How to Verify a Dubai Developer and DLD Project Status Before You Pay

Before you transfer anything on a Dubai off-plan or ready purchase, five checks should be complete — in this order. Everything below uses free public government lookups; the value is the sequence and interpretation, not gated data.

The five things to verify before you pay anything

1. Project registration — name, status, and developer match the SPA on the DLD project-status enquiry.
2. Escrow account — payments route to the regulated project escrow (Law No. 8 of 2007), not the developer's general account.
3. Broker credentials — RERA BRN, brokerage ORN, and Trakheesi permit on the advert (Dubai REST).
4. Title stage — title deed (ready), Oqood (off-plan interim), or initial sale contract — know which you hold and when the next stage triggers.
5. Developer delivery — handover history in the same corridor, not marketing renderings.

Check the project on DLD

Use the DLD project-status e-service and DLD Open Data. Match project name spelling exactly. Status fields that differ from the SPA are a stop sign — not a clerical error to ignore.

Check the escrow account

Law No. 8 of 2007 requires off-plan payments into a registered escrow account. Escrow protects against developer misuse of pre-handover funds — it does not guarantee delivery date, build quality, or investment return.

Check the broker: BRN, ORN, Trakheesi

Verify the individual broker's BRN and the company's ORN on Dubai REST. Property adverts should carry a Trakheesi permit number — DLD has fined brokers for non-compliance with advertising requirements.

Oqood vs title deed

Oqood is interim registration while the building is under construction. Title deed is issued on completion and handover for ready property. Do not treat Oqood as equivalent to full title when modelling exit liquidity or financing.

Eight red flags

• Payments requested outside escrow
• Project name on SPA does not match DLD registration
• Broker cannot produce BRN or ORN verification
• No Trakheesi permit on the advert
• Handover date revised multiple times in the same corridor
• Payment plan front-loads 60%+ pre-handover
• "Sold out in 24 hours" with no verifiable transaction data
• Guaranteed rental return clauses without developer balance-sheet context

A 15-minute version you can run yourself

DLD project lookup (5 min) → escrow account confirmation in SPA (3 min) → Dubai REST BRN/ORN check (3 min) → two comparable transacted prices in the building (4 min). If any step fails, pause before booking a viewing deposit.

Want a human review? Check an offer before you sign — free payment-plan pre-check, or book a second opinion for full diligence.

General information only — not legal advice. e-Service URLs and fields change; verify on DLD at submission time.