How to Check Property Ownership in Dubai Before You Pay

Before you pay anyone anything, you can confirm who owns a Dubai property, whether a project is registered, and whether the escrow account exists. It takes minutes, it is official, and almost nobody does it.

Here is how the verification works for a ready property and for an off-plan one, and what each check actually proves.

Key Takeaways

• The title deed is the only proof of ownership in Dubai — not a sale agreement, not a receipt.
• Dubai REST is the DLD's official app. Verify a title deed by number or QR code, usually in under five minutes.
• Off-plan works differently: you verify the project's RERA registration and escrow, and your interest through Oqood.
• A verification fee of roughly AED 50-200 applies to some certificate types.
• Check for mortgages and restrictions, not just the name on the deed.
• Do it before the deposit, not before the transfer.

Verifying a ready property

1. Ask the seller for the title deed — a copy is fine to start, but you want the number.
2. Open the Dubai REST app (iOS or Android), log in with UAE PASS or register, and use the title deed verification service. Scanning the QR code on a modern deed is the fastest route.
3. Match the details: owner name, property number, plot, area, size and the property type. A mismatch in size or plot is the common red flag.
4. Check for encumbrances — a registered mortgage or a blocking notice appears on the record, and it changes how the sale must be structured.
5. Confirm service charge status with the developer or owners association. Arrears block the NOC.

If you are buying a completed home, the same checks feed straight into the resale process. The DLD's website and service centres offer the same checks if you prefer not to use the app, and a trustee office will run them at the point of transfer in any case. Doing it yourself first is what protects your deposit.

Verifying an off-plan project

There is no title deed yet, so the checks are different — and arguably more important, because you are paying for something that does not exist.

• RERA project registration. The project must be registered before it can legally be sold. If you cannot find it, stop.
• The escrow account. Every buyer payment must go into a project-specific escrow account at an approved bank. Confirm the account and pay into it, not into a developer's general account.
• The developer's ownership of the land. For off-plan, the relevant ownership question is whether the developer owns the plot the project sits on.
• Your Oqood registration. The developer must register your SPA on the DLD's interim register — normally within 90 days — and the 4% DLD fee is paid at that point. Get written confirmation.

Our off-plan guide covers what happens if a project stalls, and why escrow protects your money from the developer but not from delay.

What each document actually proves

Run it on your own numbers. Set the price, the rent and the service charge and the calculator gives you the fees, the cash you need on day one and what the rent leaves after costs — in your own currency.

Red flags worth walking away from

• A seller who will not provide the title deed number for verification.
• A request to pay into a personal account, or any account that is not the registered escrow for an off-plan project.
• A project you cannot find on the DLD's registers.
• A "power of attorney" sale where the POA is unclear, expired or not properly notarised and attested.
• An agent without a RERA card, or one who discourages you from checking anything.
• A price meaningfully below the market for that building with no explanation — sometimes a genuine distress sale, sometimes a problem you have not found yet.

Buying from an owner who lives abroad

Common in Dubai and perfectly normal — the selling guide covers it from the other side — but the paperwork has to be right. A power of attorney used to sell must be notarised, attested and, where issued abroad, legalised for use in the UAE — and it must specifically grant the power to sell that property. A general POA is often refused at the trustee office.

Verify the POA holder's identity against the document, and check the deed still shows the person granting it as the owner. This is one of the few places where a lawyer's hour is money well spent.

When to bring in a lawyer

Most Dubai purchases do not need one. Four situations do, and each is cheaper to handle before the deposit than after.

• A power of attorney sale. The POA must be notarised, attested and legalised for UAE use, and must specifically grant the power to sell that property. A general POA is often refused at the trustee office, and a defective one can unwind a completed sale.
• An estate or inheritance sale. Where the registered owner has died, the estate process must be complete and the sellers must be the people entitled to sell. This is where a title that looks clean can hide a dispute.
• Company-owned property. The company's authority to sell, the signatory's mandate and the corporate documents all need checking — and where the company is offshore, so does its good standing.
• Anything with a court case or a blocking notice attached. These appear on the DLD record, and they are a reason to walk away rather than negotiate.

For an ordinary resale from an individual owner with a clean title deed and a developer NOC, the DLD's own process is the protection. The trustee office will not transfer a property whose paperwork does not stand up — which is precisely why the checks you do earlier are about protecting your deposit rather than the transfer itself.

Verifying the agent, too

The other half of due diligence is the person selling to you. Every practising broker in Dubai must be RERA-registered and carry a broker card with a number on it — ask for it and check the name matches the person in front of you and the agency they claim to represent.

Two other checks take a minute each. The agency should hold a valid trade licence, and for a resale the seller should have signed Form A appointing them — an agent marketing a property without it may not have the seller's mandate at all. For off-plan, ask whether the agent is authorised by that developer for that project.

None of this is confrontational; a professional agent produces all of it without blinking. Reluctance is the signal.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check who owns a property in Dubai?

Through the Dubai Land Department: the Dubai REST app, the DLD website or a service centre. Enter or scan the title deed number and match the owner name, property number, plot and size against what you have been told.

Is the Dubai REST app official?

Yes, it is the DLD's own platform for property services, including title deed verification. Most checks complete in under five minutes.

How do I verify an off-plan project?

Confirm the project is registered with RERA, that a project-specific escrow account exists at an approved bank, and that your SPA is registered on the Oqood interim register — normally within 90 days of signing.

Can I check if a property has a mortgage on it?

Yes. A registered mortgage or restriction appears on the DLD record. It does not prevent a sale, but the mortgage must be settled and released before title transfers.

What does verification cost?

Some certificate types carry a fee of roughly AED 50-200. Basic verification through the app is quick and inexpensive relative to the deposit it protects.

Send us the title deed number or project name and we will run the checks with you before you commit anything.