Your buyer's agent
in Dubai

A buyer's agent — or buying agent — represents the buyer, not the seller or the developer. Unlike a traditional Dubai brokerage that markets its own listings or a developer's off-plan stock, we search the whole market on your behalf, including off-market properties held by other brokers and private owners, then handle the selection, due diligence and negotiation. Our only mandate is your interest: the right property, at the right price, with every risk checked before you commit.

Foreigners can buy freely in Dubai's designated freehold areas — Palm Jumeirah, Downtown, Dubai Marina, Business Bay, Dubai Hills and many others — with full ownership of the property and the land. There is no residency requirement to buy. The core steps are: agree terms in a Memorandum of Understanding (Form F), pay a deposit (typically 10%), obtain the developer's No Objection Certificate (NOC), then complete the transfer at a Dubai Land Department (DLD) trustee office where the title deed is issued. We run this end to end and represent you at every step.

Budget roughly 7–10% of the price on top. The main item is the Dubai Land Department (DLD) transfer fee of 4% of the property value — in market practice the buyer pays the full 4%. Add an agency commission of around 2%, the DLD trustee registration fee (a few thousand AED), the developer's NOC fee (typically AED 500–5,000) and, for off-plan, a small Oqood registration fee. If you finance, mortgage registration costs 0.25% of the loan plus bank fees. These are one-off transaction costs, confirmed at the time of purchase.

In freehold areas, a foreign buyer owns the property and the land outright, in perpetuity, with the title registered at the DLD — this covers most of prime Dubai (Palm Jumeirah, Downtown, Marina, Business Bay, Dubai Hills). Leasehold gives you the right to use a property for a long term (commonly up to 99 years) without owning the land, and is found in a limited number of areas. For international buyers, we focus on freehold, which offers the strongest ownership rights and resale liquidity.

The UAE levies no personal income tax, no capital gains tax and no annual property tax on individuals. Rental income and gains on resale realised by a private individual are not taxed in the UAE in 2026. The one significant cost is the one-off 4% DLD transfer fee at purchase; a small municipality housing fee (around 5% of annual rental value) applies to occupied residential units, usually billed through utilities. You should still check the tax treatment in your own country of residence.

Yes. Non-residents can finance freehold property, but loan-to-value is more conservative than for UAE residents. In 2026, non-residents can typically borrow up to around 50–60% of the value (so a 40–50% down payment), with the higher end for completed homes and stricter terms for off-plan; expatriates holding a UAE residence visa can reach up to ~80%. Terms, rates and eligibility vary by bank — we introduce lenders used to non-resident and international clients and coordinate the file.

The No Objection Certificate (NOC) is issued by the developer confirming there are no outstanding service charges or obligations on the property, and that it does not object to the transfer. The DLD will not register a transfer without it. The developer sets the fee (typically AED 500–5,000). We obtain and verify the NOC — and check the service-charge history behind it — as part of due diligence before completion.

Off-plan purchases (bought from a developer before completion) are recorded in the DLD's Oqood system, which creates an interim registration that converts to a full title deed at handover. You typically pay a small Oqood fee upfront, follow a construction-linked payment plan, and the full 4% DLD fee is settled at the appropriate stage. Off-plan can offer attractive entry pricing and payment plans, but developer selection and contract terms are critical — this is exactly where buy-side due diligence protects you.

A meaningful share of Dubai's best villas and penthouses — on the Palm, in Downtown and in DIFC — trades discreetly, off the portals, through private networks of owners, developers and trusted advisers, for confidentiality or timing. Reaching them requires an introduction from a recognised market player. This is one of the concrete benefits of our Dubai desk: we open those doors for our clients, beyond what is publicly listed on Property Finder or Bayut.

We work for the buyer only — never the developer or the seller. Engagements are agreed in writing before any work begins, typically a retainer and a success fee on completion, or a fee arrangement with the sell-side where the market allows. You know the basis upfront, with no conflict of interest. The value lies in off-market access, negotiation leverage and the risk removed from a cross-border purchase — not a simple percentage.

Yes. GADAIT is a French advisory house with a Dubai desk, advising international clients in English, French and Arabic. We are used to coordinating cross-border acquisitions — liaising with your private bank, lawyer and tax adviser, and with the Golden Visa route where relevant — and keeping the mandate fully confidential, from first brief to completion and beyond.