Source of funds

Source of funds means the origin of the particular money being used to buy the property. It is requested under AML rules by banks, currency brokers, developers and estate agents, in the UAE and in your home country. A related term, source of wealth, asks the wider question of how you built your assets overall; larger purchases often prompt both.

What is accepted depends on the story the money tells:

• Savings from income: payslips or tax returns, plus bank statements showing the balance building up
• Sale of a property or business: the completion statement or sale agreement and the bank statement showing the proceeds arriving
• Inheritance or gift: a grant of probate or a signed gift letter, with the donor's own evidence
• Investments: portfolio statements and the record of the disposal
• Borrowing: the loan agreement, including any UK remortgage offer

Statements should cover enough months to show the money was in an account in your name and trace it through to the transfer.

UK buyers should expect questions at both ends. A British bank may pause a large payment to the UAE until it is satisfied, and the receiving side will ask again. Send from your own account, avoid third-party payers, and keep the documents together. Having the file ready before you reserve is the most reliable way to keep to a developer's deadlines.