Every off plan project status Dubai Land Department (DLD) records is public and free to check: search the project's name, project number or land number in DLD's Project Status Enquiry service, on the DLD website, in the Dubai REST app or on WhatsApp at 8004488. The result shows the completion percentage from the latest site inspection, the project's status, the developer, and the bank and account number of the project's escrow account. Check it before you book, and again before every instalment linked to construction.
- Statuses: Active, Finished, Under Cancellation or Cancelled.
- Before an instalment: DLD says you may ask for the completion percentage in a letter from the DLD-approved project consultant, and needn't pay until the agreed stage is confirmed.
- Your own figure: a completion report from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) technical auditor costs AED 15,000 per unit, per DLD's FAQ.
- If a project is cancelled: the escrow bank refunds what is in the account within 14 days, and the developer must pay any shortfall within 60 days, which RERA can extend.
What is DLD's Project Status Enquiry?
Project Status Enquiry is DLD's public look-up for real estate projects in Dubai. It shows a project's completion percentage and details, it is open to anyone whatever their residency status, and the result is immediate. DLD lists no fee and no documents for it, and the website version needs no login.
- DLD website: search by project name or number (at least two characters), with filters for use, status, rooms and unit size.
- Dubai REST app: listed as Project Status (Mashrooi), on the home screen or in the Services menu.
- WhatsApp: save DLD's number, 8004488, and ask DLD's virtual assistant, Malik.
How do you check an off-plan project's status?
Get the project's DLD number, search it in Project Status Enquiry and open the project. Read four things: the completion percentage with its inspection date, the status, the developer and the escrow account. Then compare each one with your sale and purchase agreement (SPA) and with any payment request in front of you.
- Get the project number from the developer or your agent: a search by name can return many similar names.
- Search it. If the project isn't there, pay nothing until the developer shows its DLD registration: under the implementing bylaw of Law No. 13 of 2008, an off-plan sale made before the project is approved and registered with DLD is void.
- Read the status and the inspection details: the current percentage, the inspection date and the previous inspection's figure.
- Match the names and numbers. The developer and the escrow bank and account number should match your SPA, your payment instructions and your receipts.
| Part of the DLD record | What you see | Check it against |
|---|---|---|
| Result card | Project name and number, developer, completion percentage, status | The project and developer in your SPA |
| Full Fact Sheet | Area, number of units, registration, start and completion dates, location, remarks | The completion date in your SPA |
| Inspection Details | Inspection date, current and previous progress, report and photos | The stage named in a payment request |
| Developer Details | Developer name and DLD developer number, status, contacts | DLD's Licensed Developers list |
| Escrow Account | Escrow bank and account number | Your payment instructions and receipts |
Off plan project status Dubai checklist: what to check before you book
Before you pay a booking amount, confirm that the developer is licensed, the project is registered and moving, the escrow bank is approved, and the ad and broker are licensed. After you sign, confirm your purchase is registered in Oqood. Each check is on DLD's website or in Dubai REST.
| Comprobación | DLD service or channel | What it tells you | Cost and time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotor | Licensed Developers (website, Dubai REST) | The developer is on DLD's approved list | No fee listed; immediate |
| Proyectos | Project Status Enquiry (website, Dubai REST, WhatsApp) | Completion, status, inspections, escrow account | No fee listed; immediate |
| Escrow bank | Approved escrow account trustees (website, Dubai REST) | Banks DLD has approved to run escrow accounts | No fee listed; immediate |
| Ad and broker | Madmoun QR code, Verify License and Permits, Licensed Real Estate Brokers | A valid ad permit and a licensed broker | Inmediato |
| Your purchase | Oqood, registered by the developer | Your unit is in the interim register; DLD emails you an e-certificate | Within 90 days of signing; 2% + 2% + AED 20 |
| Each instalment | Letter from the DLD-approved project consultant | The completion percentage behind a payment request | No fee published |
| Independent figure | RERA technical auditor's report | Completion prepared by RERA, not the developer | AED 15,000 per unit |
Law No. 8 of 2007 on escrow accounts bars developers from advertising off-plan units without DLD's written authorisation, so start with a Trakheesi permit check on the ad and the broker. Who pays the 4% Oqood fee is agreed in the SPA (our DLD waiver guide explains offers that cover it), and if a developer delays registering your contract, DLD's FAQ says you can apply to its Real Estate Registration Assurance section yourself.
Looking at a launch on our new off-plan projects page? Ask your agent for its DLD project number and run these checks first. Our guide to common off-plan pitfalls covers the SPA clauses, and rent vs buy in Dubai sets the costs side by side if you are still deciding.
Do you have to pay an instalment before the stage is reached?
Not until the stage is confirmed. DLD's FAQ says that when a developer asks for a payment tied to construction progress, the investor may ask to know the current completion percentage through a letter from the project consultant approved by DLD, and is not obliged to pay until the agreed stage or percentage has been reached.
Compare that letter with DLD's record and with the milestone in your payment plan, and ask in writing if they don't match. Pay only into the project's escrow account: Law No. 8 of 2007 requires one account per project, in the project's name, used only to build it and out of reach of the developer's creditors, and lets depositors see and copy their own records. Under the bylaw to Law No. 13 of 2008, a broker selling for a developer must deposit your payment straight into that account, without taking commission out first.
The bank pays out in stages too: DLD's FAQ says its engineer checks each main construction stage on site before contractors are paid. If a developer declines to link payments to the milestones RERA proposes, the same bylaw lets the buyer ask the court to end the contract.
How is the completion percentage measured?
By inspection on site. DLD's technical report service gives a developer an approved report of the project's actual completion after a site visit, for AED 15,000 plus AED 20 in four business days, and DLD's FAQ says RERA makes developers pay for a new report once the last one is three months old.
The figure covers the whole project, not your unit, and is only as current as its inspection date. A recent inspection with progress since the previous one is what you want to see; an old date, or the same figure twice running, is a reason to ask the developer, and RERA, what is happening on site.
What happens if an off-plan project stalls or is cancelled?
RERA steps in first. DLD's FAQ says RERA monitors construction, contacts a developer whose project has stalled and gives it time to put things right; if it doesn't, and there is no acceptable reason for the delay, RERA starts cancellation. Once a project is cancelled, the money in its escrow account goes back to buyers, and the developer must pay any shortfall.
- Under Cancellation: not cancelled yet. DLD says the process (a grievance, a committee on incomplete projects and its report) takes at least three months.
- Cancelled: RERA appoints an auditor at the developer's cost and asks the escrow bank to refund buyers within 14 days. The developer must pay any shortfall within 60 days of the decision, which RERA can extend; if it doesn't, RERA can refer the matter to the courts. DLD's liquidation section pays out in full or in proportion, depending on what the account holds.
Reasons RERA can cancel include a developer failing without good reason to start building, gross negligence, bankruptcy or no genuine intention to build. Law No. 8 of 2007 also strikes a developer off DLD's developer register if it hasn't started building six months after being allowed to sell off-plan, without an acceptable reason, and tells the escrow bank, after consulting DLD, to act so a stalled project is completed or depositors are refunded.
DLD can't end your contract for you. Its FAQ says DLD may try to reconcile the two sides, but termination at an investor's request is for the real estate court, and while a project hasn't been cancelled, an investor who wants money back must go to court. The bylaw lets a buyer ask the court to end the contract in listed cases, such as material changes to the agreed specifications.
Ask in writing before you hold back a payment A low or unchanged percentage is a reason to ask for the consultant's letter, not to stop paying without advice. Missed instalments let a developer act against you: keep every request, letter and receipt, and take legal advice first.
What if you fall behind on your own payments?
Then the percentage can work against you. In Law No. 13 of 2008 and its 2009 amendment, as published on the Dubai Legislation Portal, a developer must report a buyer's breach to DLD, which gives the buyer 30 days' notice to pay, and what the developer may do next depends on how much of the project is built. The article was amended again in 2017 and no official consolidated English text is published, so this post doesn't quote percentages: read your SPA's default clause and take legal advice.
What happens when the project is finished?
The status changes to Finished and the units move to DLD's main property register. Law No. 13 of 2008 requires developers to register completed projects once they hold the completion certificate, with each unit in the name of a buyer who has met their obligations, and DLD can register a unit for the buyer if the developer refuses.
Law No. 8 of 2007 makes the escrow bank keep 5% of the account's value once the completion certificate is issued and release it one year after the units are registered to buyers, a guarantee that defects are fixed, says DLD's FAQ. Plan your snagging with that year in mind: our snagging and handover guide has a checklist.
Preguntas frecuentes
How do I check off-plan project status in Dubai?
Search the project's name or number in DLD's Project Status Enquiry on the DLD website, in the Dubai REST app or on WhatsApp at 8004488. It shows the completion percentage, status, developer and escrow account immediately.
How do I check project status on the Dubai REST app?
Open Dubai REST, choose Project Status (Mashrooi) from the home screen or the Services menu, and search by project name or number.
Is the DLD project status check free?
Yes. DLD lists no fee and no documents for Project Status Enquiry, and the website version needs no login (checked 5 November 2026).
What does under cancellation mean on DLD's project status?
The project hasn't been cancelled yet. DLD says the process, including a grievance and a committee review, takes at least three months before any cancellation decision.
Do I have to pay an instalment if the project hasn't reached the stage?
DLD's FAQ says you may ask for the completion percentage in a letter from the DLD-approved project consultant, and needn't pay until the agreed stage is confirmed. Take advice before withholding a payment.
How much does a RERA progress report cost?
DLD's FAQ says an investor can get a completion report from RERA's technical auditor for AED 15,000 per unit or villa.
What happens to my money if an off-plan project is cancelled?
The escrow bank refunds what is in the account within 14 days of cancellation, and the developer must pay any shortfall within 60 days, which RERA can extend, under the bylaw to Law No. 13 of 2008.
Fuentes
- Dubai Land Department: Project Status Enquiry (search fields, channels, WhatsApp 8004488, immediate, open to all; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Land Department: Project Status Enquiry search (record sections, status filters, Project Status (Mashrooi) in Dubai REST; opened 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Land Department: Licensed Developers (checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Land Department: Approved escrow account trustees (checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Land Department: Requesting a technical report for the project (site visit, AED 15,000 plus AED 20, four business days; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Land Department: Request to register the initial sale (Oqood, 90 days, 2% and 2% plus AED 20; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Land Department: Frequently asked questions (consultant's letter, AED 15,000 audit, three-month technical reports, stalled and cancelled projects, escrow releases, 5% retention, registration assurance; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Law No. (8) of 2007 Concerning Escrow Accounts for Real Estate Development (Articles 5, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 17; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Law No. (13) of 2008 Regulating the Interim Property Register (Articles 8 and 11 as issued; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Law No. (9) of 2009 amending Law No. (13) of 2008 (Article 11; checked 5 November 2026)
- Dubai Legislation Portal: Executive Council Resolution No. (6) of 2010, implementing bylaw of Law No. (13) of 2008 (Articles 11, 12, 20, 23 and 25 to 27; checked 5 November 2026)
The portal's English texts are translations, and the Arabic text prevails. Law No. 19 of 2017, which amended Article 11 of Law No. 13 of 2008 again, was not published there in English on 5 November 2026.
Comparing off-plan projects? Talk to a West Gate agent and ask for each project's DLD number, so you can check its status yourself before you book.
