Before you pay any off-plan deposit in Dubai or Ras Al Khaimah, run these ten checks. They take minutes, and they are the difference between buying a home and buying a problem.
Before you pay anything
- The developer is registered and licensed. In Dubai, check the DLD and RERA register or the Dubai REST app. In Ras Al Khaimah, check with the emirate's real estate regulator. Do not rely on the brochure.
- The project is registered and allowed to be sold. Ask for the project registration and, in RAK, the sale permit, and verify them yourself.
- You know the escrow account and pay only into it. Each project should have its own escrow account, named in your SPA. If anyone asks you to pay elsewhere, stop and check.
- Your purchase is registered. In Dubai, off-plan purchases are registered in the DLD system (Oqood); ask for the certificate. In RAK, ask what the equivalent registration is and get proof.
The paper
- Read the whole SPA, not the summary. Look for the payment schedule, the handover date, what happens if handover is late, cancellation terms and who pays which fees.
- The payment plan adds up to 100%. Write every instalment as date, percentage and amount in AED, then add them up.
- The handover date comes from the SPA, not a listing. Ask what remedy you have if it slips.
The money
- You know where the big handover payment comes from. If it is financing, talk to a bank before you pay the deposit, not at handover.
- You have every extra cost in writing. Registration fees, admin fees, service charges and any broker fee, with who pays each.
The promises
- Every perk or view you are paying for is in writing. A sea view, a status perk or a service level is not a guarantee until it is in the contract.
Keep a file
Reservation form, SPA, payment receipts, registration certificate, developer messages, construction updates and any change notices.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm current requirements with DLD and RERA in Dubai, the Ras Al Khaimah authorities, and a lawyer before you sign or pay.
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