Off-plan property investment in Dubai

Amoka lists freehold off-plan apartments in Dubai, chosen because the developer has a delivery record and the building is escrow protected, not because a tower is being marketed hard that month. The current list runs from mid-market buildings in Dubai Production City and Arjan, through a four-tower community in Jumeirah Heights, to a first-row marina residence on Dubai Islands.

The buying process is not the UK process, and it is worth understanding before you commit. Dubai off-plan is bought on a developer payment plan rather than on a mortgage: a booking deposit plus the Dubai Land Department registration fee, then instalments through construction, then a balance on handover. Buyer money goes into a project escrow account that the developer draws against as construction milestones are certified, and the unit is recorded on the Dubai Land Department’s off-plan register in your name until the title deed is issued at handover. In the designated freehold areas, overseas buyers can own outright.

It suits an investor who can fund the instalments out of income or savings rather than borrowing, who wants a currency other than sterling represented in the portfolio, and who is comfortable holding through a market that moves in cycles. It suits a buyer who wants leverage and a UK lender behind them a good deal less well. Every development page sets out the developer, the tenure, the completion date and the full payment plan, and we will walk you through the escrow position and the developer’s completed schemes before you reserve anything.