You can check an off-plan project, its developer, the broker and the advert yourself on the Dubai Land Department's official services. Search the project in DLD's Project Status Enquiry (Mashrooi), confirm the developer and brokerage are licensed, check the broker in the licensed broker list, and look for the advertising permit number and QR code. This guide shows each check, what to do if something does not match, and how to verify us.
Before you pay a booking amount, you can check four things yourself on the Dubai Land Department’s (DLD) official services: the project, the developer, the broker and the advert. Each check takes a few minutes. If any of them fails, stop and ask questions before you go further.
Off-plan projects sold in Dubai must be registered and, apart from limited exceptions RERA can grant, must have an escrow account. You can see this on DLD's Project Status Enquiry (Mashrooi) on the DLD website and in the Dubai REST app.
What to look for:
RERA’s own guidance to brokers says that off-plan projects must be licensed and registered, must have an escrow account that buyers pay into, and must have a marketing contract between developer and brokerage, and that brokers should verify the project in Dubai REST (Mashrooi). You are entitled to ask your broker to show you that check. Our guide to escrow accounts explains how the account protects your payments.
DLD publishes a list of approved real estate developers, also available in Dubai REST as certified developers. Search for the developer’s legal name, which is often different from its brand. Confirm that the name matches your SPA.
A licence tells you the developer may sell. It does not tell you how well it delivers. For that, look at its completed projects and track record, as explained in our guide on how to evaluate a developer.
Start with what Dubai’s broker rules require. Brokers must be licensed and entered in the DLD Real Estate Brokers Register; registration number must appear in all correspondence.
In the market, the brokerage’s registration number is often called the ORN (office registration number) and an individual broker’s number the BRN (broker registration number). These labels are common usage rather than terms defined on DLD’s pages; what matters is that the number shown matches DLD’s record. Brokers receive an electronic broker card through Trakheesi once licensed, and you can ask to see it.
Adverts have their own rule. Every real estate advert needs a Trakheesi permit, and the permit number and QR code must appear on the advert.
When you see an advert, online or printed:
DLD’s advertising permit service also says that at property exhibitions, only preliminary reservations may be taken, not sales, and that off-plan Dubai properties not registered with DLD’s escrow department may not be shown.
A mismatch is not always fraud. A project can have a marketing name and a registered name, and a developer can trade under a brand. But you should get a clear answer before you pay anything.
Misleading advertising is also prohibited under UAE consumer protection rules.
Off-plan carries risk
Projects can be delayed, plans can change and values can fall as well as rise. Read the agreement, check the project's registration and escrow account, and commit only what you can afford.
Risks of Buying Off-PlanYou should be able to check us as easily as anyone else. Next Reality Real Estate Brokers L.L.C is licensed in Dubai.
Search our company name on DLD’s licensed brokerage companies service, or in Dubai REST, and check that the details match. You can ask any broker you deal with, including ours, to show their broker card and registration number. More about us is on our about page.
Talk to an advisor
We can run these checks with you for a specific project before you book. Every consultation is free, with no obligation.
See our developer due diligence service, or read the risks of buying off-plan for the wider picture.
Use DLD's licensed real estate brokers service on the DLD website or in the Dubai REST app, and the licensed brokerage companies service for the company. Search for the name and check that the details match the person and company you are dealing with. Brokers must show their registration number in their correspondence.
Trakheesi is the DLD system that issues real estate advertising permits. Every property advert or marketing material in Dubai needs a permit, and the permit number must be shown on the advert. Brokers need a marketing contract with the property owner for most permit types.
Dubai property adverts must show the QR code for their advertising permit, known as the Madmoun QR code, as well as the permit number. Scan it and compare what it shows with the advert. If there is no permit number or code, or the details do not match, treat that as a warning sign.
You can report it to the relevant Dubai authorities, with a copy of the advert and any proof. UAE consumer protection rules also prohibit misleading advertising.
Official sources used on this page. Each was checked on the date shown.
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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.
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To evaluate a Dubai developer, start with DLD's official registers, then look at evidence of how it delivers. Confirm the developer is licensed and the project is registered, with an escrow account, in DLD's project status service. Then look at the developer's delivery record in DLD's project data, the build quality of finished communities, the fairness of its contract terms and how its buildings are managed after handover. Unregistered projects, payments outside escrow and pressure to pay quickly are red flags.
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Buying off-plan in Dubai carries real risks: the project can be delayed or cancelled, the finished unit can differ from what you saw, its value at handover can be lower than your price, a bank may lend less than you planned, and resale before handover is restricted. Dubai law reduces some of these risks, through escrow accounts and registration, but does not remove them. This guide explains each risk and how to check it before you sign.
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