Before You Pay an Off-Plan Deposit in Dubai: Check Escrow, Oqood and Project Status (October 2026 Checklist)
Oct 16, 2026
Short answer: Before you pay a deposit on an off-plan unit in Dubai, check three things in Dubai Land Department (DLD) systems. First, find the project in DLD's Project Status Enquiry (Mashrooi). Second, make sure the escrow bank and account on your payment instructions match the ones DLD holds for that project. Third, make sure your sale and purchase agreement (SPA) is registered in the Oqood provisional register within 90 days of signing. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, buyer payments go into an escrow account opened in the project's name. On 16 October 2026, 50 of the 845 Dubai launches on the SKID board still showed a stated handover year of 2025 or earlier. So check the live DLD record, not the brochure.
SKID deposit checklist. Official sources and SKID board counts as of 16 October 2026. This is not legal advice.
What should you check before paying an off-plan deposit in Dubai?
Checks 1–6 use official DLD channels; DLD lists the project, licence and e-card checks as "Immediate."
| # | Check | Where (official) | Stop if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Project exists, completion % | DLD Project Status Enquiry, Dubai REST or WhatsApp 8004488 | It isn't listed, or the name or developer differs from your contract |
| 2 | Escrow account | Escrow section of that record; Dubai REST | Your payment instructions name a different, personal or cash account |
| 3 | Registered developer | Developer details on the same record | The seller's company isn't the registered developer |
| 4 | Ad or launch permit | Verify License and Permits | No permit can be verified |
| 5 | Licensed broker | Licensed Real Estate Brokers; RERA e-card check | The broker or office can't be found |
| 6 | SPA in Oqood | Initial sale registration (by the developer) | No e-certificate within 90 days of signing |
| 7 | Price vs real sales | Project page on skid.homes/off-plan | A large premium you can't explain |
Sources: DLD service pages and Law No. 8 of 2007, fetched 16 October 2026. Checks 1–6 are official. Check 7 is SKID's independent comparison.
How do you check if an off-plan project is registered with DLD?
Use DLD's Project Status Enquiry. DLD says the service "allows a customer to inquire about real estate project completion percentage and details in the Emirate of Dubai." You search by land number, project number or project name on the DLD website or in the Dubai REST app. You can also save 8004488 on WhatsApp and ask DLD's virtual assistant, Malik.
The live search page has sections for project details (project number, units, registered, started, completion), developer details, management companies and escrow account. Fields can vary by project, so take a dated screenshot.
Registration matters because of what a developer has to do to get there. DLD's Register Project service says that, to register a project and open an escrow account for off-plan sales, the developer must:
- hold an ownership deed (a preliminary sale certificate isn't accepted);
- complete developer registration in Trakheesi;
- upload the units to DLD's Survey Department;
- submit a 30% guarantee: 30% of construction completed, a bank guarantee covering 30% of construction, or a cash deposit equal to 30%.
The fee is AED 150,000, and the output is a Real Estate Project Approval Certificate. A project that has passed these steps is far easier to check than a brochure.
How do you verify a Dubai off-plan escrow account?
Compare three sets of details:
- the escrow bank and account number in DLD's record for the project (website escrow section or Dubai REST);
- the bank details on the developer's payment request or SPA;
- the account your bank shows as the payee when you set up the transfer.
All three should match. DLD's Dubai REST page says the app gives off-plan buyers real-time information on "the percentage of completion, the actual pictures of the project, the escrow account number, payments due." DLD's FAQ says that "all amounts received from buyers of real estate units sold off-plan … are deposited in the project escrow account." If you're asked to pay into any other account, ask the developer to explain why in writing before you send money.
What does escrow actually protect?
From the text of Law No. 8 of 2007:
| Article | What it says (paraphrased) |
|---|---|
| Art. 7 | Off-plan purchasers' payments are deposited in an escrow account opened with an escrow agent in the name of the project |
| Art. 9 | The account is dedicated exclusively to building that project. The developer's creditors cannot attach it. Each project needs a separate account |
| Art. 12 | Depositors can access, and request copies of, their own accounting records |
| Art. 14 | The escrow agent keeps 5% of the account once the completion certificate is issued and releases it one year after units are registered in buyers' names |
| Art. 15 | If an emergency leaves the project incomplete, the escrow agent, after consulting DLD, must act so the project is completed or depositors are refunded |
Source: Law No. (8) of 2007, Dubai Legislation Portal (English text; the Arabic text prevails).
DLD's FAQ adds that money can only leave escrow for payments to contractors, consultants and marketing. Only 5% of total sales can go to marketing. Payments are released only after the escrow trustee's engineer confirms on site that the agreed construction milestone is complete.
What escrow does not do: it doesn't fix your price, guarantee your handover date, or make every deposit refundable. DLD's FAQ says it "does not have the authority to terminate any contract between the developer and the investor at the request of the investor." A buyer who wants to terminate has to go to the real estate court. When a project is formally cancelled, it moves to liquidation, and DLD's FAQ says the developer is asked to return buyers' payments within 60 days of the cancellation decision. RERA can extend that period.
When should your Oqood registration happen?
DLD's initial-sale service is run by the developer through the Oqood portal. Its terms say the SPA "shall be registered in the provisional register within 90 days from the date of signing." The output is a provisional registration e-certificate, which is e-mailed to the purchaser. The documents for an individual buyer are a copy of the SPA, a valid UAE ID, and a passport copy for non-residents. The fee is 2% from the seller and 2% from the purchaser, plus AED 10 Knowledge and AED 10 Innovation fees, paid by Noqodi wallet or deducted from the escrow account. For the full fee breakdown, see Dubai Off-Plan Fees Explained.
In practice: note the signing date, and if no e-certificate has arrived well before day 90, ask the developer for its status in writing.
Why check the handover date against DLD and not the brochure?
Because marketed dates get old. This is what the SKID board showed for Dubai launches on 16 October 2026:
| Stated handover year (SKID board, 16 Oct 2026) | Dubai launches |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2025 | 28 |
| 2025 or earlier (sum of the three rows above) | 50 (5.9%) |
| 2026 | 110 |
| 2027 | 321 |
| 2028 | 181 |
| 2029 | 113 |
| 2030 | 11 |
| Other year or not stated | 59 |
| Total Dubai launches | 845 |
Source: SKID off-plan board, 16 October 2026 (n = 845 Dubai launches). These are counts of launches by their stated handover year, not DLD unit supply. Some may already be complete. The past-dated count is a lower bound because years before 2023 weren't queried.
A past date doesn't prove a delay; the building may be finished and the listing not updated. That's why the DLD completion percentage is the number to check. For example, The Sterling in Business Bay shows a published handover of July 2023, and its SKID page flags that "the published handover date is already in the past." Nexara Tower in JVC shows December 2027, and its page notes the developer has "no completed project on this catalog and no delivery record." Either way, the DLD record shows where construction actually stands.
Do you have to pay a milestone if construction hasn't reached it?
DLD's FAQ addresses this directly. Because payment schedules are tied to completion rates, the investor has the right, when the developer asks for a payment, to know the current completion percentage. That comes through a letter from the project consultant approved by DLD. The FAQ says that otherwise "the investor will not be obligated to pay, unless it is confirmed that the project has reached the stage or percentage of completion" in the agreed schedule. Investors can also track completion on DLD's website or app. An independent technical audit report from RERA's auditor costs AED 15,000 per unit or villa, according to the same FAQ.
This is DLD's published guidance, not a ruling on your contract; your SPA and the facts of your case still matter.
What about launch events and exhibitions?
Law No. 8 of 2007 (Art. 5) bars developers from advertising or exhibiting off-plan units without DLD's written authorisation. DLD's Real Estate Ad Permit terms add that at exhibitions "sales are not allowed … only preliminary reservations are permitted," and unregistered off-plan Dubai projects can't be shown. Pressed to pay in full on the spot? Run checks 1 and 2 first.
FAQ
Is my off-plan deposit protected by escrow in Dubai? Law No. 8 of 2007 requires off-plan payments to go into an escrow account in the project's name. That account is ring-fenced from the developer's creditors. The protection depends on the money actually reaching that account, so check the escrow details before you transfer.
Where do I find a project's escrow account number? In DLD's Project Status Enquiry record for the project (escrow section) or in the Dubai REST app. DLD says the app shows the escrow account number for off-plan projects.
What is an Oqood certificate and when should I get it? It's DLD's provisional registration e-certificate for an off-plan sale. The SPA must be registered within 90 days of signing, and the certificate is e-mailed to the purchaser.
What if the project doesn't appear in DLD's search? Don't pay until the developer gives you the DLD project number and the record appears. Search again by land number too.
Does SKID verify escrow accounts? No. SKID compares launch prices with DLD closed sales and flags past handover dates and supply. Escrow and Oqood checks happen in DLD's own systems.
Methodology & sources
- Official sources (fetched 16 Oct 2026): the DLD service pages linked in each section, including the Project Status Enquiry search page, the DLD FAQ (escrow, completion letters, the AED 15,000 audit, cancellation and liquidation), and Law No. (8) of 2007 on the Dubai Legislation Portal.
- SKID data (16 Oct 2026): Dubai launch counts on the SKID board, total and by stated handover year (2023–2030), from SKID's project search. "2025 or earlier" = 7 + 15 + 28 = 50, or 5.9% of 845. Project examples are taken from the live SKID project pages (last evaluated 7 Oct 2026).
- Limits: DLD services, fields and fees can change; re-check the linked pages before paying. Law articles are paraphrased from the official English translation (the Arabic prevails). Not legal advice; for a dispute or termination, consult a qualified UAE lawyer.
Check the project, then check the price
Once the DLD record and the escrow account match, the remaining question is whether the price is worth paying. Open the project on SKID's off-plan board to see how its launch price compares with DLD closed sales, how its handover date and supply look, and whether the call is Reserve, Negotiate, Wait or Walk Away. See how SKID scores projects.
Related on SKID
- Dubai Off-Plan Market Index: October 2026
- Is off-plan more expensive than ready property in Dubai?
- Business Bay Off-Plan Benchmark (October 2026)
SKID Intelligence Ground-Truth Note on Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC): In SKID's live DLD & Ejari dataset, JVC holds an 8.3 / 10 Community Rating (9.5 / 10 Value for Money, 8.0 / 10 Family Livability) and delivers ~7.8% gross rental yield — making it one of Dubai's best risk-adjusted mid-market investment options. While JVC has an active launch pipeline, it also ranks #1 in Dubai for closed DLD transaction volume and tenant absorption. The key is project-level price discipline: target well-specified developments near the community DLD median (AED 1,250–1,600 / sq ft) rather than paying AED 2,000+ / sq ft for outlier off-plan launches.
Verified SKID Community & Registry Benchmark Data
| Community | Emirate | SKID Community Score | Value / Family | Typical Gross Yield | Median Closed Sale PSF | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jumeirah Village Circle | Dubai | 8.3 / 10 | 9.5 / 8.0 | 7.8% | AED 1,424 / sq ft (DLD) | High-value mid-market living with strong rental demand |
| Business Bay | Dubai | 7.5 / 10 | 8.0 / 5.5 | 5.8% | AED 2,239 / sq ft (DLD) | Central urban living for professionals and investors |