We separate developer registration, project approval and payment verification, explain the RAK route, and show what to retain before sending money from Dubai or overseas.
What exactly must we verify before paying for an off-plan property?
We separate the checks because a genuine developer, a registered project and a correct payment destination are different things. A convincing brochure establishes none of them. Dubai Law 8 of 2007 requires off-plan payments into a RERA-approved escrow account, according to DLD / RERA. The developer’s RERA project number and Dubai REST give buyers a route to check project status and escrow details. That is our starting point, not a forwarded screenshot.
Before discussing a reservation payment, ask for the developer’s legal name, project name and number, exact building and unit reference, draft sale and purchase agreement, payment schedule and escrow instructions. Request the beneficiary name, bank name and account details in a document identifying the project. If sales staff describe a payment as a refundable expression of interest rather than a purchase instalment, ask DLD and your solicitor how it should be handled before paying.
| Check | Evidence to obtain | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Developer identity | Legal entity matched to official records and contract | Approval of every project using its brand |
| Project registration | Official project number and current status | The authenticity of an emailed bank instruction |
| Escrow destination | Project-linked account independently confirmed | Guaranteed completion or investment returns |
| Broker credentials | Individual BRN and agency ORN | Permission to send purchase money to the broker |
| Contract and unit | Matching unit, price, milestones and legal seller | That every commercial term suits your circumstances |
Keep a dated verification file containing the official search results, correspondence, agreement and payment instructions. Our developer and escrow verification guide follows this separation. We would not let a reservation deadline turn an unresolved identity check into an assumption. Ask the seller to preserve the offer while the discrepancy is investigated, without treating that request as an entitlement.
How do I check a Dubai project and broker in Dubai REST?
Start from the Dubai Land Department website to reach its official services and Dubai REST information. DLD / RERA identifies Dubai REST and the developer’s RERA project number as the route for checking project status and escrow details. We recommend navigating independently rather than opening a login or payment link sent in a sales message.
- Search the exact project number. Compare the result with the project name, developer legal entity, location and building in your reservation form. Similar names are not sufficient identification.
- Verify the developer separately. Use DLD’s official services to check the entity named as seller. If a brand and a legal company name differ, ask for the connection to be explained and independently confirmed.
- Read the current project status. Save the result with your access date. If progress information is available, record its reporting date rather than presenting it as today’s construction position.
- Check the escrow information. Compare the official project-linked details with the developer’s bank instruction. If the service does not show enough information to reconcile them, ask DLD for clarification before transferring.
- Check the person and the agency. Request the individual broker’s BRN and the agency’s ORN, then search them independently.
A Dubai broker must hold a RERA broker card, identified by a BRN, and the agency an ORN; both are searchable through Dubai REST and the DLD website, according to DLD. An agency credential does not replace the individual check. Sofia Sands Realty’s RERA reference is 41793; we invite the same independent scrutiny we recommend for any other agency.
In practice, the useful question is not whether a salesperson can display a certificate. It is whether the official record matches the person, company and project involved in your transaction. If a search fails, retain the exact search terms and ask DLD whether the issue is a naming mismatch, unavailable record or something requiring further investigation. Do not guess.
How do I know the escrow account and receipt are genuine?
We treat payment instructions as something to verify independently of the sales conversation. Open DLD e-services and compare the project-linked escrow information with the instruction you received. Under the DLD / RERA framework, the relevant destination is the approved escrow account for the project, not merely an account carrying a recognisable developer name.
Ask the developer’s finance team to identify the account holder’s exact legal name, bank, account details and project reference. Compare these character by character with the official confirmation. Where the wording differs, ask DLD and the bank what establishes the link. A bank logo, company stamp or account-confirmation letter sent by the salesperson should not be your only evidence.
- Before transfer: reconcile the seller, project, unit, instalment and approved beneficiary. Ask your bank how it will display or validate the beneficiary.
- When instructions change: stop and repeat the independent check. Contact the developer through a separately established channel, not the contact details inside the change request.
- When remitting: use a project and unit reference agreed with the developer, and retain the bank’s transfer record.
- After payment: obtain a receipt identifying the project, unit, payer, amount and credited account. Reconcile it against the transfer and verified escrow details.
The escrow account name on the receipt matters, but the receipt comes after the payment decision. A genuine-looking receipt cannot retrospectively make an unverified transfer safe. If it does not identify the credited account, request written allocation confirmation rather than assuming that a generic acknowledgement proves where the money went.
Our escrow account details checklist is useful at this stage. We would pause for personal accounts, unexplained collection accounts, broker-held purchase funds or pressure to ignore a beneficiary mismatch. Escrow verification is a control over payment destination; it is not a promise that delays, disputes or losses cannot occur.
What should a RAK buyer do instead of searching Dubai REST?
RAK has no open transaction registry, and the Municipality publishes half-year totals, according to RAK Municipality. Those totals are market information, not evidence that your particular project or payment account is approved. Nor does a Dubai broker’s registration establish the registration of a RAK development. We keep the emirate-specific checks separate.
Contact the Ras Al Khaimah Municipality Lands and Properties Sector through its official channel. Ask it to identify the registration and payment-verification process applicable to the named development. We would not assume that a Dubai project search, Dubai escrow terminology or a Dubai fee schedule applies in RAK.
- Identify the purchase precisely. Send the developer’s legal name, development and building names, location, unit reference and proposed contract. Ask which official project identifier should appear on the paperwork.
- Request project-specific confirmation. Ask whether the developer and project are registered for the proposed sale, what documentary evidence the buyer should receive and how to authenticate it.
- Ask about the payment account. Request the applicable protection requirements and the official route for confirming the account holder, project connection and bank details. If another body must confirm them, ask for that referral in writing.
- Reconcile the answer. Match the official response with the agreement and payment instruction. Obtain clarification of every mismatch before authorising funds.
- Retain the registration trail. Ask what purchase-registration evidence follows signing, who files it, which charges apply and what evidence is issued at completion.
If the response is incomplete, ask a UAE property solicitor to pursue the missing confirmation. The absence of a public search result does not itself prove fraud, but it does not justify payment either. Our decision rule remains documentary: no unresolved project identity or payment destination.
Shortlist RAK projects against the same evidence categories: registration, payment protection, developer delivery history, contractual obligations and your ability to meet the schedule. A ranking, launch event or nearby attraction cannot substitute for those checks. Ask the Municipality to confirm current local procedures rather than importing Dubai assumptions.
What should the contract, payment plan and registration evidence show?
Registration checks establish the regulatory starting point; they do not replace commercial due diligence. Ask the developer to identify completed buildings and documentary evidence of delivery. Compare promised and actual completion information where you can verify it. For the proposed project, distinguish official recorded progress from sales photographs, forecasts and unverified completion claims. Ask DLD, or the relevant RAK authority, how the latest technical assessment can be checked.
Have a property solicitor review the sale and purchase agreement before a non-refundable commitment. We would mark the legal seller, exact unit, area definition, specifications, price, payment dates, construction milestones, anticipated completion, permitted extensions, default provisions, refund conditions, assignment restrictions and dispute procedure. Ask what evidence makes each milestone payable and how contractual notices must be delivered.
For Dubai budgeting, the Oqood charge is 4% of the off-plan price, paid once at registration with no second 4% at handover, according to DLD Oqood; confirm with DLD Oqood and the developer. Fixed add-on fees vary by source, so request an itemised written quotation rather than treating the percentage as the entire registration bill.
Worked illustration: for a round example Dubai off-plan price of AED 1,000,000, multiplying the price by the stated Oqood rate gives AED 40,000. This is the percentage component only, not a quotation or a complete acquisition budget. Ask who receives each charge, when it is due and what receipt proves payment. Sofia Sands buyers on direct instructions are direct, no agency fee.
Before signing, establish who submits registration and how you receive evidence that your specific purchase has been registered. At handover, plan an inspection against the agreed specifications, a defects record, an itemised final statement and confirmation of the ownership-document process. Our title deed verification guide addresses the ownership-document check; it should not be confused with verification of an off-plan project.
Ask in advance whether any intended assignment or later transfer needs a developer NOC or trustee-office appointment. At the NOC desk or trustee office, request the written requirements for that transaction; neither is a reason to defer the checks needed before your initial payment.
How Dubai compares with London, Singapore and the United States
For an international buyer, acquisition costs and payment verification are separate questions. The UAE has no annual property tax and no capital gains tax on individuals, according to the UAE tax framework, checked 29 Oct 2026. Residential property sales are exempt from VAT, with the first supply of a new home within three years of completion zero-rated, according to UAE Federal Tax Authority VAT guidance, checked 29 Oct 2026. This does not describe every ownership expense.
In England and Northern Ireland, the additional-home surcharge is 5% and the non-UK-resident surcharge is a further 2%, according to HMRC SDLT guidance as summarised by UK tax calculators, checked 29 Oct 2026; confirm with HMRC. For a qualifying overseas additional-home purchase, that is standard SDLT plus 7 percentage points. Do not extend this comparison to Scotland or Wales.
Singapore’s foreign-buyer Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty is 60%, on top of normal buyer’s stamp duty, according to the IRAS ABSD schedule as reported by Singapore property portals, checked 29 Oct 2026; confirm with IRAS. Nationality-based exceptions exist, so ask IRAS which treatment applies before comparing budgets. US buyers typically face closing costs of 2% to 5%, according to Wells Fargo closing-cost guidance; NAR, checked 29 Oct 2026; confirm with those sources and your local closing adviser.
For a non-resident purchase, turn the remaining differences into written questions. Ask the lender which loan-to-value limit applies to your residency status and proposed off-plan property; ask how the bank’s valuer affects lending and the cash you must contribute. Confirm visa eligibility separately with ICP rather than assuming ownership settles it.
For remote signing, ask the receiving authority and your solicitor which power of attorney wording and authentication they will accept. Before remitting funds, ask your bank about source-of-funds documents, beneficiary validation and conversion charges. Ask it to explain the AED peg to the US dollar and your exposure from your home currency. Confirm home-country tax with a local adviser; we give no home-country tax advice.
When should we stop the payment and escalate?
We would stop when the documents cannot be reconciled, not wait for proof of fraud. An unexplained project-number mismatch, unavailable official confirmation, an account change or pressure to pay before seeing the agreement is enough to require clarification. Keep the original messages and documents, including the transfer instruction, rather than relying on a summary of a telephone call.
- Registration problem: send the precise project identity and conflicting documents to DLD for Dubai, or the RAK Municipality for the RAK verification route. Ask what evidence resolves the discrepancy.
- Account problem: ask the authority and bank how to authenticate the beneficiary. Do not accept a sales assurance as the final answer.
- Contract problem: ask your solicitor to identify the consequences of paying, delaying payment or withdrawing before taking action.
- Money already sent: contact your bank promptly about tracing or recall options, notify the relevant authority and obtain legal advice. Do not assume recovery is guaranteed.
Common mistakes deserve explicit correction. Developer registration is not project-specific payment verification. A broker card does not authenticate an escrow account. An apparent construction milestone does not override the agreement. An escrow account does not guarantee a completion date or automatic refund. In Dubai, treating the Oqood percentage as payable again at handover contradicts the DLD Oqood position; confirm the itemised charges with DLD Oqood and the developer.
For delayed, suspended or potentially cancelled projects, ask the relevant authority for the current official status and applicable procedure. Do not infer cancellation from a lack of visible activity, or accept a promised liquidation timetable without official confirmation. Your solicitor should explain how your contract and the official status affect your options.
Before releasing funds, reopen the verification file and check the latest instruction against it. Use our payment-destination verification routine whenever account details change. Our final question is concrete: can we connect this seller, this project, this unit and this payment account through independently checked documents? If not, the payment remains on hold.
What to take away
- Check the developer, project, escrow account and broker separately.
- Match official account details before payment, then reconcile the receipt afterwards.
- For RAK, obtain project-specific guidance from the Municipality rather than relying on Dubai REST.
- Escrow verification does not guarantee completion or an automatic refund.
- Keep unresolved beneficiary or project discrepancies on hold.
- Sofia Sands direct instructions are direct, no agency fee.
Questions buyers ask
Can I verify a Dubai off-plan project without visiting Dubai?
DLD / RERA identifies Dubai REST and the developer’s RERA project number as a route to check project status and escrow details. Start through DLD’s official website, compare the result with your contract and retain the record. If account information is incomplete or inconsistent, request clarification directly from DLD before paying. Remote access does not remove the need for independent beneficiary verification.
Does a registered developer mean every project is approved?
We would not use developer registration as a substitute for checking the particular project. Match the legal seller, project number, building and unit with the official project record and contract. Separately authenticate the payment account. A genuine company name or broker credential does not establish that an emailed payment instruction belongs to the project you intend to buy.
What should the escrow receipt show?
Request a receipt identifying the payer, project, unit, amount and credited account, then reconcile it against your transfer record and the independently verified escrow details. If the credited account is not identified, ask for written allocation confirmation. The receipt is an after-payment control; we would verify the destination before sending money rather than rely on a receipt to establish authenticity later.
How can I check a RAK off-plan project?
RAK has no open transaction registry, according to RAK Municipality. Contact the Municipality’s Lands and Properties Sector with the developer, project, building and unit details. Ask for the applicable registration evidence and the official route for authenticating the payment account. Request written clarification or referral where needed. Dubai REST records and market-wide totals are not project-specific RAK verification.
Do I pay the Dubai Oqood percentage again at handover?
The off-plan Oqood charge is 4% of the price, paid once at registration, with no second 4% at handover, according to DLD Oqood; confirm with DLD Oqood and the developer. Fixed add-on fees vary, so obtain an itemised written quotation. Check any final statement against that quotation rather than assuming either that another percentage is due or that handover has no other charges.
Does an escrow account guarantee that I get my money back?
We would not treat escrow verification as a refund guarantee. It checks the approved payment destination, while delays, cancellation, contractual rights and recovery require separate assessment. If the project encounters problems, obtain its current official status from the relevant authority and ask a property solicitor about the applicable process. Do not rely on an informal promise of an automatic refund or a fixed recovery timetable.
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Sofia Sands Realty · RERA 41793 · direct, no agency fee on our own instructions
Sources, dated
- UAE Federal Tax Authority VAT guidance; UAE tax framework, checked 29 Oct 2026
- HMRC SDLT guidance as summarised by UK tax calculators, checked 29 Oct 2026
- IRAS ABSD schedule as reported by Singapore property portals, checked 29 Oct 2026
- Wells Fargo closing-cost guidance; NAR, checked 29 Oct 2026
How this guide was made. Researched against dated primary sources (Dubai Land Department, Central Bank of the UAE, Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, developer and operator filings) and against the pages currently ranking for this question. Drafted with AI assistance under Yitayal Mesfin's editorial rules; every figure is machine-checked against our fact register and the draft is scored by a review panel before it goes live. Figures checked 29 October 2026. Figures were checked on 29 October 2026; authority updates, project status changes, account amendments and transaction-specific charges require renewed confirmation before payment.
Further reading
- How to Check a Developer in Dubai: RERA Registration, Escrow Account, Track Record
- How to Verify a Property's Escrow Account Details (RERA/DLD Process)
- How to Verify a Dubai Title Deed Before You Pay
- Deposit to Buy Property in Dubai (2026): Resale vs Off-Plan
- Dubai Property Buying Fees 2026: Every Cost, Itemised