Guides
Longer notes on the questions that come up most. Each one ends with a short checklist.
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Buying off-plan in the UAE: what to check
Developer track record, escrow accounts, the sale and purchase agreement, payment plans, financing and handover.
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Service charges explained
What they cover, why they differ, how they are set and checked in Dubai, and what they do to a rental yield.
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Renting vs buying in Dubai
One-off costs, running costs, flexibility, residency and a simple way to compare the two.
Official sources worth knowing
Rules change, and summaries (including mine) go out of date. These are the bodies I check first. Search for them by name and use their own websites and apps rather than third-party copies.
- Dubai Land Department (DLD): property registration, off-plan project records, the service charge index and the rental index for Dubai. Its regulatory arm is the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA).
- Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre: the property regulator for the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
- Central Bank of the UAE: the rules that cap how much banks may lend against property.
- Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) and, in Dubai, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA): residence visas, including those linked to property ownership.
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (Oman): ownership rules for foreigners and Integrated Tourism Complexes.
Unsure about a term? See the glossary.