Who can own, what to budget, which forms you sign, and what happens at the registration trustee when the home becomes yours.
Buying a home in Dubai with Enesco
A buyer's broker who shortlists, checks every advert, negotiates the price and stays with you to the title deed.
On a resale the customary agency fee is 2% of the price plus VAT, paid by the buyer and agreed in Form B; on an off-plan purchase from a developer, the developer pays us and you pay nothing extra.
In short
- Enesco acts for buyers of ready and off-plan homes in Dubai's freehold areas, whether you live in the UAE or abroad.
- On a resale the customary agency fee is 2% of the price plus VAT, paid by the buyer. On an off-plan purchase from a developer, the developer pays the broker and you pay nothing extra for our work.
- Before the first viewing you see the whole number: the price plus the Dubai Land Department, trustee, agency and bank fees.
Brief and budget.
We take your brief: areas, type, size, move-in date and how you will pay. Then we work out the full budget with the buying costs calculator, every DLD, trustee, agency and bank fee included.
Mortgage pre-approval.
If you are borrowing, we help you get pre-approval first, so you know the ceiling before you view. The Central Bank of the UAE caps an expatriate's loan on a first home worth up to AED 5 million at 80% of the price.
Form B.
Form B is the Dubai Land Department's standard contract between a buyer and a broker. It records what we do for you and our commission before any viewing takes place.
Shortlist and viewings.
We shortlist homes that fit the brief, check each advert's Trakheesi permit, look up the building's approved service charges and arrange the viewings.
Offer and Form F.
We negotiate the price and the terms and prepare Form F, the sale contract between you and the seller. By custom you pay a 10% deposit when it is signed, held until the transfer.
NOC and transfer.
We obtain the developer's no-objection certificate, book the registration trustee and attend the transfer with you or your attorney.
Title deed, and after.
The title deed is issued in your name. The same adviser stays on for the move, the Ejari if you let, and snagging if the home is new.
What we check before you offer
- The advert carries a valid Trakheesi permit number and, on printed and video adverts, a Madmoun QR code we scan
- The building's service charges approved by RERA, looked up on DLD's Service Charge Index, and whether any are unpaid, because a home cannot be sold while they are
- Recent sale prices for the same building or community, from our analysis of DLD's open transaction data on the prices pages
What buying costs
On a ready home bought with cash, plan for about 7% on top of the price: the 4% DLD transfer fee, AED 520 in title deed fees, the trustee fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT (AED 2,000 plus VAT under AED 500,000), the customary 2% agency fee plus VAT and the developer's NOC fee of AED 500 to 5,000.
By custom the buyer pays the whole 4% transfer fee, although a different split can be agreed in Form F. A mortgage adds 0.25% of the loan plus AED 270 at DLD, the bank's valuation and its arrangement fee.
AED
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee4% of the price, customarily paid by the buyer | AED 80,000 |
| DLD title deed feesItemised by DLD for apartments and villas | AED 520 |
| Registration trustee feeAED 4,000 + VAT | AED 4,200 |
| Agency fee2% + VAT, the customary rate | AED 42,000 |
| Developer NOCAED 500 to 5,000, set by the developer; who pays is agreed in Form F. The top of the range is shown | AED 5,000 |
| Fees and charges | AED 131,720 |
- Price plus fees
- AED 2,131,720
- Fees as a share of the price
- 6.6%
An estimate. Government fees are the Dubai Land Department's, checked 16 September 2026; agency, bank and developer fees vary and are shown at their customary or upper level. How each fee works
If you buy off-plan
When you buy from a developer before the building is complete, the developer pays our commission and you pay nothing extra. You pay in stages into the project's escrow account, which under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007 can be used only to build that project, and the purchase is registered on Oqood for 4% of the price plus AED 20.
Our off-plan advisory covers the developer and project checks, the payment plan and the handover.
If you live outside the UAE
You do not need a residence visa to buy. A valid passport identifies you at the registration trustee, and if you cannot attend, an attorney signs for you. A power of attorney issued abroad must be notarised, legalised, attested, translated into Arabic and issued within two years.
UAE banks lend non-residents at their own discretion, commonly 50% to 60% of the price of a ready home. Buying property in Dubai from abroad covers identification, paying and visas.
What it costs
On a resale the customary agency fee is 2% of the price plus VAT, paid by the buyer and agreed in Form B; on an off-plan purchase from a developer, the developer pays us and you pay nothing extra.
Questions about this service
Do buyers pay an agency fee in Dubai?
On a resale, yes. The customary fee is 2% of the price plus VAT, paid by the buyer and agreed in Form B, the contract between you and your broker.
Is a buyer's broker free when buying off-plan?
When you buy from a developer, the developer pays the broker's commission and you pay nothing extra for the broker's work. You still pay the 4% Oqood registration fee plus AED 20 to the Dubai Land Department.
How much should I budget on top of the price?
About 7% for a ready home bought with cash. The buying costs calculator itemises every fee for any price, with or without a mortgage.
Can I buy without living in the UAE?
Yes. Buyers of any nationality can own freehold property in Dubai's designated freehold areas, and a valid passport identifies a non-resident at the registration trustee.
What is Form B?
The Dubai Land Department's standard contract between a buyer and the broker acting for them. It sets out what the broker does and the commission, before any viewing.
What deposit do I pay when I agree to buy?
By custom, 10% of the price when you sign Form F, the sale contract with the seller. It is market practice rather than a legal rule, and it is held until the transfer.
Guides that go with this service
The cost of buying property in Dubai, fee by fee
Costs and mortgages
What the Dubai Land Department charges, what the broker, developer and bank charge, who pays each one, and a worked example at AED 2,000,000.
Mortgages in Dubai: what a bank will lend and what it costs
Costs and mortgages
The Central Bank's loan limits, the deposit each one implies, the 25-year term, the 50% debt rule, the fees, and the order to do things in.
What changes when you are not in the UAE: the documents, the power of attorney rules, moving the money, borrowing, visas and tax.
Other services
A valuation from real sales data, a permitted listing, qualified buyers and a transfer handled from the first viewing to the trustee office.
A tenant's adviser who shortlists, checks the landlord, negotiates the terms and registers the contract on Ejari.
Tenants found and vetted, rent collected, maintenance handled and renewals kept within the law, with one statement a year.
