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Off-plan payment plans explained: what each instalment pays for

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The payment plan is the part of an off-plan purchase most buyers look at first, and the one most often misunderstood. A plan is not a discount or a loan. It is a schedule in your contract that says how much of the price you pay, and when, while the building goes up. Get it wrong and you can end up in default; get it right and it simply matches your cash to the construction.

This guide explains the common types of plan, where the money goes, and the questions to ask. It does not quote any project's plan: those come from the developer and are shown, with their permit, on each project page.

How a plan is written

Payment plans are usually written as percentages of the price, for example "x / y", meaning x% paid during construction and y% at or after handover. The numbers differ by developer, by project and sometimes by unit. What matters is not the headline split but the trigger for each instalment:

  • Date-based: due on a calendar date, whatever stage construction has reached.
  • Construction-linked (milestone): due when the building reaches a stated stage, for example a percentage of completion.
  • On handover: due when the unit is ready to hand over.
  • Post-handover: spread over months or years after you get the keys, paid to the developer.

Most plans mix these. Read the schedule in the SPA line by line; the brochure summary is not the contract.

The parts of a typical plan

Booking or down payment. Paid when you reserve or sign. Ask whether it is refundable before the SPA is signed, and into which account it goes.

The DLD registration fee (Dubai). Not part of the price, but often collected at signing. DLD's fee table for registering the initial sale lists 2% of the sale value for the seller and 2% for the purchaser [S2]. The SPA must be registered within 90 days of signing [S2]. In Abu Dhabi, the DARI off-plan sale registration payment is 2% of the total sale price, plus AED 10,000 for late registration (21 days from the contract date) [S6]. The developer enters the party who will pay the due fees when entering the sale data [S6]. See our fees guide.

Construction instalments. The middle of the plan. In Dubai, payments by off-plan buyers go into the project escrow account [S1, Art. 7], and the money is dedicated to building that project [S1, Art. 9(1)].

The handover payment. Often the largest single amount. If you plan to fund it with a mortgage, check early whether a bank will lend on the completed unit, and how much. See our mortgage guide.

Post-handover instalments. If offered, you live in or rent out the home while still paying the developer. Check what security the developer keeps until you have paid in full, and whether the title deed is issued before the last instalment.

Where your money goes

In Dubai, Law 8 of 2007 applies to developers who sell units off-plan and receive payments [S1, Art. 3]. It requires purchasers' payments to be deposited in the project's escrow account with an Escrow Agent accredited by the Land Department [S1, Art. 2, 3 and 7]. Before you pay, check that the account named in the SPA is the project's escrow account with an accredited Escrow Agent. A request to pay any other account is a reason to stop and ask DLD.

Post-handover instalments, paid after the building is complete, may be paid differently. Ask the developer where they go and how they are secured.

Checking a milestone before you pay

DLD's Project Status Enquiry lets a customer check a project's completion percentage and details by entering the land number, project number or project name [S4]. It is available through the Land Department website, the Dubai REST App or WhatsApp (Land Department number 8004488) [S4]. If the developer's demand letter and DLD's figure do not match, ask why before paying.

What happens if you miss a payment

This is the most important part of any plan. In Dubai, if a buyer fails to meet the obligations in an off-plan sale agreement, the process starts with the developer notifying DLD [S3]:

First, DLD serves the buyer a written notice of thirty (30) days to fulfil the obligations [S3, Art. 11(a)(2)(a)]. Where possible, it also mediates an amicable settlement [S3, Art. 11(a)(2)(b)]. Next, if the notice period expires and the buyer neither fulfils the obligations nor reaches a settlement, DLD issues an official document confirming the developer's compliance with the procedure and the completion percentage [S3, Art. 11(a)(3)]. Based on that percentage, the developer may then take the measures that the law allows, without recourse to courts or arbitration [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)]. Between 60% and 80% completion, it may terminate and retain up to 40% of the unit's value [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(b)]. Below 60% with works commenced, it may terminate and retain up to 25% of the unit's value [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(c)]. If works have not commenced for reasons beyond the developer's control, it may terminate and retain up to 30% of the amounts paid [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(d)]. Any excess is refunded to the purchaser [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)].

Where completion exceeds 80% [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(a)], the developer may choose one of these measures: maintain the agreement, retain all amounts paid and claim the balance [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(a)(1)]; ask DLD to sell the unit by public auction to collect the remaining amounts [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(a)(2)]; or terminate and retain up to 40% of the unit value, refunding any excess [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(a)(3)].

So the safest plan is one you can pay on every date, even if your circumstances change. Keep a buffer, and if you see trouble coming, talk to the developer before the due date.

Full detail: Escrow and buyer protection in Dubai.

How to compare plans

Do not compare plans only by the headline split. Lay them side by side and ask:

  1. Total cash before handover. Add every instalment due before the keys, plus fees.
  2. Timing. Are instalments on dates, or on milestones you can check?
  3. The handover payment. How large is it, and how will you fund it?
  4. Post-handover terms. Interest or admin charges? When is the title deed issued?
  5. Default terms. Does the SPA add anything to the legal process?
  6. Flexibility. Can you pay early? Is there a discount for it, and is it in writing?

Questions to ask the developer

  • Is the booking deposit refundable, and until when?
  • Into which escrow account do I pay, at which bank?
  • Is each construction instalment tied to a date or a milestone?
  • How will I be notified that an instalment is due?
  • What is due at handover, including fees and service charges?
  • If I sell before handover, what must I have paid first?

Plans on our projects

The payment plans for Elevia Residences and Sobha City come from the developers and are shown on each project page from live inventory, with the permit for that emirate next to every price. Ask us and we will walk you through the schedule line by line, including the default clause.

FAQ

Is a payment plan a loan? No. It is a schedule of payments to the developer for the price. In Dubai, payments during construction go into the project escrow account [S1, Art. 7].

What is a construction-linked plan? A plan whose instalments fall due when the building reaches a stated stage, for example a percentage of completion, rather than on a calendar date. You can check a project's completion percentage on DLD's Project Status Enquiry [S4].

What is a post-handover plan? Part of the price is paid to the developer after you receive the keys. Check how it is secured and when you get the title deed.

Can I use a mortgage for the handover payment? Often, if a bank agrees.

What if I cannot pay an instalment? In Dubai, DLD serves a 30-day notice [S3, Art. 11(a)(2)(a)]. If the period expires and the buyer has neither performed nor settled, DLD issues an official document confirming compliance and the completion percentage [S3, Art. 11(a)(3)]. Based on that percentage, the developer may then act [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)]. Above 80% completion [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(a)], the developer has several options under the law; one of them is to terminate and retain up to 40% of the unit value [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(a)(3)]. At 60% to 80%, it may terminate and retain up to 40% [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(b)]. Below 60% with works commenced, it may terminate and retain up to 25% [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(c)]. If works have not commenced for reasons beyond its control, it may terminate and retain up to 30% of the amounts paid [S3, Art. 11(a)(4)(d)].

Does Vetted show prices or plans in this guide? No. Prices and plans are shown only on project pages, from live inventory, with the permit.

Is this financial or legal advice? No. It is general information based on official sources.

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Reviewed by the Vetted Property team.

Sources

指南仅为一般信息，不构成财务建议。

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