What to check
before you commit.

Before committing to a Dubai property purchase, organise your questions around funding, the ownership record, occupation, condition, the proposed terms and the people responsible for completion. A useful checklist records evidence and next actions—not just ticks.

1. Establish your cash and funding position.

Keep the property price separate from the other money you may need. If a lender is involved, record the loan amount being assumed, the remaining conditions and the person who can confirm them. A preliminary indication does not settle every question about the chosen property.

• What is the proposed price, and what is the source of the buyer’s contribution?
• Which fees have been quoted to you, who is expected to pay them, and do the quoted amounts include any applicable VAT?
• What does the lender still need to establish about the property, valuation or timing?
• Has any money actually been paid and confirmed as credited to the price? An uncashed security cheque is not the same as money already paid.

Use the cash preparation guide to organise the figures. Leave an unknown amount visible until the appropriate party confirms it.

2. Understand the record and who may act.

Identify exactly what is being sold and the record that relates to it. Ask for the relevant identifiers and use the current official verification route where available. Check that the person dealing with you has the appropriate authority for their role.

Do not treat a copy of a document, a successful record lookup and a satisfactory review of the entire transaction as interchangeable. They answer different questions.

TitleDeed’s verification guidance explains the record-checking topic in more detail. Mortgage-dependent transaction preparation belongs with the mortgage-transfer guide.

From Cendale’s Conveyance Desk podcast: What sits silently against a title ↗ · What was actually checked ↗

3. Confirm occupation and the intended handover.

Is the property vacant, occupied by the seller, tenanted or not yet confirmed? Ask for the relevant records and establish what handover arrangement is being proposed. An intended move-in date should not be treated as established simply because it appears in a conversation or listing.

If a tenancy, notice or vacant-possession question affects your decision, seek the appropriate qualified advice on the actual documents. This checklist does not determine tenancy rights or promise when a property can be occupied.

4. Separate a viewing from an inspection.

A viewing helps you decide whether a property suits your needs. A physical inspection can address a different set of condition questions, within the specialist’s agreed scope. Document preparation and transfer coordination do not replace that work.

• Which concerns did you notice during the viewing?
• Do you need a qualified inspection, and what will its scope include or exclude?
• Will any reported issue need further investigation, a quotation or an agreed response?
• Who will answer each unresolved condition question before you commit?

Ask for a clear written scope before appointing an inspection provider. Keep a report’s findings, assumptions and limitations together in your records.

5. Ask about recurring charges and outstanding balances.

Budgeting for ownership is a different task from confirming what is already outstanding on a property. Find the relevant service-charge reference, then separately ask the appropriate party to confirm any property-specific balances and the proposed allocation.

Developer requirements, clearances and any required NOC should be confirmed for the actual route. Record who will obtain each item and which next step depends on it.

From Cendale’s Conveyance Desk podcast: Service charges and the developer NOC ↗

6. Clarify the terms and service appointments.

Before accepting an agreement, understand the proposed price, payment arrangements, timing, dependencies and each party’s responsibilities. Ask specific questions about a deposit, a proposed completion date or a fee provision that is unclear.

If an agency or coordination service is being proposed, establish the provider, work included, fee, payer and appointment terms. A label on a charge does not explain the whole service. Use FormB for buyer-broker agreement education and FormF for sale-agreement education. Obtain qualified advice where the effect of a particular clause matters.

7. Confirm the payment instructions and sequence.

Keep the appointment of a service provider separate from the settlement of the property price. Confirm the payment instrument, payee and sequence through the relevant bank and registration process. Ask which facts or documents must be established before each payment or appointment.

Do not use a generic guide as an instruction to transfer money. Verify instructions with the parties handling your actual transaction, especially where a message introduces new or changed payment details.

Turn this into a working record.

For every open question, write down what is needed, who can answer, its current status and the next action. Mark a question as confirmed only on the basis you actually have; that status remains your record, not an independent approval by BeforeYouBuy.

The personal buying plan organises these questions alongside your cash assumptions. You can print the result, revise it and choose whether to discuss the transaction with a provider.

Common questions