The 5 questions investors ask before signing in Dubai (and our answers)

Why the same five questions

Every week, Orven advisers speak with investors who have never bought in Dubai. The cities change: Dakar, Lagos, Paris, Casablanca, Cairo, Montréal. The questions do not. Before signing, a serious buyer wants to know where the money goes, what the purchase really costs, whether the unit can be sold before the building is finished, what income to expect, and whether the whole process can be handled from abroad.

This guide answers each question in a few lines and points to a short dedicated answer when you want the detail. Every figure here comes from official sources or from the developers' published sales documents. Where no verified figure exists, we say so rather than invent one.

1. Is my money protected if the developer does not deliver?

Yes, by a mechanism you can check yourself. In Dubai, every payment on an off-plan unit goes into an escrow account opened for that specific project and controlled by the Dubai Land Department. The developer does not hold your money; it draws on the account only as construction milestones are certified. You can follow progress on the DLD's Project Status Enquiry service, from any country, at any time.

This does not remove every risk. A project can run late, and the completion date in your sale agreement is an anticipated date, not a guarantee. What the escrow system does is separate the fate of your money from the fate of the developer's business. Before you transfer anything, an Orven adviser confirms that the project is registered with the DLD and that the escrow account reference matches the one in your contract.

Detail: What happens if the developer is late? and the escrow account explained.

2. What does it really cost, fees included?

The price of the unit is not the whole bill. Three items sit on top of it:

Item	What it is	Amount
DLD registration fee	Paid to the Dubai Land Department to record the sale	4% of the price (for a completed unit the DLD lists 2% seller and 2% buyer, plus additional fees)
Oqood registration	Entry of an off-plan sale in the DLD register	Fixed fee, confirmed in the contract
Developer administrative fee	Charged by the developer for processing the sale	Confirmed by your adviser from the sales documents

Once the building is delivered, the owner pays the building's annual service charge, set per project and confirmed at handover. There is no annual property tax on residential ownership in Dubai, and no personal tax on rental income or capital gains in the UAE; the rules of your country of residence may apply and should be checked with an adviser there.

We do not quote a total without a specific unit. Send us the unit you are considering and you receive the full estimate on one page.

Detail: What is Oqood? and Dubai purchase costs line by line.

3. Can I resell before handover?

Usually yes, under conditions written in your contract. Most developers allow an off-plan unit to be sold before completion once the buyer has paid a minimum share of the price. That threshold varies by developer and by project, so we do not quote a percentage here: it is confirmed in the sale agreement you sign. The developer then issues a no-objection certificate, and the sale is recorded with the DLD so the Oqood registration passes to the new buyer.

Two practical points. First, an off-plan unit is less liquid than a completed apartment in a known tower: fewer buyers, longer negotiation. Second, the DLD registration fee applies again on the new sale, so factor it into any early exit plan. If resale before handover matters to you, tell your adviser before choosing a project, not after.

Detail: Can you resell before handover?.

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4. What rent or return should I expect?

Here is the honest answer: we do not give a figure. Rents in Dubai depend on the district, the building, the size of the unit, whether it is furnished, the operator if there is one, and the state of the market on the day the keys are handed over. A district still under construction has no rental history, so any yield attached to an off-plan unit is an illustration, not a forecast.

What we can do is check the factors that shape the outcome:

the tenant profile the location points to: long-term families, corporate tenants or short stays;
whether the unit is delivered furnished, which changes the operating model, as with Hilton Residences at Dubai Maritime City;
the service charge that will reduce net income once published;
the payment plan, since the share paid before handover sets how much capital sits idle during construction.

If a seller shows you a return, ask for the assumptions behind it. If nobody can explain them, the number is marketing.

Detail: Furnished or unfurnished? and Service charges: who pays?.

5. Can I do everything remotely, and how long does it take?

Yes, entirely. The reservation form and the sale agreement are signed electronically. The booking payment leaves your bank by international transfer straight to the project's escrow account; on Prestige One projects it is 20% of the price, and on Coastal Haven at Dubai Islands the plan is 20% at booking and 80% at handover. The developer registers the sale with the DLD through Oqood and the certificate reaches you by email. No residency visa, no UAE bank account and no trip are required to buy.

On timing, the pace is set by three steps: the signature, done the same day; the transfer, which depends on your bank and on how quickly you can document the origin of funds; and registration by the developer. Buyers who prepare their proof of funds before reserving finish in days. Those who start the paperwork after signing add weeks.

Detail: How long does an off-plan purchase take? and Documents needed to buy.

A sixth question, which we answer first

Investors also ask how Orven is paid. The answer is short: by the developer. No commission is charged to the buyer, and the price and payment plan are the developer's own. Orven's brokerage runs through ORVEN REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE L.L.C S.P.C (Economic License No. CN-6800129, ADRA). Write to us on WhatsApp at +971 52 776 1939 or at sales@orvenproperties.com with your budget and your goal, and you receive the units that fit, with their written payment plans, and a clear no if Dubai is not the right market for what you want.

FAQ

Do I need to visit Dubai to sign? No. The reservation form and the sale agreement are signed electronically, and payments go by international transfer to the project's escrow account.

Is the 20% booking payment refundable? It is part of the price, paid into escrow. If you withdraw after signing, the termination clause of your sale agreement and Dubai regulations decide what is returned. Read that clause before you sign; your adviser walks you through it.

Can a foreigner hold the title deed in their own name? Yes, in the areas of Dubai designated for foreign ownership. The title deed is issued by the DLD at handover in the buyer's name, individual or company.

Do I pay tax on rent in Dubai? Not as an individual in the UAE. Your country of residence may tax foreign income; check with an adviser there.