Dubai Off-Plan Glossary: Every Term Brokers and Buyers Need

Dubai real estate has its own vocabulary. Some words are Arabic. Some are acronyms. Some look familiar but mean something specific here. This glossary defines every term a Dubai off-plan buyer or broker will meet. Each entry leads with a one-sentence definition. The supporting paragraphs explain when the term shows up and what it does. Use it as a reference. Bookmark it. Send it to a buyer who is reading their first SPA.

What is RERA?

RERA is the Real Estate Regulatory Agency of Dubai. It is the government body that licenses, monitors, and regulates the real estate market in the Emirate.

RERA was created in 2007. It sits inside the Dubai Land Department. It does not register transactions itself. Instead, it sets the rules that brokers, developers, and escrow banks must follow.

Every off-plan project sold in Dubai must hold a live RERA registration number. Every broker must hold a personal RERA card. Every escrow account must be at a RERA-approved bank. If a project, broker, or escrow cannot point you to a RERA number, walk away.

What is the DLD?

The DLD is the Dubai Land Department. It is the official registrar of every real estate transaction in Dubai.

The DLD records every title deed, every Oqood, every mortgage, and every transfer. It also licenses developers, brokers, and trustee offices. RERA is a unit inside the DLD.

Buyers can verify any project on the DLD website or through the Dubai REST app. The public record shows the developer, the RERA number, the escrow account, and the construction completion percentage. This is the single fastest way to confirm a project is real.

What is off-plan property?

Off-plan property is real estate sold before construction is complete.

In Dubai, off-plan buyers pay in stages. A deposit goes first. More instalments follow as the developer hits construction milestones. The final payment is made at handover, when the keys are delivered.

All payments go into a RERA-approved escrow account, never to the developer directly. Off-plan made up 62.6% of all Dubai sales in the DLD's 2024 Annual Report — it is the dominant segment of the market.

What is escrow?

Escrow is a bank-held account where a third party holds buyer funds until conditions are met.

Dubai requires every off-plan project to use an escrow account at a DLD-approved bank under Law No. 8 of 2007. The developer cannot draw freely from the account. Funds are released in stages, tied to verified construction progress.

If a project is cancelled, escrow funds are returned to buyers under RERA rules. This is the strongest single protection a Dubai off-plan buyer has, and it is missing from most other markets.

What is Oqood?

Oqood is the Dubai Land Department's interim registration for an off-plan unit.

Oqood is the Arabic word for contract. In Dubai property, it refers to the DLD platform that registers off-plan sale contracts. When you buy an off-plan unit, the developer registers the sale on Oqood. You receive an Oqood certificate.

The Oqood is your legal proof of ownership during construction. It can be transferred to a new buyer if you resell before handover. At handover, the Oqood is converted into a full title deed — a Mulkiya.

What is a title deed?

A title deed is the final document that proves outright ownership of a Dubai property.

The DLD issues the title deed when a building is handed over. It replaces the Oqood. The title deed shows the unit number, area, owner name, and — for off-plan — the developer.

A Dubai title deed is digital. It is stored on the DLD register and accessible through the Dubai REST app. It is the document a buyer or lender will ask to see.

What is Mulkiya?

Mulkiya is the Arabic word for title deed and is used interchangeably with title deed in Dubai property.

When a Dubai broker says "the Mulkiya is ready," they mean the DLD has issued the final title deed for the unit. The word is also used in the UAE for vehicle registration cards, but in property it always means the title deed.

Mulkiya proves freehold ownership. It is what a buyer needs to resell, mortgage, or rent out the unit through Ejari.

What is Ejari?

Ejari is the Dubai Land Department's official registry for residential and commercial tenancy contracts.

Every rental contract in Dubai must be registered on Ejari. Tenants need an Ejari certificate to set up DEWA, get a residence visa, or enrol children in school.

Owners use Ejari to make tenancy disputes enforceable through the Rental Disputes Centre. If you buy off-plan and plan to rent the unit out at handover, Ejari is the next document you will need.

What is snagging?

Snagging is the inspection a buyer carries out at handover to record any defects in the unit before signing for it.

A snag list is the document the buyer (or a hired inspector) prepares. It lists every paint chip, leaky tap, sticky door, and finishing flaw. The developer must fix the items on the list during the defect liability period.

Most buyers hire a third-party snagging company. Fees in Dubai run AED 1,000 to AED 3,000 for a typical apartment. It is usually money well spent.

What is handover?

Handover is the moment a Dubai developer delivers a completed off-plan unit to the buyer and the title deed is issued.

Handover involves a final payment, a snagging inspection, the signing of a handover form, and the issue of the title deed by the DLD. Utilities are connected through DEWA at the same time.

From handover, the defect liability period begins — usually 12 months for finishes and longer for major structural items.

What is an NOC?

An NOC is a No Objection Certificate issued by a Dubai developer or master community confirming that no fees or restrictions block a transaction.

Buyers and sellers need an NOC before transferring a unit. The developer checks for unpaid service charges, confirms there are no disputes, and signs the certificate. The DLD then accepts the transfer.

Developer NOC fees in Dubai usually run AED 500 to AED 5,000, depending on the developer and the unit.

What is an SPA?

An SPA is the Sale and Purchase Agreement — the binding contract between a Dubai off-plan buyer and the developer.

The SPA records the unit, price, payment plan, completion date, and the obligations of both parties. Buyers should read it before paying the deposit, not after. Translations into English are standard for international buyers.

The SPA references the project's RERA registration and the escrow account that will hold buyer funds. It is the document the DLD uses when registering the Oqood.

What is the ACD?

The ACD is the Anticipated Completion Date — the construction completion date the developer files with RERA for an off-plan project.

The ACD is shown on the DLD project page. It is not a hard guarantee, but RERA monitors it. Significant delays trigger reporting obligations and can lead to project intervention.

Most Dubai off-plan SPAs allow a grace period — often 12 months — beyond the ACD before the buyer can claim a delay penalty.

What is Tarkheez?

Tarkheez is the Arabic word for licensing and is used in Dubai real estate to describe broker and brokerage licensing.

A Tarkheez number is the broker permit number that must appear on every property listing in Dubai. Every individual broker holds a personal RERA card with a Tarkheez ID.

Buyers can verify any broker's Tarkheez status through the Dubai REST app or the DLD website before signing anything.

What is Mollak?

Mollak is the Dubai Land Department's smart system for regulating and approving service charges in jointly owned property.

Mollak governs how owners' associations and management companies set, invoice, and collect service charges. Every service charge invoice in Dubai must come from a Mollak-registered system.

Owners can view their service charge ledger through the Dubai REST app. Mollak gives Dubai service charges a transparency that most other markets lack.

What is a service charge?

A service charge is the annual fee paid by Dubai property owners to maintain the building and shared facilities.

Service charges are quoted per square foot per year. In 2024, average service charges across Dubai apartments ran roughly AED 12 to AED 30 per square foot, depending on the building and amenities.

Charges cover security, cleaning, lifts, pools, gyms, and chiller maintenance. They are reviewed by RERA each year and published through the Mollak system.

What is freehold?

Freehold is outright ownership of a property and the land it sits on, with no time limit.

Foreign nationals can buy freehold property in designated freehold areas of Dubai under Law No. 7 of 2006. The owner holds full title (Mulkiya) and can sell, lease, or pass it on.

Most off-plan projects sold to overseas buyers sit in freehold zones — Dubai Marina, Downtown, Business Bay, JVC, JLT, Palm Jumeirah, and others.

What is leasehold?

Leasehold is the right to use a property for a long but fixed period, typically up to 99 years, without owning the freehold.

Leasehold areas in Dubai include parts of Deira, Bur Dubai, and Jumeirah. Foreign nationals can hold long leases in these zones, but the underlying land remains with the freeholder.

At the end of the lease, ownership reverts to the freeholder unless renewed. Most overseas buyers stick to freehold for resale clarity.

What is DEWA?

DEWA is the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority — the utility provider that supplies power, water, and cooling to every Dubai property.

Buyers connect DEWA at handover. A refundable deposit is required (AED 2,000 for apartments, AED 4,000 for villas as of 2024). A DEWA account is also required to register Ejari.

Some buildings use district cooling instead of DEWA chillers. Cooling fees are billed separately by providers like Empower or Tabreed.

What is a Power of Attorney?

A Power of Attorney is a notarised document that authorises another person to act on a buyer's behalf in a Dubai property transaction.

Many overseas buyers issue a POA so a Dubai-based representative can sign at the trustee office, receive the title deed, and complete handover. The POA must be notarised in the buyer's home country and attested by the UAE embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A standard property POA covers buying, selling, mortgaging, and renting. Buyers should restrict the scope to what is needed.

What is a trustee office?

A trustee office is a private firm licensed by the Dubai Land Department to process property transfers and title deed issuance on behalf of the DLD.

Buyers and sellers complete the final transfer at a trustee office, not at the DLD itself. The trustee verifies identity, collects fees, and uploads the transaction to the DLD register. The new title deed is issued the same day.

Trustee fees are fixed by the DLD. The standard transfer fee is 4% of the unit price plus an admin fee of around AED 4,200.

What is the defect liability period?

The defect liability period is the time after handover during which the developer must fix construction defects at no cost to the buyer.

In Dubai, the standard defect liability period is one year for finishes and ten years for major structural defects under UAE Civil Code Article 880. The period starts at handover.

This is why buyers should snag thoroughly at handover. Items recorded on the snag list are squarely inside the developer's obligation to fix.

Quick reference table

What this means for buyers

Most disputes in Dubai off-plan come from a buyer who skipped over a term they did not understand. The fix is small. Before paying any deposit, work through this short checklist:

1. Read the SPA in full and confirm every clause matches the brochure.
2. Look up the project on the DLD site and note the RERA number.
3. Confirm the escrow account name and the bank holding it.
4. Ask the broker for the Tarkheez number and the developer NOC fees in writing.
5. Save a copy of the Oqood certificate as soon as it is issued.

At handover, snag the unit before signing. Connect DEWA. Register Ejari if you plan to rent it out. Keep the title deed PDF on your phone. Every step uses one of the terms above. Once the vocabulary is familiar, the process is mechanical. Most overseas buyers we work with go from confused to confident in a single afternoon, just by walking the glossary.

What this means for brokers

Brokers who can define these terms in one sentence close more overseas business. Buyers in London, Mumbai, and Riyadh ask the same questions in the same order — what is RERA, what is escrow, what is Oqood, what happens at handover. The broker who has a crisp answer ready wins the call.

Send this glossary to a buyer before the first call. They show up informed. The conversation skips the basics and goes straight to the unit. Vyre showrooms link to the DLD page on every project — buyers can verify each term against the live record without leaving the chat.