Buying off-plan
How do I verify a Dubai off-plan project before I pay? DLD registration, escrow and completion date
Before you pay a booking amount on a Dubai off-plan unit, three public records should agree with your paperwork. Here is how I check the DLD project record, the escrow account, the advert permit and the registered completion date.
A lot of off-plan trouble can be caught in ten minutes, before the first transfer. The usual picture is a glossy brochure, a WhatsApp from a salesperson and a payment link. What is missing is a match between the paperwork and Dubai Land Department's own records. This is the routine I follow before a booking amount leaves a buyer's account, and you can run it yourself on your phone.
Which three records have to agree before I pay?
Three things must tell the same story: the DLD project record, the escrow account you are paying into, and the documents you are signing (reservation form, then the sale and purchase agreement, or SPA). If all three agree on the project, the developer and the account, you are dealing with a registered project. If any one of them disagrees, stop and get an explanation in writing.
| Check | Where | What must match |
|---|---|---|
| Project is registered | DLD Project Status (Mashrooi in Dubai REST) | Project name or number, developer, location |
| Money goes to escrow | Same DLD record, then your payment instruction | Escrow bank and account number |
| Advert is permitted | Madmoun QR code on the advert | Advertising company and property details |
| Your purchase is registered | Oqood e-certificate emailed by DLD | Your name, unit and price |
| Timeline is realistic | DLD record and your SPA | Start and completion dates |
How do I find the project in DLD's system?
Open the Dubai REST app from Dubai Land Department and go to Project Status, called Mashrooi. The same Project Status Enquiry is also linked from the DLD website. Search by the registered project name or the DLD project number.
Ask for the number first. Developers market towers under brand names, and one master community can hold dozens of registered projects. A brochure name that returns nothing is not proof of fraud, but it is your cue to ask for the registered name and number in writing.
The record shows the project number, its registration and start dates, completion details, the developer's name and number, the management company and the escrow account. DLD says the app also gives off-plan beneficiaries the completion percentage, actual photos of the project and the payments due on their units, so it stays useful long after you buy.
How do I check the escrow account?
Compare the escrow details in the DLD record with the bank details on your payment instruction and in the SPA. They should be the same bank and the same account.
The law behind this is Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007. Article 7 says payments from off-plan purchasers are deposited in an account opened with the escrow agent in the name of the project. Article 9 says that account is dedicated exclusively to building that project, that creditors of the developer cannot attach the money in it, and that a developer with several projects must keep a separate escrow account for each one.
In practice that gives you a simple rule. If you are asked to pay into a company's general account, a sister company, a broker or an individual, do not pay until it is explained and corrected. Keep the DLD screenshot, the payment instruction, the signed form and the bank confirmation together in one folder.
Is the developer allowed to sell this project at all?
A developer has to clear several gates before it can take your money. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, no one may carry on real estate development in Dubai unless entered in DLD's Register of Real Estate Developers and licensed (Article 4), and off-plan units may not be advertised or shown at exhibitions without DLD's written authorisation (Article 5).
Law No. 13 of 2008 adds that no developer may start a project or sell units off-plan before taking possession of the land and obtaining the required approvals (Article 4), and that a contract to sell off-plan in a project that is not approved is null and void (Article 10).
DLD's own project registration service shows how high the bar is. It asks for a full title deed for the land, final building permits, the developer's registration in Trakheesi and a 30% guarantee, given either as 30% of construction completed, a bank guarantee for 30% or a 30% cash deposit. You will not see those documents yourself, but a project record in Mashrooi tells you DLD has accepted the registration.
What does the QR code on the advert tell me?
Since 24 April 2023, DLD has required real estate adverts to carry a Madmoun QR code, issued with the advert's Trakheesi permit. Scanning it opens DLD's record of the advert: the company behind it and the authorised property details, including whether a unit has been sold or rented.
Treat it as a first filter, not a guarantee. A permitted advert tells you the marketing was approved. It says nothing about whether the account on your payment link is the project's escrow account. Do both checks.
When should my purchase appear in the DLD register?
After the SPA is signed by you and the developer, the developer registers the sale in DLD's provisional register through the Oqood portal. DLD's initial sale service sets two terms buyers should know: the contract must be registered within 90 days of signing, and the output is a provisional registration e-certificate emailed to the purchaser.
The registration fee on that service is 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees. Your SPA decides who actually carries which share, so read that clause before you sign.
Registration is not a formality. Article 3 of Law No. 13 of 2008 says any sale of an off-plan unit is void unless it is entered in the Interim Property Register. If 90 days have passed and you have no certificate, chase the developer for the registration reference that week, not at handover.
How do I read the completion date?
Look at three dates side by side: the start and completion figures in the DLD record, the completion date in your SPA, and the date in the sales presentation. If the brochure says one year and the SPA says another, the SPA is the one you signed, so that is the date to plan around.
Then check the progress figure again every few months in Mashrooi. DLD publishes completion percentages and site photos for registered projects, which is far better evidence than a progress video sent on WhatsApp.
My ten minute checklist
- Get the registered project name and DLD project number in writing.
- Find the project in Mashrooi and screenshot the record.
- Match the developer on the record to the company on your reservation form.
- Match the escrow bank and account number to your payment instruction.
- Scan the advert's Madmoun QR code and check the company is the one you are dealing with.
- Compare the completion date in the record, the SPA and the brochure.
- After signing, diary day 90 and expect your Oqood e-certificate before it.
If something does not match, pause, ask for the explanation in writing and call DLD on 800 4488 if you are unsure.
Want me to run the checks with you?
Send me the project name, or a screenshot of the brochure, on WhatsApp with the word VERIFY at +971 50 608 6106. I will go through the DLD record, the escrow details and the dates with you before you pay anything. If you are comparing Abu Dhabi as well, my free Yas vs Saadiyat guide covers the two islands I am asked about most. Buyers looking in Dubai usually start with Downtown Dubai, Dubai Hills Estate or, for companies, Business Bay offices. If you are planning an office move, read my 2027 lease timeline too, and you can read more about me.
Questions
Where do I look up a Dubai off-plan project's registration?
Use the Project Status service from Dubai Land Department, called Mashrooi inside the Dubai REST app and also reachable on the DLD website. Search by the registered project name or project number. The record shows the developer, registration and start dates, completion details, the management company and the escrow account.
What if the project name in the brochure does not appear in DLD's records?
Marketing names often differ from registered names. Ask the developer or broker, in writing, for the registered project name and DLD project number, then search again. If they cannot give you a number that returns a matching record, do not pay a booking amount until they can.
Can a developer ask me to pay into its company account instead of escrow?
Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 says off-plan purchaser payments go into an escrow account opened in the project's name, dedicated to building that project, with a separate account for each project. A request to pay a general company account or a third party is a reason to stop and ask questions.
How long does a developer have to register my off-plan purchase?
DLD's initial sale service says the signed sale and purchase contract must be entered in the provisional register within 90 days of signing. DLD then emails the purchaser a provisional registration e-certificate. Under Law No. 13 of 2008, an off-plan sale not entered in that register is void.
Does the Madmoun QR code on an advert prove the project is safe?
No. It proves the advert has a Trakheesi permit and shows the authorised advert details. It is a useful first filter, but the project record, the escrow account and your registration certificate are the checks that relate to your money.
- Dubai Land Department, Project Status Enquiry (checked 10 Nov 2026)
- Dubai Land Department, Dubai REST app service page (checked 10 Nov 2026)
- Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development, Articles 4, 5, 7 and 9 (checked 10 Nov 2026)
- Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 Regulating the Interim Property Register, Articles 3, 4 and 10 (checked 10 Nov 2026)
- Dubai Land Department, Request to register the initial sale (Oqood fees and 90-day term) (checked 10 Nov 2026)
- Dubai Land Department, Register Project service (developer requirements) (checked 10 Nov 2026)
- Dubai Land Department, Madmoun QR code service for real estate ads, 18 Apr 2023 (checked 10 Nov 2026)
Launch prices are guide or broker figures unless stated. General information, not financial advice.
