What's in this guide
Dubai’s off-plan framework protects your capital well. Escrow, project registration and Oqood mean outright loss is rare. See our off-plan guide.
What regulation does not protect is time, build quality and running costs. Those depend entirely on who you buy from — and unlike the sales pitch, they are measurable.
1. Delivery record: the first and best test
Ask a simple question: what have they completed, when was it promised, and when did it actually hand over?
This is verifiable. Completed projects have handover dates. Original launch materials stated target dates. The gap between them is the developer’s track record, and it is the single most predictive indicator you have.
What to look for:
- A pattern, not a single project. Anyone can deliver one on time.
- Recent record specifically. A developer’s performance a decade ago says less than their last three completions.
- How delays were handled — communicated early, or discovered by buyers?
A developer with no completed projects is not automatically a problem, but it is a materially different risk. Price it accordingly rather than ignoring it.
2. Build quality — measured years later
Everything looks good at handover. The test is how it looks at year five.
The most useful thing you can do costs nothing: visit one of the developer’s completed buildings from four or five years ago. Not their showroom — a real building with real residents.
Walk the lobby, the corridors, the parking, the bin areas. Look at the facade. Ride the lifts. See our viewing checklist.
Then talk to whoever is at the desk. Ask how long they have been there and whether the building has had issues. Security and concierge staff are usually candid, and they know everything about a building.
Thirty minutes in a five-year-old building tells you more than any amount of marketing material.
3. Service charge accuracy — the overlooked signal
This is the test almost nobody runs, and it is genuinely revealing.
At launch, developers quote an estimated service charge. It is not RERA-approved and not binding. Once the building completes and RERA reviews the first real Mollak budget, the approved rate is set.
Why it matters beyond the money: a developer who systematically under-quotes service charges to make the yield look better is showing you how they treat buyers generally. See our service charges guide.
Send Ali both projects. He will check delivery records, what handovers actually looked like, and how each developer’s completed buildings are performing on service charges and resale.
4. What happens after handover
The relationship does not end when you get the keys, and this is where developers differ most.
Things worth establishing:
- How are snag items handled? Responsive, or does it take months of chasing? See our handover guide.
- Who manages the building afterwards? A developer-affiliated management company can be good or bad, but you should know which.
- Is the reserve fund adequately funded from the start? Buildings that begin underfunded face special levies later.
- How is the Owners’ Association handled? Genuine owner representation, or developer control extended indefinitely?
The most efficient way to learn this: find owners in their completed buildings and ask. Community groups exist for most Dubai developments, and people are candid about their experience.
5. The practical checklist
- DLD project registration number — ask, verify. No exceptions.
- Escrow account details — payments should route only there.
- Their last three completions — promised date versus actual handover.
- Visit a four-to-five-year-old building of theirs, unannounced.
- Launch estimate versus approved service charge on comparable completed buildings.
- Resale performance — how has their stock held value against the area?
- Owner feedback from their existing communities.
Points 1, 2 and 5 can be answered by the seller in minutes. Points 3, 4, 6 and 7 you can do yourself in an afternoon.
And ask the question from our red flags guide: "which developers would you rule out, and why?" A broker who cannot name one is not advising you.
6. Frequently asked questions
How do I check a Dubai developer’s track record?
Look at their last three completed projects — what handover date was promised at launch versus when it actually happened. A consistent pattern across recent completions is the most predictive indicator available.
What is the best way to judge build quality in Dubai?
Visit one of the developer’s completed buildings from four or five years ago, unannounced. Walk the lobby, corridors, parking and bin areas, and speak to the security or concierge staff.
Why do service charges matter when judging a developer?
Launch estimates are not RERA-approved or binding. A developer whose estimates land close to the eventual approved rate is being straight with buyers; systematic under-quoting to inflate apparent yield says something about how they operate.
Is it risky to buy from a new developer in Dubai?
Not automatically — escrow and project registration protect your capital. But delivery timing and build quality are unproven, which is a materially different risk that should be reflected in the price you pay.
What should I ask a developer before buying off-plan?
The DLD project registration number, the escrow account details, their last three delivery records, and the approved service charges on their comparable completed buildings versus what they estimated at launch.
How do I find honest feedback about a Dubai developer?
Speak to owners in their completed communities — most Dubai developments have active community groups, and residents are generally candid about handover experience and post-handover service.
Not sure who you are buying from?
Send Ali the developer and project. He will tell you their actual delivery record, what previous handovers looked like, and how their completed buildings are holding up — including if the answer is to walk away.
Sources & verification. Project registration, escrow and Oqood requirements per the Dubai Land Department and RERA. Service charge rates verifiable via the DLD Service Charge Index; transaction and resale evidence via DXB Interact. Figures reflect the position as at 30 August 2026 and can change — always confirm current rules with the relevant authority before you commit.