Every off-plan purchase reaches a moment where you transfer a significant amount of money to a company you have often never met, for a property that does not yet exist.
Dubai's regulatory framework is built to make that safe. The framework only protects you if you use it, and most buyers never run the checks that take twenty minutes and remove nearly all of the risk.
This is the checklist we would want a member of our own family to follow, including when dealing with us.
How do you verify a Dubai property developer or broker? Check the brokerage on the Dubai Land Department licensed-brokers register using its Office Registration Number, confirm the individual agent's Broker Registration Number, and verify the project's Trakheesi advertising permit. Before paying, confirm the escrow account named in your Sale and Purchase Agreement and never transfer funds to a personal account.
The Numbers That Should Exist
Any legitimate Dubai brokerage operates under a set of registrations, and they should be published, not produced on request.
RERA Office Registration Number (ORN). Identifies the brokerage with the regulator. Ours is 49515.
DED Trade Licence. The company's commercial licence from the Department of Economy and Tourism, with an expiry date. Ours is 1480505, valid until 6 March 2027.
Broker Registration Number (BRN). Held by the individual agent, not the company. Our RERA-registered brokers are Choukri Chokrani, BRN 81028, and Maria Abiega Ucin, BRN 81893.
Trakheesi permit. Required for property advertising in Dubai. Ours is 1036983257, valid until 18 November 2026.
We publish all of these on our about page alongside our registered office, Office 1609-23, The Binary Tower by Omniyat, Business Bay, and Dubai Chamber number 600989. Any brokerage that treats these as confidential is not one to work with.
If you are working through the detail, our guide to how off-plan works end to end is the natural next read, and you can see the full off-plan property in Dubai we currently advise on.
Running the Checks
1. Verify the brokerage
Look up the firm on the Dubai Land Department licensed-brokers register using its ORN. Confirm the legal name matches the entity on your paperwork exactly. "Elite Global Properties L.L.C" and a similarly named company are not the same thing, and impersonation of established brands is a known tactic.
2. Verify the individual agent
Ask for the BRN of the person you are dealing with and check it. A licensed firm can still have unregistered people making calls.
3. Verify the advertising permit
Legitimate Dubai property advertising carries a Trakheesi permit number. Its absence on a listing is a meaningful signal.
4. Verify the developer and the project
Confirm the developer is registered and the project is a registered development with escrow arrangements in place. For off-plan, purchases are recorded through the Oqood system, which registers your interest in the unit before the final title deed is issued at handover.
5. Verify the escrow account
The most important check of all. For off-plan purchases, payments are made only into the developer's RERA-regulated escrow account named in your Sale and Purchase Agreement.
Before transferring, confirm the account details in the SPA itself rather than in an email, and confirm the account name matches the developer. Funds in escrow are released against construction progress rather than handed over as a lump sum.
Warning Signs
Most property fraud is unsophisticated. It relies on speed and enthusiasm rather than technical skill.
A request to pay a personal account. There is no legitimate version of this. We will never ask you to transfer funds to a personal account. If anyone does, stop.
Changed payment details by email. A common attack sends "updated" bank details late in the process. Always re-verify against the SPA and by phone on a number you already had.
Pressure to pay before documentation. Genuine launches do move quickly, and that is not the same as being told to transfer before seeing the reservation form and payment schedule.
Guaranteed returns. Returns depend on the market and are not guaranteed. Any specific guaranteed yield on an off-plan building should be treated as a serious warning.
No licence details. If ORN, trade licence and permit numbers are not readily available, the conversation should end.
Prices well below the developer's list. On a current launch bought direct, you are buying at the developer's price list. A large discount usually means either a different unit than described or a party who does not hold what they are selling.
Refusal to put costs in writing. Every fee affecting your purchase should be documented before you commit.
Read the SPA, Not the Brochure
Renders and imagery are illustrative and non-binding. The Sale and Purchase Agreement prevails in case of any discrepancy. That sentence appears on our own site because it is the single most useful thing a buyer can internalise.
In the SPA, read closely:
- The unit specification and area schedule
- The payment schedule and what triggers each instalment
- The escrow account details
- The expected handover date and delay provisions
- Conditions on resale before completion
- What happens if you miss a payment
If something in the SPA contradicts what you were told verbally, the SPA governs. Ask for the discrepancy to be explained before signing, not after.
Questions Worth Asking Your Advisor
- What is your ORN, and what is your BRN?
- Is this a current launch sold direct from the developer?
- What is the Trakheesi permit number for this project?
- Which escrow account will my payments go into, and where is it named in the SPA?
- What is the projected service charge per square foot?
- What is the stated handover date, and what happens if it moves?
- Can you put the full cost breakdown in writing?
Any advisor who is comfortable with these questions is probably worth working with. Any who is not has answered the question in a different way.
Why We Publish Our Own Details
Trust in this market is earned through verifiable facts rather than claims. That is why our licence numbers, our brokers' BRNs, our registered office and our permit expiry dates are published openly, and why we encourage clients to check them independently on the DLD register before sharing any documents with us.
It is also why we present only current launches sold direct from the developer, and why we say plainly that if the maths does not work on a particular building, we will tell you. You can see the developments currently on our list on our projects page, and how we approach off-plan risk on our off-plan property in Dubai page.