that is 15% complete but has collected 50% of the price from buyers is holding a great deal of money against a small amount of building; escrow keeps that money in the project, but the gap is still a measure of risk. For a project already selling for a year or more, check how the completion figure has moved against the time elapsed.

What it proves: whether the build is actually happening at the pace the plan implies.

If it fails: a stalled completion figure with an active sales campaign is the most common early warning of a problem project.

Check 9: your own registration

After you sign and pay the first instalment plus the 4% registration fee, the developer registers your purchase in the Oqood interim register. Ask when, and follow up until you hold the Oqood certificate for your unit. Then check the record in the Dubai REST app under your own name.

What it proves: that you, specifically, own that unit on the DLD's register, and that the developer cannot sell it to anyone else.

If it fails: chase in writing; if it continues to fail, raise it with RERA. An unregistered sale is unenforceable against the DLD.

Red flags, in one list

• No DLD project number, or "registration in progress"
• A booking or EOI payment to any account other than the project escrow
• A discount for paying "directly" or in cash
• An advertisement with no Trakheesi permit number
• An agent who cannot give a BRN, or whose BRN does not match the app
• A reservation form that binds you to an SPA you have not seen
• A completion percentage that has not moved in six months
• Pressure to decide before "the allocation closes"
• A developer with no record of completed projects and a plan that collects most of the price early

Any one of these is a reason to pause. Two together is a reason to stop.

What portals check, and what they do not

Property portals offer their own verification badges, such as Bayut's TruCheck, which confirms that a listing's documents (an Oqood or SPA) were seen by the portal. That is useful for filtering listings. It is not the same as verifying the project: it does not tell you the project's DLD status, its completion percentage or its escrow account. Use the badge to pick listings, then run the checks above on the project.

How we do it

Every project page on this site is meant to carry the DLD project number, registration status, completion percentage, last inspection date and whether an escrow account is on record, with the date we last pulled the data. Where that block is empty, the data has not yet been imported for that project and you should run the checks yourself. We would rather show a gap than a guess.

If you want a second pair of eyes on a specific project, send the DLD number and we will run the same checks and tell you what we find, including anything we do not like.