Every off-plan launch in Dubai comes with a brochure, a sales gallery, and a persuasive payment plan. None of that is regulatory evidence. What is checkable is whether the developer is registered with DLD, whether the specific project has been registered and issued an escrow account, and whether the person selling the unit holds a valid broker licence and advertising permit — separate, independent facts that a polished sales operation does not confirm, and a plain one does not disqualify.
Buyers in both the primary launch market and the resale market are sometimes sold on a developer's story rather than its filings. The checks below take perhaps twenty minutes using free DLD tools and cost nothing — considerably less than the exposure of skipping them on a six- or seven-figure commitment.
Under Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development in the Emirate of Dubai, a developer must be recorded in DLD's developer register and licensed by the competent authorities before it may sell off-plan units at all (Article 4), and it may not advertise an off-plan sale without written authorisation from DLD in the first place (Article 5). Registration is a precondition of marketing, not just of selling.
DLD publishes this register directly. Its Licensed Real Estate Developers e-service lists certified developers, and the Dubai REST app carries the same data under its real estate companies section — enter the developer's trade name and confirm the licence shows as active, with a registration number and an expiry date that has not passed. If a company selling an off-plan unit does not appear on this list, that is sufficient reason to stop and ask why before going further.
This is the single most important check for an off-plan purchase, and it happens at project level, not developer level — a legitimately registered developer can still have an individual project that is not properly registered or escrowed. Searching the project by name or RERA registration number, via Dubai REST or DLD's Real Estate Project Status Enquiry e-service, should return the developer name, construction completion percentage, expected completion date, and the escrow account's trustee bank and reference — the exact screen-by-screen steps are set out in the walkthrough below. A project absent from the register is not simply a data gap: under Law No. (13) of 2008 Regulating the Interim Real Estate Register, any disposition of an off-plan unit is void unless entered in DLD's Interim Real Estate Register (Oqood), so a project returning no result cannot lawfully be sold off-plan at all. The named trustee bank should also appear on DLD's own list of Certified Escrow Agents — worth querying directly with DLD if it doesn't.
Under Law No. (8) of 2007, funds paid by off-plan purchasers must be deposited into this project-specific escrow account (Article 7), held by an accredited bank or financial institution acting as escrow agent (Article 10), and cannot be attached by the developer's own creditors (Article 9) — meaning the money is legally ring-fenced from the developer's general business, including its solvency. Article 14 requires the escrow agent to retain 5% of the account's total value once the developer obtains its completion certificate, releasing that amount only a year after the units are registered in purchasers' names — a structural incentive to see registration through rather than treat handover as the finish line.
It is worth being precise here, because "escrowed" is sometimes used as shorthand for "safe," which overstates it.
What it protects: payments go into a project-specific account rather than the developer's general operating account, funds are drawn down only against verified construction milestones, and they are shielded from claims by the developer's other creditors — a genuine protection against a developer diverting buyer funds elsewhere, the failure mode that caused the most damage to off-plan buyers before the 2007 law existed.
What it doesn't guarantee: a specific handover date, finishing quality, or protection against delays from genuine construction or planning issues. Escrow discipline is about the money, not the build programme. A well-escrowed project can still run late; the difference is that its buyer funds remain accounted for throughout.
A developer's own registration says nothing about whether the individual or agency marketing the unit is properly licensed. Two separate things need checking:
- The advertisement itself. Under Law No. (7) of 2013 Concerning the Dubai Land Department, no property advertisement may be published without a Trakheesi permit, and every compliant listing must display its permit number. DLD's Real Estate Ad Permit e-service, or the QR code on a compliant advertisement, confirms a specific permit number is genuine and current.
- The broker or agent personally. Using Dubai REST's licence-verification inquiry, enter the agent's BRN (Broker Registration Number) or the brokerage's ORN (Office Registration Number) to confirm their RERA licence is active.
DLD has periodically publicised enforcement action against non-compliant advertising, which confirms the rule is actively enforced, though the exact current fine schedule under Law No. (7) of 2013 should be confirmed directly with DLD rather than assumed from older secondary reporting.
An agent unable or unwilling to provide a BRN, or a listing with no visible Trakheesi permit number, is a broker-side red flag independent of anything about the developer itself.
For a reader without the app open in front of them, here is what the process looks like in practice, screen by screen:
| Step | What you do | What you're looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Download and open | Install Dubai REST (iOS/Android), or use the equivalent e-services on dubailand.gov.ae | Official DLD branding — this is a government app, not a third-party portal |
| 2. Company search | Under real estate companies / licensed developers, search the developer's trade name | Licence status "Active," a registration number, an expiry date in the future |
| 3. Project search | Under project inquiry, search by project name or RERA permit number | The project actually returns a result, with developer name matching your paperwork |
| 4. Project detail screen | Open the returned project record | Construction completion percentage, expected completion date, escrow account and trustee bank listed |
| 5. Escrow cross-check | Compare the named trustee bank against DLD's Certified Escrow Agents list | The bank shown appears on DLD's own approved list |
| 6. Broker check | Under licence/permit validation, enter the agent's BRN or brokerage's ORN | Licence status "Active," matching the person or firm actually dealing with you |
Every one of these six steps is free, and every result comes directly from DLD's own systems rather than the seller — no need to pay a third party for a "developer report."
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Registration confirms a developer is legally entitled to sell; it says nothing about whether its last three projects delivered close to schedule. DLD does not currently publish a consolidated on-time-delivery scorecard per developer, so this part of due diligence takes more legwork:
- Ask directly for completed project names and handover dates, then check whether those specific projects appear, completed, in DLD's own project search.
- Check whether the project carries bank financing alongside buyer and escrow funding — typically a sign a lender has independently underwritten the project's viability, on top of the escrow mechanism alone.
- Look for a defects liability period named explicitly in the SPA, rather than assumed or implied. This is commonly cited in market practice as around 12 months from handover, but it is not established here as a fixed statutory minimum — check the SPA itself rather than assuming a standard term applies.
- Search the developer's name alongside "RERA," "Dubai Land Department," or "court" for any public enforcement or dispute record, as a supplement to the registry checks above.
Law No. (8) of 2007 sets out what a developer must file with the Land Department before it can sell off-plan at all: the title deed to the land, initial architectural and engineering designs approved by the competent authorities, a financial statement of the project's estimated cost and revenues certified by an accredited chartered auditor, an undertaking to begin construction once approval is granted, and the standard sale contract it will use with buyers (Article 6). Separately, the escrow agent retains 5% of the account once the completion certificate is issued, released a year after units are registered in buyers' names (Article 14). Those are the conditions you can ask a developer about directly.
- The developer does not appear on DLD's licensed developers list, or its licence has expired.
- The project returns no result in DLD's project inquiry, meaning it may not be lawfully registered for off-plan sale at all.
- You are asked to pay into a personal account, a general company account, or any account other than the named project escrow account.
- No Oqood registration is offered once an SPA is signed and paid — the purchase is not protected as a registered interim interest until this happens.
- The broker cannot provide a BRN or ORN, or the advertisement carries no visible Trakheesi permit number.
- The payment plan front-loads an unusually high share of the price before any construction milestone, with limited linkage to escrow-verified progress.
- The developer is unable or reluctant to name the escrow trustee bank when asked directly.
Verifying a developer, a project's registration, and a broker's licence takes time that most buyers weighing several off-plan options don't have to spend six times over. Mitchell's Commercial Real Estate runs these checks as a standard part of assessing any off-plan opportunity we bring to an investor — developer registration, project escrow status, and broker licensing — before a recommendation is made, not after a reservation is signed. Speak to our team before committing a reservation fee on any Dubai off-plan project.
This guide is provided for general information only and is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Regulations, fee schedules, and registration requirements change; always confirm current details directly with the Dubai Land Department and a qualified lawyer before signing a reservation form or Sale and Purchase Agreement.
In closing
Key Takeaways
- A developer's marketing brochure is not regulatory evidence of anything. DLD registration, project registration, and an active escrow account are separate, independently checkable facts, not developer claims to take on trust.
- The Dubai REST app and dubailand.gov.ae let a buyer independently verify a developer's licence, a specific project's registration status, and its escrow account details before paying a single dirham.
- Every off-plan project must have its own dedicated escrow account under Law No. (8) of 2007, held by an accredited trustee bank — funds are released against verified construction progress, not developer discretion, and 5% is retained until a year after unit registration.
- An escrow account confirms funds are ring-fenced — it does not guarantee a delivery date. Escrow protects the money; it does not compel a specific handover timeline or insulate a buyer from a genuinely delayed project.
- A RERA-licensed broker with a valid Trakheesi advertising permit is a separate check from the developer's own registration. Verify both — either can be missing even when the other is in order.
- Specific, checkable red flags — no escrow account for the project, requests to pay outside that account, no Oqood registration, an unlicensed broker — are more informative than general reputation or brochure quality.
- Track record is checkable, not only reputational. DLD's own project and developer registers show whether a company has an operating history in Dubai, not just what its latest launch looks like.
This guide explains how to independently verify a Dubai developer, a specific project, and the broker selling it, using Dubai Land Department (DLD) systems, before signing a reservation form or Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA). It is general information, not legal or investment advice — always have an SPA reviewed by a qualified lawyer before signing.
Frequently asked questions
0601Is the Dubai REST app free to use?
Yes. Dubai REST is the Dubai Land Department's own official app, available free on iOS and Android, and every check described in this guide — developer licence, project registration, escrow details, and broker licence — carries no fee.
02What's the difference between Oqood registration and a Title Deed?
Oqood is DLD's Interim Real Estate Register for off-plan units, created under Law No. (13) of 2008. It records your purchase interest, and under that law any disposition of an off-plan unit is void unless entered in this register. A Title Deed is the final ownership document issued once the project is complete and the unit is registered in your name.
03Does an escrow account guarantee my unit will be delivered on time?
No. An escrow account, required under Law No. (8) of 2007, ring-fences your payments so they can only be drawn down against verified construction progress and cannot be reached by the developer's other creditors. It does not compel a specific handover date. A well-escrowed project can still run late; the difference is that a late project's buyer funds remain accounted for and protected.
04What if a developer asks me to pay directly into their company account instead of an escrow account?
Treat this as a serious red flag. Law No. (8) of 2007 requires purchaser payments for an off-plan unit to go into that project's dedicated escrow account, held by an accredited trustee bank, not into a developer's general operating account. Confirm the correct escrow account details directly through Dubai REST or DLD before paying anything.
05Can I check whether a developer has delivered past projects on time?
DLD's project inquiry tools show a given project's current status and completion percentage, but there is no single published on-time-delivery scorecard per developer. Ask the developer directly for completed project names and handover dates, then verify those specific projects independently through DLD's own project search rather than relying on the developer's own account.
06Do I still need a lawyer if the developer and project both check out on DLD's systems?
Yes. Registration, escrow, and licensing checks confirm regulatory standing; they do not review the specific terms of your Sale and Purchase Agreement, payment plan, or defects liability clause. Have a qualified lawyer review the SPA itself before signing, regardless of how the registry checks come back.
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Updated 9 July 2026 by Mitchell's Commercial Real Estate. Market figures quoted reflect the data available at that date.
