Property sale and purchase in Dubai and the UAE

Read the proposed reservation, sale or purchase agreement as a whole. Identify the parties, property description, price, deposit, payment dates and conditions for completion. Ask what happens if finance is not approved, a required clearance is unavailable or either party fails to complete. An oral assurance about a refundable deposit should not replace checking the signed terms and applicable rules.

Prepare a complete cost schedule alongside the contract review. Separate purchase money from land-registration charges, trustee services, finance costs, professional fees and developer or community amounts. Establish when each becomes payable and to whom. A transaction can be affordable at the headline price but still create an unexpected completion funding gap if ancillary costs or timing have been ignored.

Use the official property record to identify the interest being sold, including any co-owners, corporate holder or relevant restrictions. Dubai Land Department offers title verification and other property-information services. A copy supplied by an intermediary should be checked through the appropriate official channel. Distinguish a completed-property title from an off-plan registration record and review the evidence appropriate to the actual asset.

Confirm the seller's and buyer's legal identities and any representative's authority. A corporate party needs company records and signatory powers reviewed, while an absent owner may use a transaction-specific POA. Do not assume the person negotiating has authority to bind the owner. Keep name variations, joint ownership and foreign documents visible so these issues can be resolved before the completion appointment.

DLD's sale service identifies developer e-NOC requirements for the relevant freehold transaction. A mortgaged property also needs the financier's procedure coordinated, and a corporate party may need entity registration. Build a completion checklist identifying who obtains each document, when it is required and what happens if the information changes. The sale contract and official transfer process should be reviewed together.

Agree the payment mechanism and check the recipient of each amount. Where representatives are involved, distinguish authority to sign from permission to receive proceeds or change the price. Obtain receipts and keep lender settlement or release evidence with the transfer file. Avoid letting a fixed commercial completion date obscure unresolved document requirements; the plan should be updated if a required clearance is delayed.

After registration, review the issued title or other official transaction output for the correct property, parties and ownership interest. Preserve the complete electronic record and reference details. A signed agreement is not the same as the final registry output, and a payment receipt is not a substitute for checking ownership. Assign responsibility for correcting any discrepancy discovered in the completed record.

Arrange physical handover separately, including keys, access devices, occupation status and relevant property-management information. If the property is tenanted, review the lease and the agreed treatment of rental amounts, deposits and possession. If the transaction involves a new unit, distinguish snagging from legal review of handover acknowledgements. Keep the closing documents and any outstanding obligations together after the sale has completed.