What it costs to buy a resale property in Dubai.

What costs do you pay when buying a resale property in Dubai?

On a ready resale, the buyer’s costs fall into three groups: government charges collected by the Dubai Land Department (DLD), the registration trustee’s service fee, and the private costs of the deal, such as agency commission and any bank fees. The figures below are as published by DLD at the time of writing (October 2026). Who pays each item is a matter of agreement in Form F, the standard resale contract, so the table shows the usual convention rather than a rule.

The rest of this guide explains each line, then puts them together in a worked example.

How much is the DLD transfer fee, and who pays it?

The DLD transfer fee is 4% of the sale value. DLD’s own service page for property sale registration shows it as 2% from the seller and 2% from the buyer. In the Dubai resale market, though, the convention is that the buyer pays the full 4%, and most Form F contracts are written that way. If you have agreed a different split, make sure Form F says so before you sign.

The fee is paid at the registration trustee office on transfer day, usually by manager’s cheque. It is calculated on the registered sale price, so it is the largest single cost for most buyers and should be in your cash plan before you sign Form F, not after.

What are the trustee, title deed and admin fees?

A resale is completed at a registration trustee office, a DLD-licensed service partner that handles the transfer. DLD lists the service partner fee as AED 4,000 + VAT when the sale value is AED 500,000 or more, and AED 2,000 + VAT below that. With UAE VAT at 5%, that is AED 4,200 or AED 2,100.

On top of that sit small fixed DLD charges for issuing the new title deed. DLD’s property sale registration page lists:

• AED 250 for the title deed certificate;
• a map fee: AED 250 for villas and apartments, AED 225 for land on Dubai Municipality’s unified map, or AED 100 for land outside it;
• AED 10 knowledge fee and AED 10 innovation fee.

For a villa or an apartment, those fixed charges come to about AED 520. They are small, but they are revised from time to time, so confirm the total with the trustee office before transfer day.

What extra costs come with a mortgage?

If you borrow, the mortgage has to be registered against the title deed in the bank’s favour. DLD’s mortgage registration service lists a fee of 0.25% of the mortgage value, plus a title deed issuance fee of AED 250 and the AED 10 knowledge and innovation fees. On a AED 2,000,000 loan, the percentage part is AED 5,000. DLD’s page also lists a service-partner fee for mortgage registration, so ask the trustee office how it is charged on your transfer.

The bank sets its own costs on top. These typically include an arrangement or processing fee and a valuation fee, and sometimes life and property insurance requirements. They vary by bank and by product, so compare the full cost in each offer rather than the headline rate alone.

Borrowing also changes the cash you need. The Central Bank of the UAE caps how much a bank can lend against a home. For an expatriate buying a first home, the maximum loan-to-value is 80% up to AED 5 million and 70% above; for second and investment homes it is 60%. Non-residents usually see tighter terms set by each bank. Whatever the bank lends, the deposit and all the costs in this guide come from your own funds.

Who pays agency commission, the developer NOC and service charges?

Agency commission is not set by law. It is negotiated and recorded in the brokerage agreement and in Form F. Around 2% of the price plus 5% VAT is common for a buyer’s agent, but agree the figure in writing before you view.

The developer NOC (no-objection certificate) is issued by the developer or community manager once dues on the home are paid. The fee is set by each developer and, by convention, the seller pays it. DLD requires the NOC before the sale can be registered.

Service charges are paid by the owner to the developer or owners’ association. The seller must clear any arrears before the NOC is issued. Where the seller has prepaid a period that runs past transfer day, buyer and seller often agree a pro-rata adjustment. Agree it in Form F so there is no argument at the trustee office.

What does it cost to buy a hypothetical AED 3,000,000 home?

This example uses a hypothetical AED 3,000,000 villa or apartment bought as a ready resale. It is not a real property. It assumes the buyer pays the full DLD fee and a 2% + VAT agency commission. The mortgage column assumes a AED 2,000,000 loan.

The working is simple to repeat for any price:

1. Take 4% of the price for the DLD transfer fee.
2. Add the trustee fee for your price band, plus 5% VAT.
3. Add about AED 520 of title deed and admin charges for a villa or apartment.
4. Add the agreed commission plus VAT.
5. If borrowing, add 0.25% of the loan and the bank’s quoted fees.
6. Add the deposit (price minus loan) to see the cash you need.

How are costs different for off-plan property?

An off-plan home is bought from the developer before completion, so there is no seller NOC and no trustee-office transfer at the start. Instead, the developer registers the sale in DLD’s interim (provisional) register through its Oqood portal. Dubai law requires off-plan sales to be entered in that register, and treats an unregistered sale as void.

DLD’s initial sale registration service lists the same 4% of the sale value (shown as 2% seller and 2% purchaser), plus the AED 10 knowledge and innovation fees. Who actually bears it is set in the developer’s sale and purchase agreement, so read that clause before paying a booking deposit. The title deed is issued after completion and handover. Off-plan mortgages are capped at 50% loan-to-value by the Central Bank. The off-plan versus ready guide compares the two routes in more detail.

When is each cost paid?

Costs arrive in stages, which matters if funds are coming from overseas:

• At Form F: the deposit (commonly 10% of the price), held as the contract specifies. Agency commission is often due at this point too, depending on the brokerage agreement.
• Before transfer: bank valuation and arrangement fees if borrowing, and any agreed service-charge adjustment.
• On transfer day: the DLD transfer fee, title deed charges, the trustee fee, mortgage registration and the balance of the price, usually by manager’s cheques prepared in advance.

The secondary-market guide sets out the full resale sequence, and the seller guide shows the same transaction from the other side.

Frequently asked questions