What you need from the seller’s deed
Ask the seller for a copy of the title deed. Every certificate shows the fields the DLD asks for.
- The title deed number
- The title deed year
- The property type, for example villa, unit or land
- The owner’s name, if you want to check the owner as well
Verify it in a minute
- Open the service
Open the Dubai Land Department’s “Verify Title Deed” service on dubailand.gov.ae, or Title Deed Verification under Services in the Dubai REST app.
- Enter the deed details
Enter the title deed number, the year and the property type, exactly as they appear on the certificate.
- Add the owner (optional)
To check that the seller is the owner, add the owner’s name (in the app: choose Validate Owner and Property).
- Validate
Press Validate or Search. The answer is immediate.
| DLD website | Dubai REST app | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | dubailand.gov.ae, “Verify Title Deed” | Services, then Title Deed Verification |
| Options | Property, or property and owner | Validate Property, or Validate Owner and Property |
| You enter | Number, year, property type, owner name | Certificate number, year, property type |
| Result | Immediate | Immediate |
The service is open to everyone, residents or not, and costs nothing (DLD).
What the check tells you, and what it does not
- Whether the property is mortgaged
- Unpaid service charges
- A tenancy on the property
- Whether the person selling may act for the owner
- The title deed was issued by the Dubai Land Department
- The certificate is valid
- With the owner option: it matches the owner’s name you entered
| To check | Ask the seller for |
|---|---|
| A mortgage | A direct answer. Selling a mortgaged property is a separate DLD procedure that goes through the lender. |
| Service charges | The latest service-charge statement |
| A tenancy | The Ejari tenancy contract, if the property is let |
| Authority to sell | The power of attorney or the company resolution, if someone sells for the owner |
| A recently handed-over unit | The developer’s NOC, as for any resale |
Title deed, pre-title deed or oqood: which one should the seller have?
- Oqood
- Off-plan, under construction. The sale is on the DLD’s interim register.
- Pre-title deed
- Ready for handover, but a post-handover payment plan means the full price is not paid yet.
- Title deed
- The price is paid in full. The unit moves to the Real Estate Registry and the DLD issues the deed.
Illustrative: how long each stage lasts depends on the project and the payment plan.
| Oqood | Pre-title deed | Title deed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When | Off-plan, before completion | At or after handover, balance still owed | Price paid in full |
| Register | Interim property register | Issued in the buyer’s name, typically for post-handover plans | Real Estate Registry |
| What it means for a buyer | You take over the remaining instalments | Part of the price is still owed to the developer | The seller owns the unit outright |
If a seller of a “ready” unit can only show a pre-title deed, part of the price is still owed to the developer, and that balance has to be settled or taken over as part of the sale.
Where title deeds are issued, and what they cost
Title deeds are issued at the Dubai Land Department and at Real Estate Registration Trustee centres. A fully paid unit moves from the initial register to the Real Estate Registry, and the title deed is issued.
DLD: AED 250 title deed fee + AED 10 knowledge fee + AED 10 innovation fee.
How DealExit uses it
For land and building listings, DealExit checks the title deed, and the seller’s authority to sell where someone acts for the owner, before the listing opens to buyers. The result shows as “Verified by DealExit”, with the source, who checked it and the date.
DealExit does not give legal advice and does not certify ownership or a transfer. Check your own transaction with the DLD or a registration trustee.