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Trust & Safety

Safe Transaction Practices

Tips for secure property transactions.

Updated: September 2026 6 min read

A safe property transaction in Dubai is one where your money only goes where the law says it should: into the project's escrow account for an off-plan purchase, and to the seller at a Dubai Land Department (DLD) registration trustee office, usually by manager's cheque, when a resale is transferred. Never hand cash to an individual. Here is how the money should move at each stage.

Before you pay anything

  • Check the broker's licence and BRN on the DLD's Licensed Real Estate Brokers list or in Dubai REST.
  • Check the title deed with the DLD's Verify Title Deed service, or for off-plan, the project and its escrow account in Dubai REST.
  • Sign the DLD's standard contracts: Form A (seller and broker), Form B (buyer and broker) and Form F (the sale contract), all created in the DLD's system and approved by each party.
  • Agree in writing how much the deposit is, who holds it and when it is refunded.

Off-plan: pay only into the escrow account

Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, a developer selling off-plan must open an escrow account for each project with a DLD-accredited bank, and buyers' payments are deposited there. The account is dedicated to building that project, and the developer's creditors can't seize the money in it. The escrow bank must keep back 5% of the account once the completion certificate is issued, releasing it a year after units are registered to buyers. If a broker sells the unit for the developer, the broker must pay your money into the escrow account and may not put it in their own account or take commission out of it first (Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010, Article 12). The Dubai REST app shows a project's escrow account number and completion percentage, so check it before every payment.

If an off-plan project is cancelled

Resolution No. 6 of 2010 sets out what happens when RERA cancels a project: the escrow bank, or the developer if payments were made outside escrow, must refund buyers within 14 days of the cancellation, and if the escrow funds are not enough, the developer must pay the rest within 60 days unless RERA extends the deadline. Payments made outside the escrow account are harder to trace and recover, which is one more reason to use it.

Resale: pay at the trustee office

  • Ownership passes when the sale is registered at a DLD Real Estate Registration Trustee centre, with both parties or their authorised representatives.
  • DLD fees are paid there by ePay, Dubai Pay, Noqodi wallet or manager's cheque.
  • The price is usually handed over as manager's cheques at the same appointment, so the seller is paid only as the transfer is registered.
  • If the seller has a mortgage, the DLD's process uses three manager's cheques: to the seller's bank, to the seller and to the DLD. The bank then releases the mortgage.
  • For unmortgaged freehold apartments, offices and townhouses, the DLD's Dubai Now service lets UAE ID holders sign the contract digitally and pay the price and fees through a DLD-approved escrow account.

Deposits held by a broker

A broker who holds money or documents for you is legally a trustee of them and must hand them over as agreed (Bylaw No. 85 of 2006, Article 21). The broker is also liable for losses caused by fraud or by breaking the rules (Article 22). Pay a deposit by cheque or bank transfer to the account named in your written contract, and keep the receipt. A request to pay a broker's personal account, or cash, is a warning sign.

Never do this

  • Pay cash to an agent, landlord or seller.
  • Transfer money to an individual's personal account because they asked you to.
  • Pay before viewing, or before the owner and broker are verified.
  • Pay off-plan instalments anywhere other than the project's escrow account.
  • Pay through a link in a message claiming to be from the DLD. The DLD warns about fake payment requests in its name.

If something goes wrong

Report fraud to Dubai Police via its app, the e-Crime platform or by calling 901, and report broker violations to the DLD's complaint service. For how to spot scams in the first place, see Avoiding Property Scams in this section.

Frequently asked questions

How is the price paid on a resale property in Dubai?

Usually as manager's cheques handed over at the DLD registration trustee office during the transfer appointment, so the seller is paid only as the transfer is registered. DLD fees are paid there by ePay, Dubai Pay, Noqodi wallet or manager's cheque.

What happens to my money if an off-plan project is cancelled?

If RERA cancels a project, the escrow bank, or the developer if payments were made outside escrow, must refund buyers within 14 days. If the escrow funds fall short, the developer must pay the rest within 60 days unless RERA extends the deadline.

How do I check a developer's escrow account in Dubai?

Use the Dubai REST app, which shows a project's escrow account number and completion percentage, and check it before every payment. Developers selling off-plan must open an escrow account for each project with a DLD-accredited bank, and your payments should go only there.

Is it safe to pay a deposit to a property broker?

A broker who holds money for you is legally a trustee and must hand it over as agreed, and is liable for losses caused by fraud or breaking the rules. Pay by cheque or bank transfer to the account named in your written contract and keep the receipt; a request for cash or a personal account is a warning sign.

Sources

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