Buying Property in Dubai: Step by Step

Reviewed against Dubai Land Department (DLD) and RERA public guidance current as of August 2026.

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Before you look

Sort these out before you fall in love with a specific unit.

Can I buy as a foreigner, and do I have to live in the UAE?

You can buy as a foreigner, and no — you don't have to live in the UAE to do it. Foreign nationals of any country can own freehold property outright, with no residency requirement, in 60+ designated freehold zones (as of 2026) (Downtown, Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah, JVC, Business Bay, Dubai Hills and many more). Outside those zones, foreign ownership is restricted. Confirm whether a specific building is actually in a freehold zone — with your agent, or directly with the Dubai Land Department — before you get attached to it.

Do I need to be in Dubai for any of this?

No. Typically, almost every signature can be done through a Power of Attorney (POA), so someone you appoint signs on your behalf. You'll still need the POA document itself properly notarised and attested (via a UAE embassy/consulate if signed abroad), so build a couple of weeks into your timeline for that if you're doing it all remotely. Note: some banks may require a short in-person visit to open a UAE account or complete KYC, even if the property transfer itself is via POA.

Does buying property get me a UAE visa?

It can. As a sole owner of a completed residential property in a freehold area, you qualify for a renewable 2-year property investor visa with no minimum property value, issued via DLD's Investor Residence service — the previous AED 750,000 minimum was removed in April 2026 (recent enough that some sources online still quote the old threshold) — but this route generally requires a completed, title-deed-registered property; off-plan (Oqood) alone typically doesn't qualify until handover. As a joint owner, each co-owner's own share needs to be worth at least AED 400,000 to qualify individually — a AED 700,000 property split 50/50 (AED 350,000 each) wouldn't qualify either owner, but AED 800,000 split the same way (AED 400,000 each) would. At AED 2,000,000+ in property value, you qualify for the 10-year Golden Visa, which also lets you sponsor your spouse and children. Off-plan purchases can qualify for the 10-year if Oqood-registered and valued at AED 2M+. Neither is automatic — you apply separately after purchase.

What happens to the property if something happens to me?

Worth planning for either way — what applies by default, and what you can do about it, differs depending on your faith. Without any will registered, a Dubai property defaults to Sharia succession shares regardless of your nationality, and probate without a will can take considerably longer.

If you're not Muslim: you can register a will through the DIFC Wills Service Centre specifically to opt out of Sharia succession entirely and have your own inheritance wishes apply instead — a will made only in your home country generally isn't enough on its own for a UAE-based property.

If you're Muslim: the DIFC option isn't available to you — it's restricted to people who are non-Muslim and have never been Muslim. You can still register a Sharia-compliant will (a wasiyya, via the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department's online portal), but it works differently: it lets you direct up to one-third of your net estate to a beneficiary of your choice, on top of the fixed shares Sharia already guarantees your heirs — it doesn't let you override those fixed shares themselves.

Not something to sort out after you own — worth doing around the same time as the purchase.

Does my home country tax this?

Dubai itself has no property tax, capital-gains tax, or tax on rental income. That doesn't mean you're tax-free overall — many countries still tax their own residents/citizens on foreign rental income or gains when the property is eventually sold, and may have reporting obligations (e.g. foreign asset disclosures) even when no tax is actually due. Check your own country's rules; this varies enormously and isn't something the Dubai side of the transaction will flag for you.

Is there a minimum time I have to hold the property before reselling?

No — once a completed property is registered in your name, there's no statutory holding period or lock-in before you can resell it. The exceptions are contractual, not legal: an off-plan unit bought before completion is subject to whatever resale restriction your own SPA sets (commonly requiring 30–40% paid before the developer will approve an assignment), and some projects restrict resale entirely until a construction milestone. That's a developer term, not a Dubai Land Department rule — check your own SPA rather than assume.

How does mortgage timing and cost actually work?

There are two stages, and it's worth understanding both before you start looking:

Pre-approval — an estimate of what a bank will lend you, before you've found a specific property. Most banks issue pre-approval in 5–10 working days once your documents are complete — but that clock only starts once everything's actually submitted, so leave room for back-and-forth before it. Typically needed: passport/Emirates ID, salary certificate or 6 months of bank statements, and (if employed) an employer letter. Self-employed or non-resident applicants are usually asked for more. Get this done before you're seriously viewing or making offers.

Final approval, once you've found a property — this happens after you've signed the reservation form, not before. Form F will typically include a financing condition giving you a set window (commonly a few weeks) to get the bank's final approval and valuation for that specific property — it doesn't have to be finished before you sign. Missing that deadline can put your deposit at risk, so treat it as a real one. There's a real cost to this stage regardless of outcome: a bank valuation (commonly AED 2,500–3,500 plus VAT, non-refundable even if the deal falls through) and a processing/arrangement fee (commonly 0.5–1% of the loan amount).

Budget these costs in cash, separately from your loan. Since February 2025, the UAE Central Bank has directed banks to stop rolling transaction costs — the DLD transfer fee, agent commission, and similar — into the mortgage amount. Your loan covers the property price up to your approved LTV; the valuation fee, processing fee, DLD fee, trustee fee, and commission all need to be funded separately in cash.

Your down payment — the gap between your LTV and the full price — has to come from your own funds too. UAE Central Bank rules (Board Resolution No. 96/2019) require it to be drawn from your own resources, not a personal loan or credit card facility; a bank can decline the mortgage if it traces the down payment to borrowed money.

As a resident, you can typically borrow up to 80% of the property value on a first home under AED 5 million, dropping to around 60% for a second property or an investment purchase — individual banks often lend somewhat less, so treat these as ceilings to plan around, not a guaranteed offer. If you're buying off-plan specifically, this doesn't apply: federal rules cap off-plan mortgage lending at 50% of the property value for everyone, regardless of what you'd otherwise qualify for.

Can I get a mortgage as a non-resident?

Yes, but on different terms than residents. Resident expats can typically borrow up to 80% of the property value on a first home under AED 5 million; for a non-resident buyer (or anyone financing a second/investment property), the UAE Central Bank's regulatory ceiling is 60% — individual banks often lend somewhat less than that ceiling, so treat 60% as the maximum to plan around, not a guaranteed offer. If you're buying off-plan specifically, this doesn't apply: federal rules cap off-plan mortgage lending at 50% of the property value for everyone, resident or not, regardless of what you'd otherwise qualify for.

How does a Developer Payment Plan actually work?

This is a financing arrangement directly with the developer, not a bank loan — you're paying the developer in instalments instead of one lump sum or a mortgage. No credit check, no interest, and typically a smaller upfront deposit than either cash or a mortgage requires. Two shapes: some plans only run during construction (you finish paying by handover), others are "post-handover" — you get the keys and move in or rent it out while still paying the remaining balance for another one to five years.

It's tied to this one developer and project only — unlike a mortgage, it's not something you arrange once and take with you; each project's plan is negotiated separately, and terms vary a lot between developers.

On a post-handover plan, you're still the registered owner — but the title carries a restriction until you finish paying. You get keys, possession, and your name on the title deed at handover; this isn't a case of not owning it yet. What the developer typically holds is a caveat or mortgage/lien registered against the title, which limits your ability to sell or remortgage until the final instalment clears — an encumbrance on an owned property, not a delay to ownership itself. Ask exactly what's registered against your name at handover, and when that restriction lifts.

Do I need an independent valuation or condition survey?

If you're financing with a mortgage, your bank's valuation checks the property's market price for lending purposes — it isn't a structural or condition survey, so a mortgage alone tells you nothing about the unit's actual physical state. If you're paying cash or on a Developer Payment Plan, you skip the bank valuation too, so no independent price check happens automatically either way. Two different things you may want, regardless of how you're financing: an independent valuation (a RERA-registered valuer's opinion on fair market price — useful if you want a second opinion beyond the agent's asking price) and a property condition survey (an engineer checks the physical building — electrics, plumbing, water pressure, AC, signs of damp or structural issues). This matters most for you specifically, since you're buying an existing unit from a previous owner — wear and undisclosed repairs are more likely than on a never-occupied unit.Since you're buying never-occupied inventory directly from the developer, this kind of survey matters less for you — condition is instead covered separately by the snagging inspection at handover (see below).

Worth knowing either way: if the bank's valuation comes in below your agreed purchase price, the bank lends against the valuation, not the price — you'd need to fund the difference yourself in cash, on top of your normal down payment.

How do I actually pay the deposit if I don't have a UAE bank account?

Simplest and most reliable: open a UAE non-resident bank account (several banks offer this remotely or with one visit) — you typically can't get a chequebook as a non-resident, but you can wire funds in and have the bank issue a manager's cheque on your behalf, which is what the deposit is usually paid with. A recent DLD circular restricts how a seller's proceeds and POA-arranged payments can be routed — the rules for your own deposit as the buyer are less clearly defined, so don't assume how this worked in the past still applies. Some sellers/developers will also accept a direct international wire, skipping the cheque entirely. Don't assume an agent, trustee office, or anyone other than the registered party can hold or arrange payment for you — confirm directly with your trustee office or bank what's actually permitted right now, rather than relying on how it used to work.

Will moving money into the UAE cause problems?

Transferring a large sum internationally will trigger standard source-of-funds checks at your bank — this is routine, not a red flag, but it can add a few days. Your bank may ask for documents like your sale agreement or evidence of savings to show where the money's coming from — have these ready rather than scrambling once asked. Start the transfer earlier than you think you need to.

On a Developer Payment Plan, you're converting and sending money multiple times over 1–3 years, not once — the exchange rate can move meaningfully against you between instalments. Some banks and FX brokers offer forward contracts (locking today's rate for a future transfer) specifically for this kind of staged payment — worth asking about before your first instalment, not after the rate's already moved.

Finding a property

Ask about these while you're viewing — most aren't disclosed unless you ask.

It's in a designated freehold zone if you're buying as a foreign national (60+ zones as of 2026) (see above)
The current service charge rate, and what it actually covers — check the actual rate against RERA's official Service Charge Index rather than relying on what you're told
Whether it's on district cooling ("the chiller") and how that's billed (ask for both the fixed capacity charge per RT and the variable consumption charge per RTh) — see "after handover" below
Whether it's currently tenanted — if so, you inherit the existing lease and can't move in until it ends, unless the tenant agrees to leave early. If you specifically want it vacant for your own use once you own it, that requires serving 12 months' written notice via notary at the end of the lease term, not mid-lease — factor that into your own timeline, not just the transfer itself.
Whether the surrounding community is still under construction — if so, expect ongoing noise, dust, and traffic, possibly for years, even once your own unit is finished; check the master plan and nearby project handover dates rather than assuming it'll be quick
How many similar units are listed for sale nearby right now — a lot of near-identical listings can put downward pressure on resale price and lengthen the time it takes to sell later, since a future buyer can just pick the cheapest comparable instead of yours

Making the purchase — resale

Here's what actually happens, and roughly how long each part tends to take — padded generously, since delays are more common than a perfectly smooth run.

Tap the + on each step below to expand it.

Make an offer

1–2 weeks

1 Sign a reservation form (MOU), if there is one

Often, once your offer is accepted, you'll sign a separate reservation agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) — a pre-contract reservation, not the DLD sale contract itself — before Form F. This usually isn't cash changing hands upfront; it's a penalty cheque, cashed only if you walk away from the deal without a valid reason, and the amount varies more than Form F's 10% does: often 2–10%, and sometimes refundable only if the seller is the one who pulls out. Not every deal has this separate step — some go straight to Form F itself, which is the actual RERA-mandated agreement either way. Form F's own deposit is commonly 10% by manager's cheque — market convention, not a figure set by RERA or DLD.

Some of these clauses carry real financial consequences — what counts as a valid reason to withdraw, what happens to your deposit if you don't. We'd recommend getting this (and Form F) reviewed, in the next section, before you proceed to sign.

You'll need

If there's a separate reservation deposit: confirm the amount and whether it's refundable — don't assume it matches Form F's 10%
A clear, written answer on what happens to the deposit if the deal falls through

Get it reviewed

Allow 1–3 days at this stage

Recommended before you sign Form F

Before you sign Form F, get an independent, plain-English read on what you're actually agreeing to. Form F is binding — it allocates real risk between you and the seller in ways that aren't always obvious on a first read, and if there's a hidden mortgage or debt tied to the property, you can inherit that liability the moment you sign. Unwinding a purchase afterwards is a legal dispute, not a phone call. This is the one point in the whole process where a fast, independent check is worth the most.

Get a Realcheck review →

Sign Form F

Same day

2 Sign Form F — the actual contract of sale

Form F is the RERA-registered contract of sale — DLD's unified sale agreement, generated by a RERA-licensed broker and registered through the Dubai REST app — signed by both parties and becoming binding once both have signed. It records the price, the deposit, the target transfer date, and what happens if either side defaults. If you withdraw after signing without a valid contractual ground, the seller can typically retain your 10% deposit as compensation — this is a real commitment, not a formality.

Financing? Form F can be signed now with a financing condition — a deadline (commonly a few weeks) to get your bank's final approval. Track that date carefully; see "before you look" above for what final approval involves and costs.

On a Developer Payment Plan? The statutory retention caps that apply to off-plan defaults don't automatically apply here — you're buying a completed unit, so what happens if you miss an instalment is set primarily by the default clause in this specific Form F (general contract-law principles still apply on top, but there's no off-plan-style statutory cap protecting you). Read that clause carefully before you sign, not after — exactly the kind of thing a Realcheck review is for.

You'll need

Passport for both parties (plus Emirates ID/visa page if either of you is a UAE resident), or POA documents if signing via a representative
The agreed price, deposit, and target transfer date confirmed in writing before you sign

Seller's NOC

1–3 weeks

Often none — internal to the developer

3 The seller secures a No Objection Certificate (NOC)

Before the Dubai Land Department will process any transfer, the seller needs a No Objection Certificate from the property's developer, confirming no service-charge arrears and no objection to the sale. This is the seller's job, not yours — our selling guide walks through what they have to do to get it — but it's worth checking early, since developer turnaround isn't always fast. NOCs are typically only valid for 30–60 days depending on the developer — confirm the window and make sure transfer is booked before it expires, since letting it lapse usually means reapplying and paying the fee again.

If you're buying directly from the developer's own ready inventory (not a previous owner's resale), there's often no separate NOC step at all — the developer controls the file end-to-end, so clearance is effectively internal rather than something you need to chase.

Confirm with the seller/agent

The NOC application has actually been submitted, not just promised
Any outstanding service charges on the seller's side are settled — this is what usually holds it up

Transfer

1–2 weeks

4 Book the trustee office appointment

Once Form F is signed and the NOC is in hand, someone books the transfer appointment at a DLD-authorised Trustee Centre — usually the agent, on behalf of both sides. Confirm who's actually doing it at the Form F stage, so it doesn't sit undone.

5 Transfer day and title deed

Both parties (or their representatives) attend, fees are paid, and the title deed is issued in your name — typically the same day. If the seller still has a mortgage on the property, this is normally handled safely and routinely: you (or your bank) issue a separate manager's cheque payable directly to the seller's bank to clear their outstanding loan, alongside the cheques to the seller and DLD, before the trustee releases the transfer. It's not something to be alarmed by — just confirm the payoff amount and cheque details are arranged in advance so transfer day doesn't stall.

Who pays what: the transfer fee is 4% of the sale price. DLD's default is a 2%/2% split between buyer and seller, but in practice the buyer covers the full 4% in most deals. On top of that, the buyer typically pays the agent's commission — commonly around 2% of the price, plus 5% VAT on the commission itself — a real, often-underestimated cost that's separate from the DLD fee. The trustee office running the appointment also charges its own fixed registration fee, separate from both of those — commonly AED 2,000 (plus VAT) for properties under AED 500,000, or AED 4,000 (plus VAT) above that. Confirm all of this in writing in your Form F — don't assume any of it. Current trustee and mortgage-registration fees are on DLD's Property Sale Registration page.

Financing? There's a separate DLD fee just for registering the mortgage itself — 0.25% of the loan value, plus AED 270 in flat fees (AED 250 title deed issuance, AED 10 knowledge fee, AED 10 innovation fee). This is on top of the 4% transfer fee above, and separate from your bank's own processing/arrangement fee (see "before you look").

You'll need

Original passport for both parties (plus Emirates ID/visa page if either of you is a UAE resident), or POA
Manager's cheque or transfer confirmation for all fees, the agent's commission, and the remaining balance
The developer's NOC and signed Form F
Your bank's final mortgage approval and a bank representative present
Proof of buildings insurance, with the bank named as loss payee — every mortgage lender requires this before they'll release funds, and you'll need it in place for transfer day, not arranged afterward
If the seller has an existing mortgage: a separate manager's cheque payable to the seller's bank to clear it

Handover

Same day as transfer

6 Handover and possession

For a resale of a vacant unit, this usually isn't a separate wait — possession typically follows on the same day as transfer, once title has passed to you. Your title deed is legally issued that day too, viewable digitally via the Dubai REST app within 48–72 hours; a physical copy can take 7–14 days if you request one, but that's just paperwork catching up, not a delay to your ownership or possession. If you've bought a tenanted property, your rights as the new landlord start immediately at transfer, but actual physical possession still depends on the lease's own end date (and any vacancy notice you serve) — you'll also need to handle the transfer of the existing tenancy and utility accounts. If the unit is tenanted, confirm the Ejari end date and any vacancy notice timing before you commit, so you don't assume you can move in immediately — our tenancy guide covers how Ejari and the tenancy contract work, which is what you'll be inheriting.

Buying the developer's ready, never-occupied inventory? You're still the first owner of a fresh unit, even though this runs on the resale process rather than the off-plan one — the same logic applies as an off-plan handover: don't sign anything confirming the unit's condition until you've inspected it, ideally with an independent snagging company, and get any defects logged and agreed before accepting the keys.

You'll need

Snagging inspection completed and any defects logged before sign-off — consider an independent snagging company
Keys, access cards/fobs, and any parking/storage documentation from the seller
DEWA (utilities) account switched into your name
If tenanted: the existing Ejari and tenancy contract transferred to you as the new landlord

Making the purchase — off-plan

Buying off-plan (before the building exists, direct from a developer) runs on a different track from a resale — no NOC step, since the developer is the seller, but a payment plan tied to construction and a legal protection specific to off-plan: the escrow account. Durations below are padded generously — construction in particular is set by the project, not something a process step can speed up.

Tap the + on each step below to expand it.

Reserve the unit

1–3 weeks

1 Verify the project before you pay anything

Before paying a single dirham, confirm the project is registered with the Dubai Land Department and that a dedicated escrow account exists for it — this is a legal requirement, and it's what protects your payments during construction.

Legally required: under Law No. 8 of 2007, a developer must open a project-specific escrow account before selling any unit off-plan. Your payments go into that account, not to the developer directly, and are only released to them as construction milestones are verified.

"A developer must open a project-specific escrow account before selling any unit off-plan."
— per Law No. 8 of 2007, Dubai's off-plan escrow law

Financing off-plan is different: under UAE Central Bank rules, mortgage lending on off-plan property is capped at 50% of the property value — for everyone, resident or not, regardless of what you'd normally qualify for on a ready property. Not every bank lends on off-plan at all, and only against developers/projects they've pre-approved, so confirm your bank actually covers this specific project before you commit. The loan itself is released to the developer in stages as construction progresses, matching your own instalments — see "construction & payments" below.

Know what missing an instalment costs you: under Dubai's off-plan cancellation law (Law No. 13 of 2008, as amended by Law No. 19 of 2017), if you default and the developer terminates — after a DLD-issued 30-day notice to catch up — they can keep a real chunk of what you've already paid: up to 25% if construction is below 60% complete, and up to 40% if it's 60% or above (at higher completion levels the developer also has other options, like a DLD-administered public auction of the unit), refunding the rest. Read the payment schedule in the SPA carefully against your own real cash flow before signing, not just the total price.

You'll need

Confirmation of the project's DLD registration and escrow account
Passport copy (and Emirates ID/visa page if you're a UAE resident)

2 Pay the booking deposit

Before you pay: a booking deposit is usually non-refundable once paid, and you're committing it before you've seen the actual contract — the reservation form is just a short document reserving the unit, not the sale agreement itself. Read exactly what the reservation form says about refunds before you pay.

Booking deposits vary by developer — there's no fixed percentage, so read the reservation form for what it commits you to and whether it's refundable. What you're paying toward is the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) — the actual binding contract with the developer, which comes next and sets out the full payment schedule, handover date, and what happens if the project is delayed. The reservation form and the SPA are two different documents; paying the deposit doesn't mean you've agreed to the SPA's terms yet.

Get it reviewed

Allow 1–3 days at this stage

Recommended before you sign the SPA

Before you sign the SPA, get an independent, plain-English read on the payment schedule and what you're actually committing to. The payment schedule and delay/compensation terms are usually developer-drafted and vary a lot between projects — once signed, you're committed to the full schedule regardless of what happens to the build. If it's vague on your rights when the developer misses milestones, you may have no real recourse once several instalments are already paid.

Get a Realcheck review →

Sign the SPA

Same day

3 Sign the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA)

Off-plan sales use a Sale and Purchase Agreement with the developer, not RERA's Form F, which is only for resale. The SPA sets out the full payment schedule, handover date, and what happens if the project is delayed.

You'll need

Passport / Emirates ID
The full payment schedule and handover date confirmed in writing before you sign

DLD registration (Oqood)

2–6 weeks

4 The sale is registered with DLD (Oqood)

The developer registers your purchase with DLD through the Oqood system — legally required within 90 days of signing, though most submit well before that. This is also when the 4% DLD fee is paid, upfront rather than at handover. You get an Oqood certificate as provisional proof of ownership; there's no title deed yet, since the property doesn't exist yet.

You'll need

Signed SPA
Payment for the 4% DLD (Oqood) registration fee — confirm the exact figure with your developer, as it can be bundled differently between projects

Construction & payments

Months to years

5 Pay the remaining balance against the construction schedule

Instalments release from the escrow account to the developer only as each milestone is verified, not simply on a calendar date. This phase is set entirely by the build itself — commonly one to three years, but it varies enormously by project. Keep records of every payment against its milestone.

You'll need

Payment receipts matched to each milestone in your SPA
Regular construction-progress updates from the developer
Your own instalments and your bank's disbursements should track the same milestones — check this with your bank periodically, don't just assume it's happening in the background
Every instalment paid on or before its due date — check the retention tiers above so you know exactly what's at risk if you fall behind

Handover

A few weeks around completion

6 Handover

Once complete, your Oqood certificate converts into a full title deed. If you already paid the 4% fee at Oqood registration, you're not charged it again — just smaller title-issuance and admin fees.

Still paying post-handover? You'll get keys, possession, and your name on the title deed now — you are the registered owner. But if your plan continues after handover, the developer typically registers a caveat or lien against that title until you finish paying, which restricts selling or remortgaging in the meantime rather than your ownership itself. Confirm exactly what's registered against your name today, and what changes once you make the final payment.

Watch for: don't sign the handover certificate on the spot. You have the right to inspect the unit for construction defects before accepting it — once you sign, you're confirming the unit was delivered in acceptable condition, which weakens your position on anything you didn't flag. Most buyers bring in an independent snagging company (not affiliated with the developer) to do this — they check things a walkthrough misses: tiling, paint, electrical, plumbing, AC, doors/windows, sometimes with moisture meters and thermal cameras, and you get a written defect report. Use that report to hold back sign-off — or agree a dated snag-fix list with the developer — before accepting the keys.

You'll need

Snagging inspection completed and any defects logged before you sign the handover certificate — consider an independent snagging company for a thorough check
DEWA account set up in your name
Proof of buildings insurance, with the bank named as loss payee — required before the bank registers its mortgage interest at handover

Ongoing protection

1 year after registration

7 Your protection continues after handover

Under Law No. 8 of 2007, the escrow agent must retain 5% of the project's escrow value for one year after your unit is registered — held as a guarantee for defect repairs. Worth knowing if snagging issues surface after you've moved in.

In practice, the more common source of real disputes on an off-plan purchase isn't this retention — it's construction delays. Off-plan projects in Dubai are frequently delayed, sometimes by six months to two years, so your actual rights if the developer misses milestones matter more day-to-day than the defect-guarantee mechanics above. That's exactly what the delay and compensation terms in your SPA cover — worth having those specifically reviewed before you sign, not just the payment schedule.

After handover

There's no annual property tax in Dubai, but there are several recurring bills — ask your agent to confirm the actual figures for the specific unit while you're viewing it, not after you've committed.

Service charge — an annual fee (usually billed quarterly) that every owner pays toward maintaining shared areas. For an apartment, that's the building itself: lobbies, lifts, pools, gyms, security.For a villa or townhouse, it's community-level rather than building-level: shared roads, parks, gates, and community security — not a building you're inside of. This varies a lot by building/community and is one of the biggest costs people underestimate — verify the actual rate against RERA's official Service Charge Index rather than just what you're told.
DEWA — your electricity and water bill, billed monthly based on how much you use. If you're living in the property yourself and you're not a UAE national, DEWA also adds a housing fee of 5% of the property's estimated annual rental value (per the RERA rental index), spread across your monthly bills — the same fee tenants pay, applied to owner-occupiers too. UAE nationals occupying their own property are exempt.
The "chiller" bill (air conditioning) — this catches a lot of newcomers out, so here's the full picture, and it's not just an apartment thing — plenty of villa communities use it too. In many countries, your AC unit runs off your own electricity and shows up on one bill. In a lot of Dubai properties, it doesn't work that way: the home is cooled by cold water piped in from a central plant shared across the whole neighbourhood — this is called district cooling, and everyone just calls it "the chiller." If your property works this way, you get a second, completely separate monthly bill from a cooling company (the three main ones are Empower, Tabreed, and Emicool) — not from DEWA, and not included in your service charge. It's actually two charges in one bill: a fixed capacity charge based on your unit's cooling load, which you pay every month regardless of how much you actually use it — including while it's sitting empty — plus a variable consumption charge for what you've actually used. Ask for both the fixed capacity charge (per RT) and the variable consumption charge (per RTh) when comparing units. It's usually the single biggest bill spike in summer, sometimes AED 1,000+ in July/August alone. The alternative is "chiller-free" — but that label gets used loosely, and can mean either "AC runs off your own DEWA meter" or "the landlord/property absorbs the cost some other way." Don't take the label at face value: ask exactly how cooling is billed for this specific unit, and ask to see a recent bill if it's occupied. Villas aren't automatically exempt from this — the same district cooling vs. DEWA-metered split applies, so don't assume either way just because it's a villa.
Gas — not every property has it. Some pipe gas in centrally and bill you for it (providers include SERGAS, Dugas, and Lootah), some have no piped gas so you'd buy refillable cylinders instead, delivered to your door (Emirates Gas is the main supplier), and some kitchens are all-electric with no gas at all. Ask which applies.
Internet — a separate monthly bill from du or Etisalat/e&.
Building insurance (covers the physical structure — walls, fixtures, flooding/fire damage) — mandatory if you have a mortgage: your bank requires this policy naming them as loss payee, arranged before transfer/handover (see above).not legally required if you're not financing through a bank (cash or a Developer Payment Plan), but worth having anyway. For an apartment, the building's own structure — external walls, lobby, lift shaft — is usually already insured through the owners' association's master policy, funded by your service charge. What that doesn't cover is the inside of your own unit (internal partitions, fixtures, fittings, finishes), so your own policy only needs to cover that, not the whole building — which keeps the cost down.For a villa, this works differently: the community's master policy (if there is one) usually only covers shared areas like roads and gates, not your villa's own structure. That means you're typically responsible for insuring the full building yourself — check with your community's owners association exactly what their master policy does and doesn't cover before assuming you're protected.
Contents insurance (covers your belongings — furniture, electronics, personal items) — always optional, regardless of how you financed the purchase, and separate from building insurance. Worth having regardless of property type, since neither a bank's requirement nor any owners' association master policy covers what's inside your unit.

This is general orientation, not legal, tax, or immigration advice, and not a substitute for advice from a licensed conveyancer, lawyer, or mortgage advisor. Fee and process figures checked directly against Dubai Land Department's own e-service pages (linked inline above); visa figures checked against DLD's official Golden Visa and investor-visa pages directly; resident and non-resident mortgage LTV limits, and the prohibition on financing transaction costs into the mortgage (effective February 2025), checked against UAE Central Bank loan-to-value/mortgage-lending rules (originally Circular No. 31/2013, updated by later Central Bank decisions since) as reported by licensed UAE law firms and financial press; mortgage valuation/processing fee ranges checked against multiple independent UAE mortgage-broker sources; the DLD mortgage registration fee breakdown and the DEWA housing fee checked directly against Dubai Land Department's and DEWA's own published fee schedules. Market conventions (who actually pays the transfer fee, non-resident mortgage terms) are checked against current broker/bank practice rather than regulation, and flagged as such above rather than stated as fixed rules. Phase durations are deliberately rough and padded generously, not tight estimates — real transactions run long more often than short, individual banks and developers vary, and your own timeline may differ. Fees, visa thresholds, and requirements can change — verify current figures with the Dubai Land Department, RERA, ICP, or your own bank/trustee office. Realcheck reviews the actual documents in your transaction; it does not replace independent legal, tax, or immigration advice.