The Dubai property glossary
Every term you will meet buying, selling or letting property in Dubai, in plain English. Where a term has a real number behind it, the current figure from the Dubai Land Department's register is published underneath it.
A
B
- Broker numberA broker number is the registration number the Dubai Land Department issues to a licensed real estate broker, against which its records of their activity are held.
- Built-up areaBuilt-up area is the total floor area of a property including its internal walls and, depending on the definition used, balconies and shared allowances.
C
- Capital appreciationCapital appreciation is the increase in a property's value over time, separate from the rental income it produces.
- Chiller chargesChiller charges are the cost of air conditioning supplied by a district cooling provider, billed separately from electricity and often from the service charge.
- Construction milestoneA construction milestone is a verified stage of building progress that triggers both a buyer instalment and the release of escrow funds to the developer.
D
- Defects liability periodA defects liability period is the window after handover during which the developer remains responsible for putting right defects in the property.
- DEWADEWA is the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the utility that supplies power and water and whose account must be opened before a home can be occupied.
- DLDThe Dubai Land Department is the government body that registers property ownership and transactions in Dubai and maintains the official record of the market.
- DLD transfer feeThe transfer fee is the Dubai Land Department's charge for registering a change of ownership, widely applied at 4% of the purchase price plus administrative charges.
E
- EjariEjari is Dubai's official system for registering a residential or commercial tenancy contract with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency.
- Escrow accountAn escrow account is a project bank account into which off-plan buyer payments must be deposited, released to the developer against verified construction progress.
F
- Form FForm F is the standard Dubai contract recording the agreed terms between a buyer and a seller in a resale, before the transfer takes place.
- FreeholdFreehold means owning a property and the land it sits on outright and indefinitely, which foreign nationals may do in Dubai's designated freehold areas.
G
- Golden Visa (property route)The Golden Visa is a long-term UAE residence visa, one route to which is qualifying property ownership at or above a published investment threshold.
- Gross rental yieldGross rental yield is the annual rent a property earns divided by its purchase price, expressed as a percentage, before any costs are deducted.
H
- HandoverHandover is the point at which a completed off-plan unit is transferred to the buyer, who can then take possession and have a title deed issued.
- Holiday home licenceA holiday home licence is the permit required to let a Dubai property to guests on a short-term basis rather than on an annual tenancy.
J
L
- LeaseholdLeasehold is the right to occupy and use a property for a long fixed term, commonly up to 99 years, without owning the land underneath it.
- Loan to valueLoan to value is the share of a property's value covered by a mortgage, with the rest paid as a deposit, and UAE lending rules cap it by buyer type and price.
M
- Master communityA master community is a large planned development containing many separate buildings or sub-communities under shared infrastructure and rules.
- Master developerA master developer plans and builds the infrastructure of a whole community, then develops parts of it and sells plots to other developers.
- Median priceThe median is the middle value in a set of sales, and it describes a property market far better than an average does.
- MollakMollak is the Dubai system through which service charges for jointly owned property are budgeted, approved and collected.
- Mortgage registration feeThe mortgage registration fee is the Dubai Land Department's charge for recording a mortgage against a property, charged as a small percentage of the loan.
- MusatahaA musataha is a registered right to build on and use land belonging to someone else for a long fixed term, after which the land and usually the buildings revert.
N
- Net rental yieldNet rental yield is the annual rent left after running costs, divided by the purchase price, which is what an owner actually earns before financing and tax.
- NOCAn NOC is a No Objection Certificate issued by the developer confirming it has no objection to a property being transferred, typically because service charges are settled.
O
- Off-planOff-plan means buying a property from the developer before it is built, paying in instalments against construction progress rather than owning a finished home.
- OqoodOqood is the Dubai Land Department system that registers an off-plan property sale before the building exists and a title deed can be issued.
- Owners' associationAn owners' association is the body of all owners in a jointly owned building or community, responsible for its shared parts and its budget.
P
- Payment planA payment plan is the schedule of instalments an off-plan buyer pays, usually tied to construction milestones and sometimes continuing after handover.
- Plot areaPlot area is the size of the land a villa or townhouse sits on, as distinct from the built-up area of the house itself.
- Price per square footPrice per square foot is the sale price divided by the internal area, and it is the standard way to compare properties of different sizes.
R
- Ready propertyReady property is a completed home that exists and can be occupied immediately, bought from its current owner rather than from a developer.
- Registration trusteeA registration trustee is a Dubai Land Department authorised office where a property transfer is formally completed and recorded.
- RERARERA is the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department that oversees brokers, developers, escrow and tenancy registration.
- RERA rental indexThe RERA rental index is Dubai's official reference for market rents, used to determine whether and by how much a rent may be increased on renewal.
S
- Sale and Purchase AgreementThe Sale and Purchase Agreement is the contract between a buyer and a developer for an off-plan unit, setting the price, payment plan and handover terms.
- Secondary marketThe secondary market is the resale market: completed property bought from an existing owner rather than from a developer.
- Security depositA security deposit is the sum a tenant leaves with a landlord against damage, returned at the end of the tenancy less any legitimate deductions.
- Service chargeA service charge is the annual fee an owner pays towards the running and maintenance of the shared parts of a building or community, usually charged per square foot.
- SnaggingSnagging is the inspection of a newly completed property to list defects for the developer to fix before or shortly after handover.
T
- Tenancy contractA tenancy contract is the agreement between landlord and tenant setting rent, term and obligations, and in Dubai it is registered on Ejari to be effective.
- Title deedA title deed is the Dubai Land Department document proving who owns a completed property, and it is the only conclusive evidence of ownership.
- TrakheesiTrakheesi is Dubai's permit system for property advertising, and a legitimate listing carries a permit number issued through it.
U
V
Looking for figures rather than definitions? Start with prices and yields by community or the whole Dubai market.
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