How to sell property in Dubai, step by step

Appoint a broker with Form A

Dubai's brokers work on standard RERA contracts. Form A is the agreement between you and the brokerage to market your home. The Dubai Land Department's brokerage practice guide describes it as the marketing agreement between the seller and the brokerage, and every licensed broker must use it. If the home is jointly owned, every owner signs.

Once signed, it is submitted through DLD's Trakheesi system, which issues the advertising permit for your home. Bayut's guide notes that an owner can hold up to three Form A agreements at a time, one per brokerage, so you can give the listing to more than one firm or keep it exclusive.

• Check the broker's card and the brokerage's registration before you sign; choosing a real estate broker in Dubai shows how
• Agree the asking price, the commission and the term of the agreement in the form, not by message
• Ask how the home will be advertised: every advert must carry the Trakheesi permit number, and printed and video adverts a Madmoun QR code

Agree the sale with Form F

When a buyer's offer is accepted, both of you sign Form F, the sale contract RERA calls the memorandum of understanding. It records the price, the deposit, the completion date, the fees and who pays each, and the commission due to each side's broker. It is valid only once the seller and the buyer have both signed and the broker has witnessed and dated it.

By custom the buyer pays a 10% deposit on signing. The broker usually holds the deposit cheque until transfer. Form F also sets the consequences if either side withdraws, so read that clause as carefully as the price.

Get the developer's NOC

On a resale in a freehold area the trustee will not transfer without the developer's no-objection certificate. The NOC confirms you owe the developer nothing: no service charges, no penalties, no restriction on the unit. You apply for it, and the developer issues it electronically through the Dubai REST app.

Developers charge AED 500 to 5,000 for the NOC, and each sets its own fee and processing time. Form F records which side pays it. Clear any service charge arrears before you apply, because the developer will not issue the certificate while they stand. Under Law No. 6 of 2019 a home cannot be sold while its service charges are unpaid; service charges in Dubai explains the lien.

If the home is mortgaged

A mortgaged home can be sold, but the loan must be cleared and the bank's charge released before the deed can pass. Bayut's guide sets out the sequence:

1. Liability letter.Ask your bank for a letter stating the amount outstanding. It is addressed to DLD and has a limited validity, so time the request against the transfer date.
2. Blocking.You, the buyer and the brokers attend a registration trustee office with the liability letter, Form F, the NOC and the title deed. The trustee blocks the property in the buyer's name, so you cannot sell it to anyone else while the buyer pays off your loan.
3. Clearance.The buyer pays the outstanding balance to your bank. The bank then issues a mortgage release letter and returns the original title deed.
4. Transfer.You return to the trustee office. The mortgage is released, the balance of the price is paid to you, and the new deed is issued to the buyer.

If the buyer is also borrowing, their bank handles the clearance and receives the original deed, so the blocking step falls away but the timetable is longer. Early settlement fees on a UAE mortgage are capped at 1% of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is lower.

The transfer at the trustee office

Ownership passes at a Dubai Land Department registration trustee office. Both sides attend, or send an attorney with a valid power of attorney. You bring the original title deed, the NOC, Form F and your identification: an Emirates ID, or a passport for a non-resident. The buyer brings manager's cheques for the price and the fees. The trustee registers the sale, DLD issues the new deed in the buyer's name, and you leave with the cheque.

Property Finder's guide confirms the 2% resale commission is usually paid by the buyer, and that an exclusive agreement can change who pays. If your Form A promises the brokerage a fee from you, that fee is due at transfer. The buying costs calculator shows the buyer's side at any price.

How long it takes

Nothing in the law sets the timetable. The pace is set by the slowest document: the developer's NOC, the buyer's bank approval and valuation, and, on a mortgaged sale, the bank's liability letter and release. A cash sale with the NOC in hand can complete soon after Form F. A sale where both sides have banks involved takes longer, because two lenders and the developer must each act in order. Set the completion date in Form F with those steps in mind, and ask for the NOC early.

1. Form A signed, advert permitted.The brokerage markets the home under its Trakheesi permit.
2. Offer accepted, Form F signed.The buyer pays the customary 10% deposit.
3. NOC requested.You apply to the developer; arrears must be cleared first.
4. Bank steps.The buyer's valuation and final approval; your liability letter if the home is mortgaged.
5. Transfer.Both sides at the trustee office with the deed, the NOC, Form F and the cheques.

Selling an off-plan unit before handover

An off-plan unit has no title deed yet. What you own is your contract with the developer, registered on DLD's Oqood interim register. Selling it means assigning that contract to a new buyer, who takes over the remaining instalments. Under Article 3 of Law No. 13 of 2008 the sale must be entered in the interim register, or it is void.

• The developer must consent and issue an NOC, and most sale agreements allow a resale only once a share of the price has been paid; Betterhomes puts the usual threshold at 30% to 40%, but your own agreement sets the figure
• Your instalments must be up to date, because a developer will not consent while arrears stand
• The buyer pays the 4% DLD fee on the resale price, and the developer may charge its own transfer or administration fee, so ask for the amounts in writing
• The new buyer's name replaces yours on Oqood, and the title deed is issued to them at completion

Handover and snagging in Dubai explains what happens if you keep the unit to completion.

Questions buyers ask