Selling a Dubai Apartment: Ready, Mortgaged and Off-Plan Assignment Compared

Sources checked: 29 October 2026.

Start by identifying what you are selling: a completed apartment, a mortgaged property or rights to a unit still under construction. This determines the documents, the bank’s or developer’s involvement and the payment sequence. Here is how to prepare the transaction, compare offers and estimate the funds that will actually be available to you.

Sell or hold: start from net cash, not the listing price

A sale is not automatically profitable, and holding is not automatically safe. What matters is what remains in your account after every deduction, set against what the unit would give you if kept: rent, personal use, or simply flexibility. A neighbour’s asking price answers neither question.

Before deciding, gather your purchase contract and payment proofs, money spent on the unit, any loan balance, service-charge position, tenancy status, and your tax and currency position.

• Reasons that can justify a sale: you need liquidity, the unit no longer fits its purpose, or your portfolio is too concentrated.
• Reasons to pause: net cash would not clear the mortgage and costs, an off-plan contract restricts assignment, or the timing creates a tax disadvantage.

Three routes to a buyer and a registration

Licensed broker. Commission is agreed between you and the broker; it is not a mandatory fixed 2%, and DLD’s FAQ points to checking the broker’s licence card. Our guide on how to verify a Dubai broker covers the checks.

Direct buyer. Avoiding a new brokerage agreement may reduce commission costs, but first check obligations under existing agreements, including exclusivity. The transaction still needs the relevant documents and registration through an available route.

Digital route. DLD describes a Dubai Now service: UAE Pass, an SPA, purchase amount and fees paid into escrow, and receipt of the title deed. Eligibility terms apply, so do not assume every non-resident can complete a sale online. Its service-partner fees differ from trustee-office fees, so compare them separately.

Ready property: how the transfer is registered

Under DLD’s sale registration service, a ready unit can be sold in full or in part by the parties or their legal representatives. Non-residents identify with a passport, freehold units need the developer’s e-NOC through Dubai REST, and a trustee office checks documents, audits fees and registers the transfer.

On cost: the DLD fee is 4% in total, with the split set by your contract (DLD’s 2017 owner guide describes equal sharing unless agreed otherwise, the current service page lists 2% for each party). The trustee fee is AED 4,000 plus VAT from AED 500,000, otherwise AED 2,000 plus VAT. Map, title and administrative charges depend on the route, so no single universal total exists; ask for a written breakdown.

The processing time on the official page covers the registration step, not the weeks that can pass between accepting an offer and receiving funds.

Mortgaged property: the order matters

A mortgaged sale follows DLD’s mortgaged-property procedure: a liability letter from the bank, an initial registration securing the buyer’s rights, settlement of the debt with the bank, a release letter, and only then completion of the property registration. Skipping or reordering steps shifts risk onto one party.

Check each payee separately: the bank receives the settlement figure, you receive the balance, and fees go to the bodies that issued them. Request a written breakdown of fees and payees. Coordinate the release through the trustee office and the bank’s formal channels; a transfer arranged over WhatsApp is not a release. If someone acts for you, verify their power of attorney is properly authorised.

The closing balance and bank fees come from your loan agreement and the bank’s statement. Assume no standard percentage; request a dated settlement figure with its validity period.

Off-plan assignment is not a ready-title transfer

With off-plan you transfer your rights under the SPA, with developer approval, and the change is recorded in Oqood, the off-plan registry. No title deed exists yet, so the ready-property steps do not apply as written.

Developers set their own conditions. Some tie approval to the share of the price already paid, but no fixed 30% or 40% threshold applies everywhere. Read your SPA and obtain the developer’s position in writing before listing.

The buyer steps into your payment plan, so obtain a statement of instalments paid and outstanding, any arrears, developer charges and the expected handover timetable. Settle who bears each item before signing anything.

From sale price to net cash

Calculate closing cash: sale price less mortgage settlement and costs allocated to the seller, adjusted for agreed reimbursements, rent, building charges and tenant deposits. Adjustments can work in either direction: a buyer might reimburse a charge you prepaid. Do not automatically deduct every transaction cost if the buyer bears it. Separately allow for taxes and confirm when they must be paid.

Net cash is not profit. Profit depends on acquisition price and costs, money spent on the unit, tax, and the currency in which you measure results. For a fuller view see our guide to Dubai apartment buying and ownership costs.

• Mortgage settlement and bank charges, from a dated bank statement.
• Broker commission plus VAT, if it applies.
• Developer NOC and other charges, and which party the contract makes responsible.
• Service charge and rent pro-rata: check the contract and applicable rules rather than assuming an automatic split.
• Tenant deposits to hand over or refund.
• Transfer and currency-conversion costs.

Preparing the unit and pricing it

Prepare the documents needed to assess and register the transaction: title or SPA documents, passport or Emirates ID as appropriate, the tenancy contract if let, service-charge statements, loan details and a note of any encumbrances. Assess the unit’s condition and agree an inventory of what stays.

Pricing: compare your ask with actual transactions for similar units in the same building, on a comparable floor, with a similar view, condition and tenancy status. This is a like-for-like comparison, not market statistics, and it should not anchor on what you paid.

If the unit is tenanted, a sale does not automatically give the buyer vacant possession or end the tenancy (see DLD’s FAQ). Check the contract and verified law before promising vacancy.

How to assess offers

Compare terms, not only price.

• Cash or financing-conditional: what happens if the buyer’s bank declines, and by when.
• Deposit: who holds it, and when it is refunded or forfeited.
• Expiry: how long the offer stays open and what the buyer must do meanwhile.
• Dates for NOC, mortgage release, transfer and handover, and who is responsible if one slips.
• The document itself: a form number guarantees nothing, so read what it says.

Handover

Prepare a handover record covering keys and access cards, meter readings, utility account closures or transfers, management records and identified defects. Record which settlements are complete and which remain open, with the responsible party and deadline. A broad release of claims can limit your rights, so do not add one automatically. The record should match the sale agreement; resolve disputed wording before signing. Photograph the property’s condition and meters on handover day.

How long it takes

The official processing time covers the registration step, not the end-to-end process, which also includes finding a buyer, negotiating, the NOC, mortgage release, buyer financing and scheduling. Build the timeline backwards from the date you need funds, with a buffer for each outside party.

Poland: tax and reporting for Polish tax residents

Poland: if you are a Polish tax resident, a Dubai sale can have Polish tax and reporting consequences. Do not assume the UAE side is free of charges, or that nothing is due at home. Our guide for Polish tax residents explains the framework; confirm your case with a Polish tax adviser.

Other countries: treatment depends on your residence and citizenship, and we cannot state it generally. Obtain an independent review in your own country before you sign.

Keep the purchase contract, payment proofs, invoices for costs and works, and conversion records. Terms are explained in the Dubai property glossary.

Proceeds, bank checks and currency

Your bank may ask you to evidence the source of funds: the sale agreement, registration documents and settlement statements. This is anti-money-laundering procedure, so prepare it before the money arrives.

When converting proceeds, compare written quotes including the exchange rate, fees and the date funds become available. Choosing one transfer or several instalments depends on your spending deadlines and tolerance for currency risk; neither approach guarantees a better rate. Retain a clear documentary trail from the sale to the destination account.

Common mistakes

• Listing before knowing the mortgage payoff and charges.
• Treating an asking price as a sale price.
• Paying fees or settlement to an unverified payee.
• Assuming service charge is split pro rata without a contract term.
• Assuming a tenanted unit will be handed over vacant.
• Applying ready-property steps to an off-plan assignment.
• Skipping a written handover record.
• Confusing net cash with profit.

Before accepting an offer

Confirm the current documents, costs and deadlines with the parties handling your transaction. Have a complex mortgage, tenancy dispute or unclear assignment reviewed by the relevant adviser before signing. To discuss preparing a sale, use our contact page.