---
title: "UAE property glossary"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary.md
type: collection
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# UAE property glossary

- **[ADREC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/adrec)** (Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, Adrec): ADREC is the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, the government body that regulates the emirate's property market and oversees registration of sales.
- **[AML](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/aml)** (Anti-money laundering, AML/CFT, Counter-terrorist financing): Anti-money laundering rules oblige UAE developers, brokers, banks and lawyers to verify who a buyer is and where the purchase money comes from.
- **[Assignment / resale before handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/assignment)** (Off-plan resale, Assignment of SPA, Flipping, Secondary off-plan sale, Transfer before handover): An assignment is the sale of an off-plan purchase contract to a new buyer before the property is completed, with the developer's consent.
- **[Attestation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/attestation)** (Legalisation, Legalization, Apostille, MOFA attestation, Document authentication): Attestation is the chain of official stamps that makes a document issued abroad legally usable in the UAE, ending with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- **[Branded residence](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/branded-residence)** (Branded residences, Hotel-branded residence, Branded apartment, Serviced branded residence): A branded residence is a home in a development that carries the name, design standards and services of a hotel, fashion or other consumer brand under licence.
- **[Broker card (BRN)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/broker-card)** (BRN, Broker registration number, RERA broker card, RERA card, Real estate professional practice card): A broker card is the registration RERA issues to each individual estate agent in Dubai; listings often show its number as the BRN, and it can be checked free with the Land Department.
- **[Broker commission](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/broker-commission)** (Agency fee, Agent's commission, Brokerage fee, Estate agent fee): Broker commission is the fee paid to an estate agent for arranging a sale or letting; on a Dubai resale the buyer customarily pays 2% of the price plus VAT.
- **[BUA (built-up area) vs plot](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/built-up-area)** (BUA, Built-up area, Plot area, Plot size, Gross floor area, Suite area, Net area): Built-up area is the total floor space of the building itself across all levels; plot area is the size of the land it stands on.
- **[Buyer's agent](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/buyers-agent)** (Buyer's broker, Buying agent, Buyer's representative, Buyer-side agent): A buyer's agent is a licensed broker who acts for the purchaser rather than the seller: finding and assessing homes, negotiating and seeing the transfer through.
- **[Capital growth](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/capital-growth)** (Capital appreciation, Price growth, House price growth, Capital gain): Capital growth is the rise in a property's value over time, as distinct from the rent it earns; with yield, it makes up the total return.
- **[Chiller fee / district cooling](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/chiller-fee)** (Chiller charges, District cooling, Cooling charges, Chiller-free, Empower bill): A chiller fee is the charge for air-conditioning supplied from a central or district cooling plant, billed separately from electricity in many UAE buildings.
- **[Completion certificate](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/completion-certificate)** (Building completion certificate, BCC, Certificate of completion, Occupancy certificate): A building completion certificate is the authority's confirmation that a building has been finished in line with its permit and is fit to be occupied.
- **[DARI](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dari)** (Dari platform, Dari app, dari.ae): DARI is Abu Dhabi's official digital property platform, through which sales are registered, title deeds issued and documents and brokers verified.
- **[Defects liability period](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/defects-liability-period)** (DLP, Warranty period, Developer warranty, Decennial liability): The defects liability period is the time after completion during which the developer must repair faults: in Dubai, one year for installations and ten for structure.
- **[Developer](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/developer)** (Property developer, Real estate developer, Sub-developer): The developer is the company that acquires land, obtains approvals, builds a project and sells its homes; off-plan buyers contract with it directly.
- **[DEWA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dewa)** (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority): DEWA is Dubai's state-controlled electricity and water utility; every home needs an active DEWA account in the name of the owner or the tenant.
- **[DIFC will](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/difc-will)** (DIFC Courts Wills Service, DIFC Wills Service Centre, Property will, Non-Muslim will): A DIFC will is a will registered with the DIFC Courts in Dubai, letting non-Muslim owners decide who inherits their UAE property under English-style rules.
- **[DLD](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld)** (Dubai Land Department, Land Department): The Dubai Land Department is the government body that registers every property sale, mortgage and long lease in Dubai and issues title deeds.
- **[DLD transfer fee](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dld-transfer-fee)** (DLD fee, Transfer fee, Registration fee, 4% fee, Land Department fee): The DLD transfer fee is the 4% charge the Dubai Land Department levies on the price of every property sale in Dubai when it is registered.
- **[Dubai REST](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dubai-rest)** (Dubai REST app, Real Estate Self Transaction): Dubai REST is the Dubai Land Department's official app for checking ownership records, brokers and projects and for completing property services online.
- **[EIBOR](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eibor)** (Emirates Interbank Offered Rate, EBOR): EIBOR is the Emirates Interbank Offered Rate, the benchmark interest rate published daily by the UAE Central Bank, to which variable mortgage rates are linked.
- **[Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari)** (Ejari certificate, Tenancy contract registration, إيجاري): Ejari is Dubai's mandatory online register of tenancy contracts, run by the Dubai Land Department; a lease is not fully enforceable until it is recorded there.
- **[EOI](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eoi)** (Expression of Interest, Pre-launch registration, Priority booking): 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.
- **[Escrow account](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/escrow-account)** (Project escrow account, Trust account, Escrow): An escrow account is a regulated, project-specific bank account into which off-plan buyers' payments must go, released to the developer only as building progresses.
- **[Eviction notice (12 months)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/eviction-notice)** (12-month notice, Twelve months' notice, Notarised eviction notice, Notice to vacate): In Dubai a landlord can recover a let home at the end of the lease only for four reasons, with at least 12 months' notice served by notary public or registered mail.
- **[Family residence visa](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/family-visa)** (Family sponsorship, Dependant visa, Family visa, Sponsoring family): A family residence visa lets a UAE resident sponsor a spouse, children and in some cases parents; property investors can sponsor family on the Golden Visa or Dubai's 2-year investor visa.
- **[FBAR](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/fbar)** (FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts): The US report of foreign financial accounts, required when they total more than $10,000 at any time in a year. Dubai property held directly is not reported on it.
- **[Form A](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/form-a)** (Contract A, Seller-broker agreement, Listing agreement): Form A is RERA's standard listing agreement between a property seller and a Dubai broker, and the document a broker needs before advertising the property.
- **[Form B](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/form-b)** (Contract B, Buyer-broker agreement): Form B is RERA's standard agreement between a property buyer and a Dubai broker, setting out what the buyer wants and the commission the broker will earn.
- **[Freehold](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/freehold)** (Freehold ownership, Designated area, Tamleek hurr): Freehold is outright ownership of a property with no time limit; foreign nationals can hold it only in areas each emirate has designated for foreign ownership.
- **[GCC nationals' ownership rights](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/gcc-ownership)** (GCC ownership, GCC citizens property rights, Article 4 of Law 7 of 2006): UAE and GCC nationals, and companies wholly owned by them, may own property anywhere in Dubai; other foreigners may own only in the areas designated by the Ruler.
- **[GDRFA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/gdrfa)** (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs, GDRFA Dubai, Dubai Immigration): GDRFA is Dubai's immigration authority, which issues and renews residence visas in the emirate, including those linked to owning property.
- **[Golden Visa](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/golden-visa)** (Golden Residence, 10-year visa, Long-term residence visa, الإقامة الذهبية): The Golden Visa is a long-term, renewable UAE residence visa; property owners qualify by holding real estate worth at least AED 2 million.
- **[Gross yield](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/gross-yield)** (Gross rental yield, Headline yield): Gross yield is a property's annual rent divided by its price, shown as a percentage, before any costs, taxes or empty periods are deducted.
- **[Handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover)** (Completion, Delivery, Possession): Handover is the point at which a finished off-plan home passes from the developer to the buyer, once the final instalment and handover fees are paid.
- **[Handover notice](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover-notice)** (Completion notice, Notice of completion, Handover letter): A handover notice is the developer's formal letter telling an off-plan buyer the home is complete and setting a deadline to pay the balance and take possession.
- **[Holiday home permit (DET)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/holiday-home-permit)** (Holiday home licence, DET permit, DTCM permit, Short-term rental permit, Vacation home permit): A holiday home permit is the licence from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism that a property must hold before it can be let to short-stay guests.
- **[ICP](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/icp)** (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, ICA, Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship): The ICP is the UAE federal authority that issues Emirates ID cards nationwide and handles residence visas for every emirate except Dubai.
- **[Investment zone (Abu Dhabi)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/investment-zone)** (Investment area, Designated investment zone, Freehold zone): An investment zone is an area of Abu Dhabi designated by the government in which foreign nationals are permitted to own freehold property.
- **[KYC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/kyc)** (Know Your Customer, Customer due diligence, CDD): Know Your Customer is the identity and risk check a developer, broker or bank must complete on a buyer before accepting their money or instructions.
- **[Leasehold](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/leasehold)** (Long leasehold, 99-year lease): Leasehold is the right to hold a property for a fixed term, up to 99 years in Dubai, after which it returns to the freeholder unless the lease is renewed.
- **[Long-term lease](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/long-term-lease)** (Annual tenancy, Long-term rental, Long let, Yearly lease): A long-term lease normally means a standard residential tenancy of a year, registered with the authorities; in law it can also mean a lease of 10 to 99 years.
- **[LRS](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/lrs)** (Liberalised Remittance Scheme, RBI LRS): The Reserve Bank of India scheme that lets a resident individual send up to USD 250,000 abroad each financial year, including to buy property overseas.
- **[LTV](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ltv)** (Loan-to-value, Loan-to-value ratio): Loan-to-value is the share of a property's value a bank will lend; UAE Central Bank rules cap it, and non-residents are usually offered less than the cap.
- **[Madhmoun](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/madhmoun)** (Madhmoun permit, Abu Dhabi listing permit, مضمون): Madhmoun is Abu Dhabi's verified listing system: every property advert in the emirate needs a Madhmoun permit issued under ADREC before it can be published.
- **[Makani](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/makani)** (Makani number, مكاني): A Makani number is the unique 10-digit code Dubai Municipality assigns to every building entrance, used as a precise address for navigation and services.
- **[Master community](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/master-community)** (Master-planned community, Master development, Master plan, Master community fee): A master community is a large district planned and built as a whole by one master developer, containing many separate buildings, phases and shared amenities.
- **[Master developer](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/master-developer)** (Master-developer, Community developer): A master developer plans and builds the infrastructure of a whole community, then develops plots itself or sells them to other developers to build on.
- **[Mollak](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mollak)** (Mollak system, Mollak invoice, ملاك): Mollak is the Dubai Land Department's system for approving, invoicing and collecting service charges in jointly owned buildings and communities.
- **[Mortgage registration](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mortgage-registration)** (Mortgage registration fee, Mortgage contract registration): Mortgage registration is the recording of a lender's charge against a property at the land department; in Dubai the fee is 0.25% of the loan amount.
- **[MOU / Form F](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/mou-form-f)** (Memorandum of Understanding, Contract F, Unified sale contract, Form F): Form F is RERA's standard contract for a Dubai resale, commonly called the MOU: it fixes the price, deposit, transfer date and who pays which costs.
- **[Musataha](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/musataha)** (Musataha right, Right of superficies, مساطحة): Musataha is a long-term right to build on and use land that belongs to someone else, granted for up to 50 years and renewable.
- **[Net yield](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/net-yield)** (Net rental yield, Net return): Net yield is annual rent minus all running costs and empty periods, divided by the full cost of buying the property, shown as a percentage.
- **[NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/noc)** (No Objection Certificate, Developer NOC, e-NOC): A No Objection Certificate is the developer's written confirmation that it does not object to a property being sold, usually because all charges on it are paid.
- **[Notarisation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/notarisation)** (Notarization, Notary public, Notarised document): Notarisation is the formal witnessing of a signature or certification of a document by a notary public, required before many documents are accepted in the UAE.
- **[Off-plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/off-plan)** (Off-plan property, Under-construction property, Pre-construction, New-build): Off-plan means buying a property from a developer before it is built or finished, paying in stages during construction against a registered contract.
- **[Oqood](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/oqood)** (Oqood certificate, Interim real estate register, Initial contract of sale, عقود): Oqood is the Dubai Land Department's interim register for off-plan sales: it records the buyer's rights during construction, before a title deed can be issued.
- **[ORN (office registration number)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/orn)** (Office registration number, RERA ORN, Brokerage registration number, Agency licence number): The ORN is the registration number of a licensed real estate brokerage office in Dubai, shown on its adverts and searchable on the Land Department's broker list.
- **[Owners' association](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/owners-association)** (Owners association, OA, Owners' committee, Homeowners' association, HOA): An owners' association represents a building's unit owners in its management; in Dubai, formal associations were replaced in 2019 by advisory owners' committees.
- **[Payment plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/payment-plan)** (Instalment plan, Construction-linked payment plan, 60/40, 80/20): A payment plan is the developer's schedule of instalments for an off-plan home, usually a deposit, stage payments during construction and a balance at handover.
- **[Post-handover payment plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/post-handover-payment-plan)** (PHPP, Post-handover plan, Deferred payment plan, Post-completion payment plan): A post-handover payment plan lets an off-plan buyer take the keys and pay part of the price to the developer in instalments over the following years.
- **[Power of attorney](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/power-of-attorney)** (POA, PoA, Wakala, Special power of attorney): A power of attorney is a notarised document authorising another person to sign and act for you in a UAE property transaction you cannot attend.
- **[Pre-approval](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/pre-approval)** (Mortgage pre-approval, Approval in principle, AIP, Agreement in principle): A mortgage pre-approval is a bank's written, conditional indication of how much it will lend you, issued before you have chosen a specific property.
- **[Price per square foot](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/price-per-square-foot)** (Price per sq ft, PSF, AED per sq ft, Rate per square foot): Price per square foot is a property's price divided by its area in square feet, the standard measure for comparing values across the UAE market.
- **[Property investor visa](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/property-investor-visa)** (Two-year investor visa, 2-year property visa, Real estate investor residence visa, Taskeen visa): The property investor visa is a two-year renewable Dubai residence visa for owners of property in the emirate, issued by GDRFA through the Land Department.
- **[Rental index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rental-index)** (RERA rental index, Smart Rental Index, RERA rent calculator, Rent increase calculator): The rental index is the Dubai Land Department's official benchmark of market rents, used to decide whether and by how much a landlord may raise rent at renewal.
- **[RERA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/rera)** (Real Estate Regulatory Agency): RERA is the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department: it licenses brokers and developers and oversees escrow accounts, service charges and tenancy rules.
- **[Resale (secondary market)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/resale)** (Secondary market, Secondary sale, Ready resale, Resale property): A resale is the purchase of a completed home from its current owner rather than from the developer; in Dubai it is contracted on Form F and transferred at a trustee office.
- **[Reservation fee / booking deposit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/reservation-fee)** (Booking deposit, Booking fee, Down payment, Reservation deposit, Token): A reservation fee or booking deposit is the first payment made to a developer to take a specific off-plan unit off the market while the contract is prepared.
- **[ROI](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/roi)** (Return on investment, Total return, Return on equity): Return on investment is the total gain from a property, rental income plus any change in value, measured against the money the buyer actually put in.
- **[Schedule FA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/schedule-fa)** (Schedule Foreign Assets, Foreign assets schedule): The part of an Indian income tax return where a resident lists assets held abroad, including property such as a Dubai apartment, every year they are owned.
- **[Service charge index](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charge-index)** (Service Charge and Maintenance Index, RERA service charge index, DLD service charge index): The service charge index is the Dubai Land Department's published record of the approved service charge rate, per square foot, for each registered building.
- **[Service charges](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charges)** (Service fees, Maintenance fees, Community fees, Owners' charges): Service charges are the annual fees every owner pays, per square foot, towards running, maintaining and insuring the shared parts of a building or community.
- **[Short-term rental](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/short-term-rental)** (Holiday home, Holiday let, Vacation rental, Short let, Serviced letting): A short-term rental is a furnished home let to visitors by the night or week under a tourism licence, in place of a standard annual tenancy.
- **[Sinking fund](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/sinking-fund)** (Reserve fund, Capital replacement fund): A sinking fund is the reserve a building's owners pay into each year to meet large, infrequent costs such as replacing lifts, chillers or the roof.
- **[Snagging](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/snagging)** (Snag list, Pre-handover inspection, Defects inspection): Snagging is the detailed inspection of a new home at handover to list defects and unfinished work for the developer to put right.
- **[Source of funds](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/source-of-funds)** (SOF, Proof of funds, Source of wealth): Source of funds is the documentary evidence showing where the money for a specific purchase came from, such as savings, a property sale or an inheritance.
- **[SPA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/spa)** (Sale and Purchase Agreement, Sales and purchase agreement, Off-plan sale contract): The Sale and Purchase Agreement is the binding contract between an off-plan buyer and the developer, setting the price, payment schedule and completion date.
- **[T1135](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/t1135)** (Form T1135, Foreign Income Verification Statement): The Canadian form for reporting specified foreign property costing more than CAD 100,000 in total at any time in the year. A rented Dubai home usually counts.
- **[Tawtheeq](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tawtheeq)** (Tawtheeq certificate, Abu Dhabi tenancy registration, توثيق): Tawtheeq is Abu Dhabi's official system for registering residential and commercial tenancy contracts, the counterpart of Dubai's Ejari.
- **[TCS](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tcs)** (Tax collected at source, TCS on foreign remittance): Tax an Indian bank collects when you send money abroad under the LRS: nil up to ₹10 lakh a year, then 20% for purposes such as buying property, creditable against your income tax.
- **[Tenant deposit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tenant-deposit)** (Security deposit, Tenant security deposit, Rental deposit): A tenant deposit is a refundable sum the tenant pays the landlord at the start of a lease as security against damage and unpaid bills.
- **[Title deed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed)** (Title deed certificate, Mulkiya, Ownership certificate): A title deed is the land registry's certificate of ownership for a completed property, issued by the Dubai Land Department or, in Abu Dhabi, through ADREC.
- **[Tourism Dirham](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tourism-dirham)** (Tourism Dirham fee, Tourism fee, Holiday home tourism fee): The Tourism Dirham is a per-night fee collected from guests in Dubai hotels and holiday homes and paid over to the Department of Economy and Tourism.
- **[Trakheesi](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/trakheesi)** (Trakheesi permit, Advertising permit, Permit number, Madmoun QR code): Trakheesi is the Dubai Land Department system that issues the permit every property advert in Dubai must carry, shown as a permit number and QR code.
- **[Trustee office](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/trustee-office)** (Real Estate Registration Trustee, Registration trustee centre, Service partner): A trustee office is a private centre licensed by the Dubai Land Department where buyer and seller complete a resale transfer and the new title deed is issued.
- **[Usufruct](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/usufruct)** (Usufruct right, Right of use, Haq al-intifa, حق الانتفاع): Usufruct is the right to use, occupy and earn income from a property owned by someone else for a fixed term of up to 99 years.
- **[Vacancy](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/vacancy)** (Void period, Vacancy rate, Occupancy rate): Vacancy is the time a rental property stands empty and earns nothing, expressed as weeks per year or as a percentage of potential rent.
- **[Valuation](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/valuation)** (Bank valuation, Property valuation, Valuation report, Valuation certificate): A valuation is a professional assessment of a property's market value, most often commissioned by a bank to decide how much it will lend.

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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.