Dubai Property Buying Costs and Fees Explained

This guide lists the costs a buyer is likely to meet in Dubai and explains what each one is for. We show an amount only where we found it on an official Dubai Land Department (DLD) service page or in Dubai legislation, checked on 28 September 2026. Where no official figure is published, we describe the cost without an amount.

Three points apply throughout:

• DLD lists some fees per party, for example 2% for the buyer and 2% for the seller. Confirm in the sale agreement which party will actually pay each fee.
• DLD shows VAT as an addition to trustee (service partner) fees. Ask for every quote to state whether VAT is included.
• Fees change. Confirm current amounts with DLD or the registration trustee office before transfer.

This site is an information service, not a broker. Enquiries sent through it go to licensed agents, who should confirm the costs of your specific transaction in writing.

When a ready property is sold, the transfer is registered with DLD at a registration trustee office. DLD's Property Sale Registration service lists the fee as 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% of the sale value for the buyer, 4% in total. The same page lists an AED 10 knowledge fee and an AED 10 innovation fee.

As an illustration only: on a sale value of AED 2,000,000, 2% is AED 40,000 and the combined 4% is AED 80,000.

The fee is calculated on the sale value, so the price written in the sale agreement matters. Make sure Contract F states which party pays each part of the fee. Until that is agreed in writing, budget for the full amount.

Fees are paid at the trustee office when the transfer is processed. DLD lists ePay, Dubai Pay, a Noqodi wallet and a manager's cheque as payment methods.

An off-plan purchase is registered in DLD's Interim Property Register, known as Oqood. DLD's initial sale registration service lists a fee of 2% of the sale value for the seller (the developer) and 2% for the purchaser, plus an AED 10 knowledge fee and an AED 10 innovation fee. The developer submits the registration through the Oqood portal. DLD states that payment can be made from a Noqodi wallet or deducted from the escrow account.

The same page lists an AED 1,000 fee for a developer's self-registration of a provisional sale on the portal. Ask the developer whether this or any other administrative cost is charged to you, and check the SPA payment schedule.

When the project is completed, the developer applies for title deeds for buyers who have met their obligations. If the registration fee was collected earlier, DLD lists AED 250 for the title deed, AED 250 for the map of a unit or villa, and the AED 10 knowledge and innovation fees.

Under Law No. 13 of 2008, a developer may not charge fees on the resale of an off-plan unit other than administrative costs approved by DLD.

On a ready-property transfer, DLD's Property Sale Registration page lists these additional charges:

• AED 250 title deed certificate issuance fee;
• map fees of AED 250 for villas and apartments, AED 225 for a unified map under Dubai Municipality, or AED 100 for a map of land outside Dubai Municipality;
• a registration trustee (service partner) fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT where the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, or AED 2,000 plus VAT where it is below AED 500,000.

The trustee office represents DLD in processing the transfer, so this fee is part of every ready-property sale registration.

DLD's page does not state which party pays these fixed charges, so agree it in the sale agreement. Ask the trustee office for an itemised receipt that separates DLD fees from any other charges.

If you finance the purchase, the mortgage is registered with DLD as well. DLD's mortgage registration service lists:

• 0.25% of the mortgage value, meaning the loan amount rather than the purchase price;
• AED 250 for issuing the title deed, and AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees for each drawing;
• a service partner fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT for a ready property, or AED 5,000 plus VAT for a provisional (Oqood) registration.

As an illustration only: a loan of AED 1,000,000 gives a registration fee of AED 2,500 before the fixed charges.

DLD's page does not say which party bears the fee. When the bank registers the mortgage online, DLD deducts its fees from the bank's account. Ask the lender for a written list of its own charges, which are set by each bank and are not covered here.

We did not find an official commission rate for property sales in DLD's published guidance. DLD's Real Estate Brokerage Practice Guide (second edition, November 2024) requires brokers to use RERA's smart contracts: Contract A between a seller and a brokerage, Contract B between a buyer and a broker, and Contract F between the seller and the buyer. It does not set a commission percentage.

Commission is therefore a matter of agreement. Before viewing properties with a broker, ask:

• whether you, the seller or both will pay commission, and on what event it becomes due;
• the amount or percentage, and whether VAT is added;
• for off-plan units, whether the broker is paid by the developer. DLD's guide requires a marketing contract between the developer and the brokerage for off-plan projects.

Record the answers in Contract B. Commission figures quoted online describe market practice and should not be read as regulated rates.

Service charges. Owners in jointly owned buildings pay annual service charges, which are expressed per square foot. Under Law No. 6 of 2019 they must be approved by RERA, are shared according to unit area and are payable by the owner, including when the unit is leased, unless the lease says otherwise. The developer pays the share for unsold units. Look up the approved rate for a building in DLD's Service Charge Index. Rates differ by project and year, so we do not quote a typical figure.

Developer NOC. A transfer in a freehold area needs the developer's e-NOC. The fee is set by the developer and is not listed by DLD.

Utilities. Opening a DEWA electricity and water account involves a security deposit and fees. We could not verify the current amounts, so check them with DEWA. Buildings on district cooling have a separate provider. Under Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2021, its connection, capacity, consumption and billing charges must be approved by Dubai's Supreme Council of Energy.