The UAE property glossary
Every form, fee, acronym and process in UAE property, defined in plain English by people who use them daily. Search it mid-negotiation; each term has its own page with the practical detail nobody explains until it costs you money.
58 termsPlain answers, UAE-specific, every fee and form
Form AThe RERA contract between a seller and their broker in Dubai. Signing Form A authorises the agency to market the property, sets…FORMS & CONTRACTSForm BThe RERA contract between a buyer and their broker in Dubai. It defines what the buyer is looking for, the agreed commission…FORMS & CONTRACTSForm FThe RERA sale contract in Dubai, also called the MOU: the binding agreement between buyer and seller recording price, deposit…FORMS & CONTRACTSForm IThe RERA agent-to-agent contract in Dubai. When the buyer’s broker and the seller’s broker are different agencies, Form I records…FORMS & CONTRACTSForm UThe RERA form that terminates an existing listing agreement in Dubai. A seller signs Form U to end a Form A with one agency,…FORMS & CONTRACTSMOU (Memorandum of Understanding)In UAE property, the MOU is the signed agreement between buyer and seller that fixes the price, deposit and completion terms of a…FORMS & CONTRACTSSPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement)The developer’s contract for an off-plan purchase: the Sale and Purchase Agreement records the unit, price, payment plan…FORMS & CONTRACTSNOC (No Objection Certificate)A No Objection Certificate is the developer’s written confirmation that a property can be transferred: all service charges are…FORMS & CONTRACTSPower of Attorney (POA)A notarised document letting someone act for you in a UAE property transaction: sign contracts, attend the transfer, collect…FORMS & CONTRACTSDLD (Dubai Land Department)The Dubai Land Department is the government body that registers every property transaction in Dubai: sales, mortgages, leases and…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESRERAThe Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department. RERA licenses brokers and developers,…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESADRECThe Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, the emirate’s equivalent of the Dubai Land Department. ADREC regulates the Abu Dhabi market,…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESADGMAbu Dhabi Global Market, the international financial free zone on Al Maryah Island with its own courts and English common-law…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESEjariDubai’s mandatory tenancy registration system, run by the DLD. Every Dubai lease must be registered in Ejari, which makes the…RENTINGTawtheeqAbu Dhabi’s tenancy registration system, the emirate’s equivalent of Dubai’s Ejari. Leases in Abu Dhabi must be registered in…RENTINGTrakheesiThe DLD system that issues advertising permits for Dubai property listings. Every legitimate listing on a portal carries a…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESRent Dispute Centre (RDC)The judicial arm of the Dubai Land Department that rules on landlord-tenant disputes: unpaid rent, illegal rent increases,…RENTINGRegistration TrusteePrivate offices licensed by the DLD where Dubai property transfers actually happen. Buyer and seller (or their POAs) meet at a…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESDubai RESTThe Dubai Land Department’s self-service app. Owners use Dubai REST to view their title deeds, check service charge invoices,…AUTHORITIES & REGISTRIESDLD transfer feeThe 4% of purchase price paid to the Dubai Land Department when a property transfers. By custom the buyer pays it, though the law…FEES & COSTSAgency commissionThe broker’s fee on a UAE property deal. The market standard is 2% of the purchase price plus VAT on resales, paid by the buyer…FEES & COSTSService chargesThe annual fee owners pay for maintaining a building or community: security, cleaning, landscaping, the gym, chiller plant and…FEES & COSTSChiller-freeA rental where the landlord pays for air-conditioning cooling, either because the building’s chiller costs sit inside the service…FEES & COSTSHousing fee (Dubai Municipality)A monthly fee of 5% of your annual rent divided by 12, collected through the DEWA bill in Dubai. Owner-occupiers pay 0.5% of the…FEES & COSTSMortgage registration feeThe DLD fee for registering a mortgage against a Dubai property: 0.25% of the loan amount plus AED 290. Paid at transfer…FEES & COSTSOff-planProperty bought directly from a developer before construction completes, paid in instalments against build milestones. Off-plan…OFF-PLANEscrow accountThe RERA-supervised bank account every registered Dubai off-plan project must use. Buyer instalments are paid into escrow, not to…OFF-PLANOqoodThe DLD’s interim registration for off-plan purchases in Dubai. When you buy off-plan, the sale is registered as an Oqood…OFF-PLANPayment planThe instalment schedule of an off-plan purchase, quoted as a split like 60/40 or 80/20: the share paid during construction versus…OFF-PLANPost-handover payment planA payment plan that continues after you receive the keys, for example 60/40 with the 40% paid over 2 to 5 years post-handover.…OFF-PLANHandoverThe completion of an off-plan purchase: the building receives its completion certificate, you pay the final instalment, complete…OFF-PLANSnaggingThe defect inspection of a newly delivered property before you accept handover: unfinished paintwork, misaligned doors, plumbing…OFF-PLANEOI (Expression of Interest)A refundable deposit, commonly AED 20,000 to 100,000, that registers your interest in an upcoming launch before sales open. EOI…OFF-PLANOff-plan resale (assignment)Selling an off-plan unit before handover: the buyer takes over your SPA and paid instalments, usually paying you what you have…OFF-PLANPremium (off-plan)The amount above the original purchase price that an off-plan resale commands. A unit bought at AED 1.5M reselling at AED 1.8M…OFF-PLANCompletion certificate (BCC)The certificate issued by the municipality confirming a building is complete and fit for occupation. Developers need it before…OFF-PLANFreeholdFull ownership of a property and its share of the land, forever, registered in your name with the land department. In the UAE,…OWNERSHIP & TENURELeaseholdA long-term right to a property, typically 30 to 99 years, without owning the underlying land. At the end of the term the…OWNERSHIP & TENUREUsufructA registered long-term right to use and enjoy a property you do not own, up to 99 years in Dubai. Stronger than a lease: usufruct…OWNERSHIP & TENUREMusatahaA registered right to build on and use another party’s land, typically up to 50 years, renewable. Common in Abu Dhabi for…OWNERSHIP & TENURETitle deed (Mulkia)The official certificate of ownership issued by the land department, in Dubai now a digital document verifiable through the Dubai…OWNERSHIP & TENUREJointly Owned Property (JOP)The UAE framework for buildings and communities with shared areas: each owner holds their unit plus a share of the common areas,…OWNERSHIP & TENURERERA rental indexThe DLD’s official index of average rents by area and property type in Dubai. It caps rent increases: how far your current rent…RENTINGSecurity depositThe refundable deposit a tenant pays at lease signing, by convention 5% of annual rent unfurnished and 10% furnished in Dubai. It…RENTINGPost-dated chequesThe standard way UAE rent is paid: the tenant hands over one to twelve cheques dated across the year. Fewer cheques usually buys…RENTINGEviction notice (12-month rule)In Dubai a landlord can only evict at renewal for specific legal reasons, sale of the property or personal use among them, and…RENTINGLTV (loan-to-value)The share of a property’s value a UAE bank may lend. For expats: up to 80% on a first property under AED 5M (75% above), less on…MORTGAGES & VISASDBR (debt burden ratio)The UAE Central Bank cap on borrowing: all your monthly debt payments, including the new mortgage, may not exceed 50% of your…MORTGAGES & VISASEIBORThe Emirates Interbank Offered Rate, the benchmark UAE banks lend to each other at, published by the Central Bank. Variable-rate…MORTGAGES & VISASPre-approvalA bank’s written confirmation of how much it will lend you, valid typically 60 days, issued after checking income and credit. In…MORTGAGES & VISASGolden VisaThe UAE’s 10-year renewable residency granted for property investment of AED 2M or more, among other routes. The threshold can be…MORTGAGES & VISASPSF (price per square foot)Price divided by area, the UAE’s standard unit for comparing property prices. A 1,000 sqft apartment at AED 1.5M is AED 1,500…MARKET TERMSGross vs net yieldGross yield is annual rent divided by purchase price. Net yield subtracts the owner’s real costs: service charges, management…MARKET TERMSBUA vs carpet areaBuilt-up area (BUA) is everything you pay for: internal space plus balconies and a share of walls. Carpet or net area is the…MARKET TERMSSecondary marketThe market for ready, previously owned property, as opposed to buying off-plan from a developer. Secondary purchases complete in…MARKET TERMSDistressed saleA sale priced below market because the seller must exit quickly: relocation, financing pressure or a portfolio unwind. Genuine…MARKET TERMSOff-marketA property for sale without public advertising, offered quietly through brokers to selected buyers. Sellers go off-market for…MARKET TERMSGolden handoverShorthand comparisons aside, “ready” property is completed stock you can occupy or rent immediately, versus off-plan bought…MARKET TERMS
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