Reference

RERA + DLD glossary

30 plain-English definitions covering the most-encountered Dubai property terms. Grouped by category, cross-referenced to the relevant explainer + calculator pages.

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Authorities
Documents + forms
Process terms
Legal concepts
Financial + tax

Authorities

4 terms

Dubai Land DepartmentDLD: The Emirate-level authority that registers property titles, collects transfer fees, and operates the Dubai REST mobile app.; See also: /finance/escrow-explainer
Real Estate Regulatory AgencyRERA: The regulatory arm of the DLD. Oversees developers, brokers, escrow accounts, and dispute resolution. Issues licences and Stage Certificates.
Federal Tax AuthorityFTA: The UAE-federal authority for VAT and Corporate Tax. Handles VAT-on-commercial property and the 9% CT regime on company-held rentals.; See also: /finance/property-tax-explainer
Central Bank of the UAECBUAE: Issues mortgage regulations: the DBR 50% cap, LTV ceilings, and tenure limits all originate here.; See also: /finance/dbr-explainer

Documents + forms

8 terms

Title Deed: The DLD-issued document proving freehold or leasehold ownership of a UAE property. Required for any sale, mortgage, or rental.
Ejari: Tenant-registration document issued by DLD. Required before DEWA (utility) activation; mandatory for any tenancy contract to be enforceable in court.
MoU (Memorandum of Understanding)Form F: Preliminary sale agreement signed by buyer + seller + brokers. RERA-templated Form F. Binding once signed; 10% earnest deposit standard.
SPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement): Formal sale contract that replaces the MoU. RERA-templated for off-plan, DLD-templated for resale. Used at DLD transfer appointment.
NOC (No-Objection Certificate): Developer-issued certificate confirming the buyer is current on payments + service charges. Required for off-plan sub-sale and post-handover resale.; See also: /finance/exit-strategy
Form A: RERA buyer-broker engagement form. Locks the broker-buyer relationship; only one Form A active per buyer at a time.
Form B: RERA seller-broker engagement form. Counterpart to Form A from the seller side.
Power of AttorneyPoA: Notarised authorisation for a representative to act on your behalf at DLD. Required if you cannot attend the transfer appointment in person.

Process terms

6 terms

Off-plan: Property purchased pre-construction or pre-completion via a payment plan tied to construction milestones. Lower entry capital but longer time-to-handover.
Resale: Already-titled property bought from a previous owner, not the developer. Title transfer happens at DLD same-day after SPA signing.
Sub-sale (assignment): Selling an off-plan position before handover. Requires developer NOC + DLD assignment fee. Lock-in rules vary by stage of payment.; See also: /finance/exit-strategy
Snagging: Pre-handover walkthrough listing all defects requiring developer rectification. Done by the buyer or an independent snagging company (AED 1,500-3,000).
Handover: Formal transfer of the property to the buyer post-construction. Includes title-deed issuance + Defect Liability Period start.
Drawdown: Release of funds from the escrow account to the developer against a RERA Stage Certificate. Buyer payments stage-gate the build progress.

Legal concepts

6 terms

Freehold: Full ownership of land + building, transferable without restriction. Available in 40+ designated Dubai areas to all nationalities.
Leasehold: Long-term lease (typically 99 years) without underlying land ownership. Common in non-freehold areas; less liquid than freehold.
Defect Liability PeriodDLP: 12 months post-handover during which the developer is contractually obliged to fix construction defects. DLD escrow retains 5% as enforcement.
Joint Property DeclarationJOPD: The constituting document for a multi-unit building's owners association. Defines service-charge formula, common-area maintenance, and voting rules.
Owners AssociationOA: Building-level body of unit owners. Manages common areas, collects service charges, contracts maintenance. Required by Law 27 of 2007.
Special Purpose VehicleSPV: Single-asset corporate entity used to hold property. Common for high-value or multi-investor structures; subject to 9% Corporate Tax on rental income above AED 375k.

Financial + tax

6 terms

Debt Burden RatioDBR: Total monthly debt service / net monthly income. CBUAE caps at 50% for any UAE mortgage applicant.; See also: /finance/dbr-explainer
Loan-to-ValueLTV: Mortgage amount / property value. CBUAE caps: 80% for first UAE-national home, 75% for first expat home (both below AED 5M), 50% for off-plan.
Service Charge: Annual fee paid by unit owners to the Owners Association for common-area maintenance. Typically AED 12-35 per sqft / year depending on tier.
DLD Transfer Fee: 4% of property value, paid at title transfer. Default split 50/50 buyer/seller; commonly negotiated to be all-buyer.; See also: /calculator/closing-costs
Mortgage Registration Fee: 0.25% of mortgage amount, paid to DLD when registering the lender's lien on the title. Plus 0.25% lender processing typically.
Capital Gains TaxCGT: Tax on the increase in property value at sale. UAE has 0% personal CGT; corporate sellers under the 9% CT regime owe tax on disposal gains.; See also: /finance/property-tax-explainer

Closing-cost calculator →DBR explainer →Escrow explainer →Buying-process FAQ →

Reference

RERA + DLD glossary

30 plain-English definitions covering the most-encountered Dubai property terms. Grouped by category, cross-referenced to the relevant explainer + calculator pages.

Authorities

4 terms

Dubai Land DepartmentDLD: The Emirate-level authority that registers property titles, collects transfer fees, and operates the Dubai REST mobile app.; See also: /finance/escrow-explainer
Real Estate Regulatory AgencyRERA: The regulatory arm of the DLD. Oversees developers, brokers, escrow accounts, and dispute resolution. Issues licences and Stage Certificates.
Federal Tax AuthorityFTA: The UAE-federal authority for VAT and Corporate Tax. Handles VAT-on-commercial property and the 9% CT regime on company-held rentals.; See also: /finance/property-tax-explainer
Central Bank of the UAECBUAE: Issues mortgage regulations: the DBR 50% cap, LTV ceilings, and tenure limits all originate here.; See also: /finance/dbr-explainer

Documents + forms

8 terms

Title Deed: The DLD-issued document proving freehold or leasehold ownership of a UAE property. Required for any sale, mortgage, or rental.
Ejari: Tenant-registration document issued by DLD. Required before DEWA (utility) activation; mandatory for any tenancy contract to be enforceable in court.
MoU (Memorandum of Understanding)Form F: Preliminary sale agreement signed by buyer + seller + brokers. RERA-templated Form F. Binding once signed; 10% earnest deposit standard.
SPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement): Formal sale contract that replaces the MoU. RERA-templated for off-plan, DLD-templated for resale. Used at DLD transfer appointment.
NOC (No-Objection Certificate): Developer-issued certificate confirming the buyer is current on payments + service charges. Required for off-plan sub-sale and post-handover resale.; See also: /finance/exit-strategy
Form A: RERA buyer-broker engagement form. Locks the broker-buyer relationship; only one Form A active per buyer at a time.
Form B: RERA seller-broker engagement form. Counterpart to Form A from the seller side.
Power of AttorneyPoA: Notarised authorisation for a representative to act on your behalf at DLD. Required if you cannot attend the transfer appointment in person.

Process terms

6 terms

Off-plan: Property purchased pre-construction or pre-completion via a payment plan tied to construction milestones. Lower entry capital but longer time-to-handover.
Resale: Already-titled property bought from a previous owner, not the developer. Title transfer happens at DLD same-day after SPA signing.
Sub-sale (assignment): Selling an off-plan position before handover. Requires developer NOC + DLD assignment fee. Lock-in rules vary by stage of payment.; See also: /finance/exit-strategy
Snagging: Pre-handover walkthrough listing all defects requiring developer rectification. Done by the buyer or an independent snagging company (AED 1,500-3,000).
Handover: Formal transfer of the property to the buyer post-construction. Includes title-deed issuance + Defect Liability Period start.
Drawdown: Release of funds from the escrow account to the developer against a RERA Stage Certificate. Buyer payments stage-gate the build progress.

Legal concepts

6 terms

Freehold: Full ownership of land + building, transferable without restriction. Available in 40+ designated Dubai areas to all nationalities.
Leasehold: Long-term lease (typically 99 years) without underlying land ownership. Common in non-freehold areas; less liquid than freehold.
Defect Liability PeriodDLP: 12 months post-handover during which the developer is contractually obliged to fix construction defects. DLD escrow retains 5% as enforcement.
Joint Property DeclarationJOPD: The constituting document for a multi-unit building's owners association. Defines service-charge formula, common-area maintenance, and voting rules.
Owners AssociationOA: Building-level body of unit owners. Manages common areas, collects service charges, contracts maintenance. Required by Law 27 of 2007.
Special Purpose VehicleSPV: Single-asset corporate entity used to hold property. Common for high-value or multi-investor structures; subject to 9% Corporate Tax on rental income above AED 375k.

Financial + tax

6 terms

Debt Burden RatioDBR: Total monthly debt service / net monthly income. CBUAE caps at 50% for any UAE mortgage applicant.; See also: /finance/dbr-explainer
Loan-to-ValueLTV: Mortgage amount / property value. CBUAE caps: 80% for first UAE-national home, 75% for first expat home (both below AED 5M), 50% for off-plan.
Service Charge: Annual fee paid by unit owners to the Owners Association for common-area maintenance. Typically AED 12-35 per sqft / year depending on tier.
DLD Transfer Fee: 4% of property value, paid at title transfer. Default split 50/50 buyer/seller; commonly negotiated to be all-buyer.; See also: /calculator/closing-costs
Mortgage Registration Fee: 0.25% of mortgage amount, paid to DLD when registering the lender's lien on the title. Plus 0.25% lender processing typically.
Capital Gains TaxCGT: Tax on the increase in property value at sale. UAE has 0% personal CGT; corporate sellers under the 9% CT regime owe tax on disposal gains.; See also: /finance/property-tax-explainer

Closing-cost calculator →DBR explainer →Escrow explainer →Buying-process FAQ →

Jump to category

Authorities

Documents + forms

Process terms

Legal concepts

Financial + tax

Pair the vocabulary with the practical pages

Jump to category

Authorities

Documents + forms

Process terms

Legal concepts

Financial + tax

Pair the vocabulary with the practical pages