Dubai property has its own vocabulary. Oqood is DLD's system for registering off-plan sales, Ejari registers leases, Mollak handles service charges, an NOC is the developer's permission to resell, and Trakheesi issues advertising permits. This glossary explains the terms you will meet when buying off-plan in Dubai, in plain English, grouped by stage, with a link to the full guide for each one.
Buying property in Dubai comes with its own set of names, acronyms and systems. This glossary explains the ones you are most likely to meet, grouped by stage. Each entry links to the guide that covers it in full.
DLD (Dubai Land Department). The government department that registers property, collects registration fees and runs the official property systems. Its regulatory arm is RERA.
Freehold area. Ownership in Dubai is governed by Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006 on real property registration. Non-UAE nationals may own freehold, or hold usufruct or leasehold rights, only in areas the Ruler designates. See can foreigners buy property in Dubai.
Interim register. The register DLD keeps for off-plan sales before a unit is complete, under Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 on the interim real estate register, as amended in 2020. A sale of an off-plan unit that is not entered in it is void.
Oqood. DLD’s portal through which developers register off-plan sales in the interim register. The term is often used for the registration itself. See Oqood registration.
Title deed. The certificate DLD issues when a completed unit is registered in your name in the land register. For off-plan buyers, it follows completion and full payment.
Real Estate Registration Trustee office. A service centre where DLD registrations such as property sales are processed. Trustee offices charge a service partner fee on top of DLD’s fees.
Master developer. The company that develops a whole community and its infrastructure. Sub-developers may build individual projects within it under an agreement with the master developer.
Jointly owned property. A building or community where owners hold their own units plus a share of common parts, such as lobbies, lifts and pools. It is governed by Law No. 6 of 2019.
SPA (sales and purchase agreement). The contract between you and the developer. It sets the price, payment plan, completion date, specification and your rights. See our SPA checklist.
Reservation or booking form. A first agreement to reserve a unit, usually with a booking payment, before the SPA is signed. Read it carefully: it can contain binding terms.
Escrow account. A bank account dedicated to one project, opened with a DLD-accredited escrow agent, into which buyers’ payments go. Money is released for construction as the project progresses. See escrow accounts.
Payment plan. The schedule of instalments in your SPA, usually linked to construction milestones or dates. See off-plan payment plans.
NOC (No Objection Certificate). A letter of permission. For resale before handover, DLD sets the rule. A no objection certificate (NOC) from the developer is needed to resell an off-plan unit, and the developer sets its fee. Banks issue NOCs too, for example before a mortgage moves to another lender. See selling before handover.
LTV (loan-to-value). The share of a property’s value a bank lends. For off-plan property, the Central Bank cap is 50% of the property value. See off-plan mortgages.
Completion certificate. The certificate the authorities issue when a building is finished. After it, the developer registers the completed project and sold units in the land register.
Handover. The point at which you receive the keys to a completed unit, usually after the final payment and an inspection.
Snagging. Inspecting a new unit for defects and unfinished work before or at handover, and listing them for the developer to fix. See our handover and snagging checklist.
RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Agency). The regulatory arm of DLD. It regulates brokers, developers, off-plan projects and escrow, approves service charges and can cancel off-plan projects.
ORN and BRN. Market terms for a brokerage’s office registration number (ORN) and an individual broker’s registration number (BRN) with RERA. Both come from one rule. Brokers must be licensed and entered in the DLD Real Estate Brokers Register; registration number must appear in all correspondence. See how to verify a project and broker.
Trakheesi. DLD’s system for real estate permits, including advertising permits and broker cards. Every real estate advert needs a Trakheesi permit, and the permit number and QR code must appear on the advert.
Madmoun QR code. The QR code for an advertising permit, which must appear on property adverts alongside the permit number.
Dubai REST. the Dubai REST app, DLD’s official app. It covers owner services, lease registration, rental and sale indices, broker lookups and off-plan project data.
Mashrooi. The name for DLD's Project Status Enquiry (Mashrooi) on the DLD website and in the Dubai REST app. It shows a project’s status, completion, developer and escrow bank.
Ejari. Ejari, DLD's system for registering tenancy contracts. Every lease must be registered. See renting out your property.
Rental Index. DLD’s index of average rents for an area, published as the DLD Rental Index (website, Ejari system, Dubai REST). It is used to work out allowed rent increases on renewal.
Service charges. Annual charges for running and maintaining the common parts of a building or community. Dubai law sets the basis. Owners pay annual service charges pro rata to unit area; charges need RERA approval. See service charges in Dubai.
Service Charge Index. The DLD / RERA Service Charge Index, where you can look up approved service charge rates by project and year.
Mollak. DLD’s system for regulating and monitoring service charges in jointly owned property. Owners can pay service charges through it.
Owners committee. A committee of unit owners that, under Law No. 6 of 2019, can review the building’s maintenance budget, raise owners’ complaints and notify the management entity or RERA of defects.
DEWA. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. DLD notes that tenants need a registered Ejari contract for DEWA’s move-in service.
Holiday home permit. Permission to let a unit short term. A DET (formerly DTCM) licence and a holiday home permit are required. See holiday home rules.
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Oqood is the name of DLD's portal for registering off-plan sales in the interim (provisional) real estate register. The developer files the sale there. DLD's terms say the sales and purchase agreement must be registered within 90 days of signing the sale and purchase contract. People often say Oqood when they mean the registration itself or its certificate.
Ejari is Ejari, DLD's system for registering tenancy contracts. Every lease of a Dubai property must be registered, and you can do it through the Ejari system, the Dubai REST app or a real estate services trustee centre. Tenants need a registered Ejari contract for services such as connecting utilities.
Mollak is the system RERA uses to regulate and monitor service charges in jointly owned buildings in Dubai. Owners can pay service charges through it, it explains what each service charge invoice includes, and it monitors the accounts that hold service charge payments. You can also look up approved rates through the Service Charge Index.
ORN is the term used in the Dubai market for a brokerage's office registration number with RERA, and BRN for an individual broker's registration number. The labels are common usage rather than terms defined on DLD's pages. Dubai's rules require a broker's name and register number to appear in their correspondence, so you can check it on DLD's licensed broker services.
Official sources used on this page. Each was checked on the date shown.
6 min read
Oqood is the Dubai Land Department's online system for registering off-plan sales in the interim register. The developer registers your sales and purchase agreement, DLD's registration fees are paid, and you receive a provisional registration e-certificate. Registration gives your purchase legal effect: an off-plan sale that is not registered is void. At completion, the unit moves to the main register and you receive a title deed.
8 min read
In Dubai, buyers' payments for off-plan property go into a separate escrow account for each project, held by a bank or financial institution accredited by DLD. The money can be used only for building that project, is released as construction stages are verified, and cannot be attached by the developer's creditors. Escrow lowers the risk of losing your payments, but it does not protect against delay, design changes or a fall in value.
11 min read
Buying off-plan in Dubai follows ten steps, from checking the project on DLD's services to receiving your title deed. You set your goals and budget, verify the project and developer, reserve, sign the sales and purchase agreement, have the sale registered in Oqood, pay instalments into escrow, track construction, complete, and take handover. This guide explains each step and what to check.
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