Dubai’s real estate market is booming due to the city’s constant growth and rapid innovation. To keep up with this growth pace, the Dubai government is making it easier for property investors to do more business in the city.
The UAE’s leading government body, the Dubai Land Department (DLD), is committed to streamlining the property buying process. By cutting costs and offering attractive incentives, it aims to attract even more investors.
This article explores DLD and its services for stabilising the real estate sector in Dubai.
- What Is the Dubai Land Department?
- Regulatory Arms of the Dubai Land Department
- Services Offered by the Dubai Land Department
- FAQs
What Is the Dubai Land Department?
DLD is a government body overseeing and regulating Dubai’s real estate sector. Established in the 1960s, DLD aims to expand the real estate market. It legalises the sale and purchase of lands, settles disagreements, and boosts investment operations across the city.
Whether renting, selling, or buying a property in Dubai, DLD protects your rights and interests as a tenant, seller, or buyer.
Regulatory Arms of the Dubai Land Department
The DLD has several key departments that take effective measures in the city’s real estate matters. For instance:
- Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA): The RERA operates all real estate regulations in Dubai, including dispute settlement, and offers a legal framework to all property investors in the city.
- Real Estate Investment Management & Promotion Centre: This regulatory arm offers services to connect investors and clients for smooth business communication.
- Rental Dispute Settlement Centre (RDC): This department is DLD’s judicial arm responsible for settling issues and real estate-related matters between tenants and landlords. Besides, you can report any rental dispute in Dubai to the RDC.
Services Offered by the Dubai Land Department
The following are the essential services offered by DLD:
Property Registration
All properties in Dubai are registered through the Dubai Land Department, including ownership certifications and maintenance of the official land registry. One can also open an Escrow account through this service and get approval to sell an off-plan property. Moreover, you can request a sale and purchase agreement in Dubai for off-plan properties.
- Registration fee: AED 150,000
- Knowledge fee: AED 10
- Innovation fee: AED 10
Ownership Transfer Service
DLD also facilitates ownership transfers between property buyers and sellers. Services include ownership verification, transfer registration and ownership certificate issuance.
- For every title deed: AED 250
- Land map fee: AED 100
- Unified map with Dubai Municipality fee: AED 325
- Apartment and villa map fee: AED 250
- Knowledge fee: AED 10
- Innovation fee: AED 10
Title Deed Data Services
This category offers 22 services. The DLD issues title deeds to property owners as legal proof of ownership.
Services include:
- Issuance of Title Deeds
- Contract Cancellation
- Property Exchange
- Registration of Inherited Property
- Transfer of Ownership
- Property Mortgage Registration
- Mortgage Cancellation
- Property Lease Registration
- Lease Cancellation
- Subdivision of Property
- Consolidation of Property
- Property Gift Registration
- Transfer of Property to a Legal Heir
- Issuance of Property Valuation Certificates
- Registration of Property for Government Projects
- Amendment of Property Details
- Registration of Property in Trust
- Change of Property Use
- Registration of Property for Joint Ownership
- Registration of Property for Company Ownership
- Updating Ownership Details
- Issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs)
Property Valuation Services
The DLD has made it easy for property owners to determine their property value through its valuation services. This property valuation service helps investors learn their land’s market value, find mortgage values, and pay the applicable taxes.
Mortgage Registration
The DLD also offers mortgage registration services for people buying a property on lease. When obtaining mortgage in Dubai, they can register their mortgaged property via DLD by paying the applicable fee. Also, you can register the sales of the mortgaged property.
- Mortgage Registration fee: 0.25% of the mortgage value
- Title deed issuance fee for a regular mortgage: AED 250
- Title deed issuance for a conservative mortgage: AED 250
- Knowledge fees: AED 10
- Innovation fees: AED 10
Service partner’s fees that need to be paid are:
- AED 4,000 service fee +VAT
- AED 5,000 service fee +VAT (for initial sale registration called Oqood)
Real Estate Broker Licencing Services
The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) is responsible for issuing and renewing licences to Dubai’s real estate brokers and companies. To become a real estate agent or start a real estate business in Dubai, you must enrol in the RERA-approved Certified Training for Real Estate Brokers at the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) and complete a four-day training course. Also, you require a real estate licence in Dubai.
- The DREI Course Fee: AED 3000
- Broker Licence Renewal Fee: AED 250
DLD’s E-services
The DLD offers a range of e-services, including online fee payments, property transaction tracking and access to property-related documents.
Property Lease Valuation Services
DLD’s lease valuation service allows users to identify the actual value of their vacant properties according to 2013 law number 43.
- Lease Valuation Fee: AED 2,000 per unit and AED 10,000 max
- Knowledge Fees: AED 10
- Innovation Fees: AED 10
Rent-to-own Property Registration Services
Rent-to-own property in Dubai allows buyers to make a down payment through monthly rent, with at least 5% or less required upfront.
- Tenant: 0.25% of the rental amount
- Buyer: 2% of the sale price
- Seller: 2% of the sale price
- Knowledge fee: AED 10
- Innovation fee: AED 10
- Developers: AED 1,000 for self-registration on the Oqood Portal
FAQs
The Dubai Land Department is located at Baniyas Road, Deira, Dubai, UAE.
The Dubai Land Department can be contacted by phone at 800-4488 +971 4 222 2253 or via email at info@dld.gov.ae. For more information, visit their official website at www.dubailand.gov.ae.
The Dubai Land Department is open Sunday through Thursday, 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM. It is closed on Fridays, Saturdays, and public holidays.
Yes, the Dubai Land Department has several customer service centres across Dubai where one can receive assistance with property registration, document submission and other services.
To register a property, you must submit the required documents to the DLD, pay the applicable fees, and complete the necessary forms. The DLD will then issue a title deed as proof of ownership.
RERA, a department of the DLD, regulates the real estate sector in Dubai. It issues licences to real estate brokers and companies, oversees real estate projects and ensures compliance with regulations.
Fees can be paid online through the DLD’s e-services portal, where you can also track property transactions and access property-related documents.
DLD is the epitome of transparency and honesty in Dubai’s real estate sector, which is constantly working for the betterment of the property market in the UAE. Suppose you are looking for a rental apartment in Dubai or want to invest in a property. In that case, DLD services ensure fair deals with transparency.
