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UAE Property Glossary

Every confusing UAE real estate term — Ejari, Oqood, Trakheesi, RERA, Strata — explained in plain English. No jargon.

All Authority Compliance Investment Mortgage Off-Plan Ownership Residency Tenancy Transactions Utilities

Ejari

Tenancy

Dubai's mandatory tenancy contract registration system.

Ejari (Arabic for "my rent") is the official system run by Dubai Land Department that registers every tenancy contract in Dubai. Registration is legally mandatory — without an active Ejari certificate you cannot connect DEWA utilities, sponsor family visas, or file a rental dispute. Registration costs around AED 220 and is typically done by the landlord or agent, though either party can complete it.

Tawtheeq

Tenancy

Abu Dhabi's equivalent of Ejari — mandatory lease registration.

Tawtheeq is Abu Dhabi's mandatory tenancy contract registration system, managed by the Department of Municipalities and Transport. Like Ejari in Dubai, a registered Tawtheeq contract is required for visa processing, utility connections (ADDC), and any rental dispute. No tenancy in Abu Dhabi is legally valid without it.

Oqood

Off-Plan

Interim registration of an off-plan property before completion.

Oqood (Arabic for "contracts") is the Dubai Land Department system for registering off-plan (under-construction) property sales. When you buy off-plan, your purchase is recorded in Oqood rather than receiving a full Title Deed, which is only issued on completion and handover. The Oqood fee is typically 4% of the property value, the same as the DLD transfer fee.

Trakheesi

Compliance

Dubai's permit system for real estate advertising.

Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department / RERA permit system that authorises real estate advertisements. Every legitimate Dubai property listing must carry a valid Trakheesi permit number. If a listing has no permit number, or a fake one, it is a major red flag for fraud — this is one of the first things Almanzila's Listing Analyser checks.

Title Deed

Ownership

The official document proving property ownership.

A Title Deed is the legal document issued by the relevant land department (DLD in Dubai) that proves ownership of a completed property. It records the owner's name, property details, and plot number. For off-plan properties, the Title Deed is issued only once construction is complete and handover occurs — before that, ownership is tracked via Oqood.

NOC

Transactions

No Objection Certificate from the developer.

A No Objection Certificate (NOC) is issued by the property developer confirming they have no objection to the sale or transfer of a property. It confirms all service charges are paid up to date. An NOC is required before any resale transfer can complete at the DLD. Fees vary by developer, typically AED 500–5,000.

DLD

Authority

Dubai Land Department — the government property regulator.

The Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the government authority responsible for all real estate registration, regulation, and transactions in Dubai. It maintains the official property register, issues Title Deeds, processes transfers, and publishes open transaction data. RERA operates as a regulatory arm of the DLD.

RERA

Authority

Real Estate Regulatory Agency — regulates the industry.

The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) is the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department. It licenses brokers and agencies, regulates the rental market (including the rent increase calculator and rental index), oversees developer escrow accounts, and sets industry rules. All practising agents in Dubai must hold a valid RERA registration number.

DMT

Authority

Department of Municipalities and Transport (Abu Dhabi).

The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) is Abu Dhabi's equivalent of the DLD, overseeing property registration, the Tawtheeq tenancy system, and real estate regulation across the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Service Charge

Ownership

Annual fee for maintenance of shared areas.

A service charge is an annual fee paid by property owners to cover the maintenance of common areas — lobbies, lifts, pools, gyms, landscaping, security, and the building's reserve fund. In Dubai, service charges are regulated by RERA and published per building (measured in AED per square foot). Rates vary widely, from around AED 8/sqft in budget communities to AED 30+/sqft in premium towers.

LTV

Mortgage

Loan-to-Value ratio — how much a bank will lend.

Loan-to-Value (LTV) is the percentage of a property's value that a bank will finance through a mortgage. In the UAE, expatriate residents can typically borrow up to 80% LTV on a first property under AED 5 million (meaning a 20% down payment), and up to 75% on properties above AED 5 million. UAE nationals get slightly higher limits. Non-residents are usually capped at 50–60%.

Gross Yield

Investment

Annual rent as a percentage of property price.

Gross rental yield is the annual rental income divided by the property purchase price, expressed as a percentage. For example, a property bought for AED 1,000,000 that rents for AED 70,000/year has a 7% gross yield. It does not account for costs like service charges, management fees, or vacancy — for the real return, see Net Yield.

Net Yield

Investment

Real rental return after all costs.

Net rental yield is the annual rental income minus all ownership costs (service charges, management fees, maintenance, insurance, and amortised transaction costs), divided by the total purchase price including fees. It is always lower than gross yield and represents the true return on a buy-to-let investment. A realistic UAE net yield is often 1.5–2.5 percentage points below the gross figure.

Freehold

Ownership

Full, permanent ownership of a property and its land.

Freehold ownership grants complete, perpetual ownership of both the property and the land it sits on, with the right to sell, lease, or pass it on. In the UAE, foreigners can own freehold property only in designated freehold zones. Most of Dubai's popular communities (Marina, Downtown, Palm) are freehold.

Leasehold

Ownership

Long-term lease of a property, typically 99 years.

Leasehold ownership grants the right to use a property for a fixed term — commonly 99 years — after which ownership reverts to the freeholder. The leaseholder does not own the underlying land. Leasehold is more common in certain older or non-designated areas and comes with different resale and renovation conditions than freehold.

Off-Plan

Property bought before construction is complete.

Off-plan property is bought directly from a developer before (or during) construction, based on plans and show units. It typically offers lower entry prices and flexible payment plans tied to construction milestones, but carries completion and delay risk. Off-plan purchases are registered via Oqood and protected by mandatory escrow accounts.

Ready Property

Ownership

A completed property available for immediate use.

Ready (or "secondary") property is a completed unit available for immediate handover or occupation, bought either from a developer or a previous owner. Unlike off-plan, there is no construction risk and you can inspect the actual unit, but prices are usually higher and payment is required upfront or via mortgage.

Strata

Ownership

The legal framework for jointly-owned property.

Strata refers to the legal structure governing jointly-owned properties (like apartment buildings), where owners hold their individual unit plus a share of the common areas. Dubai's Strata Law (Jointly Owned Property Law) governs how owners' associations operate, how service charges are set, and how common areas are managed.

Snagging

Off-Plan

Inspecting a new property for defects before handover.

Snagging is the process of inspecting a newly completed property to identify defects, unfinished work, or quality issues ("snags") before final handover. Buyers often hire professional snagging companies to produce a report, which the developer is then obligated to fix during the defects liability period. Essential for off-plan handovers.

Escrow Account

Off-Plan

Protected account holding off-plan buyer payments.

An escrow account is a regulated, ring-fenced bank account where all off-plan buyer payments must be deposited by law in Dubai (under the Escrow Law). Funds can only be released to the developer in line with verified construction progress, protecting buyers if a developer defaults. Always confirm a project has a registered escrow account before buying off-plan.

Mortgage Pre-Approval

Mortgage

A bank's conditional commitment to lend.

Mortgage pre-approval is a conditional letter from a bank stating how much it is willing to lend you, based on your income and credit profile, before you find a property. It strengthens your negotiating position, clarifies your budget, and is typically valid for 60–90 days. Most sellers and agents take pre-approved buyers more seriously.

Golden Visa

Residency

Long-term UAE residency through property investment.

The Golden Visa is a 10-year renewable UAE residency granted to property investors who own real estate worth at least AED 2 million. It can be obtained through completed or off-plan property (subject to conditions), and even mortgaged property in some cases. It allows the holder to sponsor family and live in the UAE without a local employer sponsor.

DEWA

Utilities

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) is the utility provider for electricity and water in Dubai. New tenants and owners must set up a DEWA account and pay a deposit to activate services — an active Ejari certificate is required to do so. Abu Dhabi's equivalent is ADDC (Abu Dhabi Distribution Company).

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