Off-plan property in Dubai

More than half of Dubai transactions — 55% over the past twelve months — go directly through developers. The off-plan market here works in a way buyers rarely get elsewhere: the Land Department inspects construction sites itself and publishes the completion percentage with the date of inspection.

So a developer’s promises can be checked against a state register rather than against renders and a sales pitch. Here is what that register currently holds.

Projects selling now

PDF shortlist · updated 1 November 2026

New Dubai projects of November 2026

30 projects · prices from DLD and developers

1. Rise By Athlon 1 Wadi Al Safa 5 · 1–3 BR from AED 1,412,000
2. Zuha Island Villas World Islands from AED 68,000,000
3. Weybridge Gardens Phase 5 by Leos Developments Dubailand Oasis from AED 756,782

27 more in the PDF: prices, handover dates, payment plans

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What is under construction in Dubai right now

Two thirds of all sites are at an early stage, under 20% complete. That is the bulk of what gets sold at presentations: groundwork, a handover date three or four years out, and a payment plan. Before accepting handover or keys, arrange a snagging inspection to document defects for the developer.

The flip side of the same figure: very little is close to finished — only 142 projects have passed 80%. Those are the ones that matter if you want keys soon rather than in several years.

Projects that are nearly finished

Compare the last two columns. The inspection date is fact: a department inspector visited the site and recorded the completion figure. The handover date is the developer’s promise, and it moves.

How far do handover dates slip

Two different things have to be separated here, otherwise the number becomes frightening and wrong.

Genuine delays. 176 projects under construction have passed their declared handover date by less than a year, at a median completion of 66%. Another 40 are one to three years late at 77% complete. These are working sites where the schedule slipped: the building will be finished, later than promised.

Stalled projects. A further 387 are more than three years past their date — but their median completion is 2%. These never really started and simply remain on the register. They are easy to mistake for a market catastrophe, though they have nothing to do with buying a new build.

The practical conclusion is simple: look not at the promised date but at the completion percentage and the date of the last inspection. If completion is 8% and handover is promised within a year, that is an intention, not a schedule.

We publish the whole register: completion, inspection date, previous value and site photographs for every project.

Match a project to your budget and timeline

Tell us the budget and when you need the keys, and we will send what genuinely completes in that window, with current completion figures from the register.

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Who is building

What sells most

How buying off-plan works

1. Reservation. Usually 5–10% of the price. On popular projects a booking holds for hours, not days.
2. Sale and purchase agreement (SPA) and the first instalment, typically 20% in total.
3. Oqood registration — the state registration of a right to a property under construction. The 4% Land Department fee is paid at this point.
4. Scheduled payments — tied either to construction milestones or to the calendar.
5. Handover and title deed. After completion the property is re-registered as full ownership.

The money goes into the project’s escrow account, not to the developer. That is a legal requirement: buyers’ funds are held separately and released under supervision for that specific site. This is why losing the money outright is rare in Dubai — the risk here is the schedule, not disappearance of funds.

What to check before buying

• Completion percentage and inspection date in the register — the only objective figure about a construction site.
• Whether the developer has finished projects before and how their dates moved. A company with two sites and one with sixty carry different risk.
• What handover includes: finishes, kitchen, appliances. “Fully fitted” means different things to different developers.
• Whether a resale market exists in the project. If every transaction runs through the developer, there may be no one to sell to later. We show the resale share on each building’s page.
• The payment schedule after handover. A “50% on handover” plan means finding half the price by a specific date.

Commission and costs

On an off-plan purchase the developer pays the agency commission, not the buyer. The mandatory costs are the 4% Land Department fee and Oqood registration.

The comparison with the resale market, where the buyer pays 2% commission plus the developer’s NOC, is on the apartments in Dubai page.

Frequently asked questions

What is off-plan property in Dubai?

Off-plan property in Dubai is a property bought while it is still under construction, before full ownership is transferred at handover. The buyer’s right is registered through Oqood during construction, while payments are scheduled and held in the project’s escrow account. Before buying, check the Land Department’s recorded completion percentage and latest inspection date rather than relying only on the declared handover date.

How many buildings are under construction in Dubai

The Land Department register lists 2,182 projects under construction, around 525,000 units. Two thirds are at an early stage under 20% complete, and only 142 have passed 80%.

How much can the declared handover date be trusted

As a guide, yes; as a commitment, no. 176 active sites are already less than a year late, and another 40 are one to three years late. The completion percentage and the last inspection date are more reliable: below 20% complete, handover within a year is physically unlikely.

Is it safe to buy at groundwork stage

Funds go into the project’s escrow account and are released under supervision, so money disappearing is unlikely. The main risk is timing: keys can arrive a year or two later than promised, and that has to be planned for.

Who pays the commission on a new build

The developer. The buyer pays only the 4% Land Department fee and registration. On the resale market it is the other way round: there the buyer pays 2%.

What is Oqood

The state registration of a right to a property under construction. Until the building is handed over that is what you hold; the full title deed is issued afterwards.

Off-plan or completed — which is better

Off-plan fixes the price years ahead, spreads the payments and the developer covers the commission. A completed property can be inspected, its real service charges established, and let immediately. Figures for both markets are on the apartments page.

What next

Browse the full construction register — filter by district, developer and completion, with photographs from the latest inspection for each project. Or compare against completed stock on the apartments and villas pages.

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PDF shortlist · updated 1 November 2026

New Dubai projects of November 2026

30 projects · prices from DLD and developers

30 more in the PDF: prices, handover dates, payment plans

Download the free shortlist

The PDF opens instantly. Refreshed monthly from DLD data.