Ten points to check before you buy in Dubai.

Why a checklist matters more from abroad

When you live in London, Montréal, Doha or Casablanca, you rarely walk the site, meet the developer's team or sit in the trustee office yourself. Everything happens through documents, calls and transfers. That is perfectly workable: Dubai's system is built for international buyers. But it means the quality of your decision depends on the quality of your checks.

I frame these as points to check rather than mistakes, because each one has a simple answer when it is asked early. Asked late, the same question becomes stressful. The aim is not to make you suspicious of everything; it is to let you sign with the calm of someone who has seen every line.

There is also a time-zone reality. A developer's office in Dubai opens when it is early morning in London and still night in Toronto. Offers on launches can move quickly. A clear list, prepared before you start looking, lets you react within the day without cutting corners.

If you are at the very beginning, start with my overview on investing in Dubai from Morocco or as a Moroccan abroad, then come back to this list before you commit.

Points 1 to 3: the project and the developer

The first three checks concern what you are actually buying. Is the developer registered, and is this specific project registered with the Dubai Land Department and RERA? Is there a dedicated escrow account for the project, as required by Law No. 8 of 2007 for off-plan sales? And what has this developer already delivered, in what condition and in what timeframe?

These answers are verifiable. The project should appear in official records, its progress can be followed on the Dubai REST app, and your purchase will be entered in the Oqood interim register. I explain the full method in how to verify a developer and a project before paying.

For a ready property, the logic is the same but the questions change: who owns the unit today, is the title deed in the seller's name, is there a mortgage to clear, are service charges paid up, and is the unit tenanted. A licensed agent should be able to answer each of these with documents rather than assurances.

• 1. Developer and project registered with the DLD and RERA
• 2. A dedicated escrow account for the project, named in your documents
• 3. A delivery track record you can see with your own eyes, in photos, visits or completed buildings

Points 4 to 6: the contract and the payments

Point four is the sale and purchase agreement (SPA). Read it, or have it read for you, before paying anything beyond the booking deposit. The clauses that matter most are the expected completion date and what applies if it moves, the payment schedule, the conditions for reselling before handover, and the specifications of the unit.

Point five is where your money goes. Off-plan payments go to the project's escrow account, and ready-property payments follow the DLD transfer process. A payment to a personal account is never part of a normal Dubai purchase, whoever asks for it. Point six is the paper trail: keep every receipt, every bank confirmation and every SWIFT reference, because your own bank and your tax adviser at home may ask for them.

For the practical side of moving money from the UK, Canada, the Gulf or Morocco, see paying for a Dubai property from abroad.

Points 7 and 8: the full cost, not just the price

Point seven: budget the total, not the headline. On top of the price, the Dubai Land Department transfer fee is 4%, plus administrative and registration fees. On a resale purchase, the agency commission is usually 2% of the price; on an off-plan purchase, the commission is paid by the developer and you pay the developer's price. Everything should be confirmed in writing before you commit.

Point eight: the cost of owning. Service charges are approved by RERA and published in the RERA Service Charge Index, so you can know the order of magnitude before buying. Add utilities when the property is empty, furnishing if you rent it furnished, and management if you are far away. My guide to Dubai buying costs sets out each line.

Points 9 and 10: your plan after the keys

Point nine is the exit, decided before the entry. Will you live in the property, let it on a long lease registered through Ejari, or run it as a holiday home with a permit from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism? Each choice changes the ideal unit, layout and building. A property bought without a clear use is the one that stays empty longest.

The use also shapes the choice of area. A family-oriented community does not attract the same tenants as a business district, and a building suited to short stays is not always the best for long leases. I describe the profile of each major area in which Dubai neighbourhoods for which goal.

Point ten is your situation at home. The UAE levies no personal income tax, but rental income and capital gains may be taxable in your country of tax residence, whether that is the United Kingdom, Canada, France or Morocco. A tax adviser in your country validates your situation. If you live in Morocco, the Office des Changes rules on investing abroad must be checked before any transfer.

These two questions, use and taxation, are where buyers abroad gain the most by thinking early. They do not slow the purchase down; they make sure that the property you choose fits the life you actually lead, in the country where you actually live.

How I run these checks with you

In practice, I send you a short written file for each property I recommend: registration details, escrow reference, the key SPA clauses in plain English, the full cost and a realistic scenario after handover. You read it at your own pace, in your own time zone, and we go through it on a call.

Nothing in this file is a promise of performance. It is a set of facts you can verify yourself on official sources. That is the standard I hold Cevitas Real Estate, my RERA-licensed brokerage in Dubai, to, and it is what lets families decide together, even when they live on three different continents.

Book a free 30-minute call

If you already have a property in mind, send it to me and I will run these ten points on it. If you are still exploring, we can define your budget, your goal and the right areas first. Book a free 30-minute call or message me on WhatsApp at +971 55 772 2710.