Buyer Guides · Costs

Dubai Property Buying Costs: Every Fee, Itemised

The short answer: Budget roughly 7–8% on top of the purchase price for a Dubai resale: a 4% DLD transfer fee plus AED 580 admin, AED 4,000 + VAT trustee registration (properties AED 500,000 and above; AED 2,000 + VAT below), agent commission typically 2% + VAT, and mortgage buyers add 0.25% of the loan plus AED 290 registration. Off-plan buyers pay the same 4% as Oqood registration. The 7–8% planning figure is a roll-up of these components on a worked example; the exact percentage varies with price, loan size and negotiated commission.

The complete schedule, so the closing statement never surprises you.

Updated 16 Jul 2026 · Regulatory figures per Dubai Land Department and UAE Central Bank published rules — always confirm current schedules

Key numbers, sourced

Figure	Value	Source	As of
DLD transfer fee (buyer pays by market custom; negotiable in contract)	4% of purchase price + AED 580 admin (apartments/villas)	Dubai Land Department official fee schedule	2026 schedule
Registration trustee office fee (properties ≥ AED 500,000; AED 2,000 + VAT below)	AED 4,000 + VAT	DLD registration trustee fee schedule	2026 schedule
Mortgage registration fee at DLD, on the loan amount	0.25% of loan + AED 290	Dubai Land Department official fee schedule	2026 schedule
Dubai market context for the worked example — June 2026 registered sales and citywide median	12,164 sales · median AED 1,710/sqft (2026 YTD: 92,599 sales, AED 304.8bn)	DLD registered sales, open data — Sofia Sands Market Pulse, computed nightly	16 Jul 2026
RAK comparison anchor — median asking price across 403 deduped listings (asking-price index, not a transaction registry; RAK Municipality fees differ from Dubai's DLD schedule)	AED 1,436/sqft (Al Marjan AED 2,132; Mina Al Arab AED 1,387)	Sofia Sands RAK Waterfront Pulse — weekly asking-price index (/rak-waterfront-pulse); RAK publishes no open transaction registry	13 Jul 2026
The recurring post-purchase cost buyers forget — annual service charge on Hayat Island (Bay Views); Dubai buildings vary widely by amenity load	~AED 12/sqft	Sofia Sands catalogue (exam-verified)	13 Jul 2026

Every figure above carries its source and date; where a number cannot be sourced, we drop it rather than print it.

“On June 2026's DLD figures — 12,164 registered sales at a citywide median of AED 1,710 per square foot — a 1,500 sqft two-bedroom prices at about AED 2.56M, putting the 4% transfer fee alone at roughly AED 102,600. We tell buyers to plan on 7–8% all-in and treat anything under that as a pleasant surprise.”

— Yitayal Mesfin, Sofia Sands Realty (RERA 41793)

Worked example: AED 1,500,000 resale apartment, cash

Item	Basis	Amount
DLD transfer fee	4% of price + AED 580	AED 60,580
Trustee office	Fixed, ≥ AED 500k	AED 4,000 + VAT
Agent commission	2% + VAT	AED 31,500
Developer NOC	Set by developer	AED 500–5,000
Indicative total	~6.6% of price	≈ AED 99,000–104,000

Add the 10% security deposit cheque held during the sale (returned/applied at transfer). With a mortgage, add 0.25% of the loan + AED 290 registration, bank arrangement (~1% of loan) and valuation fees — which is how "7–8% all-in" becomes the honest planning number.

Off-plan costs differ in shape, not size

Off-plan buyers pay the same 4% DLD fee as an Oqood registration at purchase, no trustee transfer until handover, and usually no agent fee (the developer pays distribution). What replaces those line items is time: instalments under the payment plan flow into the project's RERA-supervised escrow account until completion.

The recurring costs people forget

Service charges — set per building, charged per square foot annually. On Hayat Island (RAK) around AED 12/sqft; Dubai towers vary widely by amenity load. Ask for the current statement before offering.
DEWA — connection deposits and monthly utilities (RAK: EWE/FEWA equivalents).
District cooling — where the building uses a chiller provider, capacity charges apply even when the unit is empty.

Ras Al Khaimah

RAK purchases register with RAK Municipality under its own fee schedule, which is not identical to Dubai's. We deliberately do not print RAK numbers here — confirm the current schedule with the municipality or with us at the time of purchase.

Questions buyers ask

What is the DLD transfer fee in Dubai?

4% of the purchase price, plus a small administrative fee (AED 580 for apartments and villas). By market custom the buyer pays it, though it is negotiable in the contract.

What do trustee offices charge?

AED 4,000 plus VAT for properties of AED 500,000 and above (AED 2,000 plus VAT below that). The transfer itself completes at the trustee office.

What does the agent charge?

Typically 2% of the purchase price plus VAT on resale transactions. On new developer sales the developer usually pays the agent, not the buyer.

What extra costs come with a mortgage?

Mortgage registration at 0.25% of the loan amount plus AED 290, a bank arrangement fee (commonly up to 1% of the loan), and a property valuation fee set by the bank.

Are there hidden costs after purchase?

The recurring ones are service charges (per square foot, set per building — on Hayat Island around AED 12/sqft; Dubai buildings vary widely), DEWA connection deposits, and district-cooling (chiller) charges where applicable. Ask for the building's current service-charge statement before you offer.