EOI
An Expression of Interest is a deposit paid before an off-plan launch to join the queue for units; it does not secure a specific home or price.
What EOI means for a buyer
Developers often gauge demand before a launch by inviting Expressions of Interest (EOIs). A buyer completes a short form, usually through a broker, and lodges a cheque or transfer for a fixed sum. In return they receive a place in the allocation: when sales open, EOI holders are offered units first, sometimes in the order their EOIs were received.
An EOI is not a purchase. At the time you submit it you may have only indicative prices and floor plans. You are not guaranteed a unit, the unit type you asked for or the price mentioned by the agent. If you are allocated a unit and accept it, the EOI money is credited against the reservation fee; if you are not, or you decline, it should be returned.
Because nothing is registered with the land department at this stage, your protection rests entirely on the wording of the form. Before paying:
- get written confirmation that the EOI is fully refundable, and the timescale for refunds
- pay the developer directly, never a broker's personal or company account
- confirm the developer and, once announced, the project registration on Dubai REST or DARI
EOI counts are also a sales tool. "Oversubscribed" launches create urgency, and that urgency says nothing about what the unit will be worth at handover. Decide on the fundamentals set out in the SPA, not on the queue.
Guides that use this term
Where EOI comes up in practice, with the costs, rules and steps around it.
Questions about the buying process?
An adviser can explain how this applies to the property you're considering.
- Current price list and availability, direct from the developer
- No fee to you on off-plan purchases: the developer pays us
- One salaried adviser, not on commission, from first call to handover
