{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "record_type": "buyer_guide",
  "id": "dubai-off-plan-due-diligence-checklist",
  "title": "Dubai Off-Plan Due-Diligence Checklist",
  "audience": "Buyers with a project, quote or shortlist—not people browsing generic inventory.",
  "canonical_url": "https://ioffplandubai.com/guides/dubai-off-plan-due-diligence-checklist/",
  "last_reviewed": "2026-07-19",
  "steps": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "Freeze the exact offer",
      "body": "Save the project and phase name, unit type, quoted AED price, fees, payment schedule, offer expiry, brochure version, advertisement QR code and the company or person presenting it. A later comparison is impossible if the starting claim was never preserved.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-madmoun"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 2,
      "title": "Verify project identity and status",
      "body": "Search the project through Dubai Land Department services or Dubai REST. Keep the project number, developer identity, status, completion percentage, inspection date and escrow account details together. Similar project names and phases must not be silently merged.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-dubai-rest",
        "dld-real-estate-data"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 3,
      "title": "Check the advertisement QR code",
      "body": "DLD says Madmoun QR codes let customers verify an advertisement’s authenticity and validity and view authorised advertisement details. A valid QR supports the advertisement record; it does not prove that every sales claim or investment assumption is correct.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-madmoun"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 4,
      "title": "Confirm the project escrow trail",
      "body": "DLD describes the escrow account as the project bank account into which amounts collected from purchasers of off-plan units are deposited. Match payment instructions to the exact project and preserve the account evidence; do not treat a brochure logo or chat message as sufficient verification.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-faq",
        "dld-dubai-rest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 5,
      "title": "Convert the payment plan into dated AED obligations",
      "body": "A slogan such as “Pay 1% Monthly” is not a complete cash schedule. Record every percentage, AED amount, due date or construction trigger, fee and handover balance, then confirm that the percentages total 100%. DLD’s FAQ also discusses completion-linked payment requests and project-progress verification.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-faq"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 6,
      "title": "Separate dated construction claims",
      "body": "Keep developer-reported progress, DLD/RERA project-status information, inspection dates and independent site observations as separate evidence. A percentage without its source and date is not a durable fact, and no single progress snapshot guarantees the future handover date.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-dubai-rest",
        "dld-real-estate-data"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 7,
      "title": "Build a Decision Room",
      "body": "Put the offer, official sources, brochure status, cash schedule, construction evidence, contradictions and unresolved questions into one dated record. Share the evidence record—not a sales pitch—with the people helping you decide, and update it when a source changes.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-faq",
        "dld-dubai-rest",
        "dld-madmoun",
        "dld-real-estate-data"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "collection_checklist": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "Exact project identity",
      "body": "Record the developer, project name, phase or tower, project number when available, master development and area. If two sources use similar names, keep them separate until an official relationship resolves the ambiguity.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-dubai-rest",
        "dld-real-estate-data"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 2,
      "title": "The offer as received",
      "body": "Preserve the quoted AED price, unit type, stated size, floor or view if supplied, fees, incentives, offer expiry, reservation amount and the company or person presenting it. Date the screenshot, email or document instead of rewriting it from memory.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-madmoun"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 3,
      "title": "Advertisement verification",
      "body": "Save the Madmoun QR code, the authorised advertisement details it resolves to and the date checked. Keep the advertisement company distinct from the project developer; a verified advertisement is evidence about that ad, not a blanket endorsement of the investment.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-madmoun"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 4,
      "title": "Official project-status snapshot",
      "body": "Capture the DLD or Dubai REST project record, including status, reported completion, inspection date, expected completion information, escrow account reference and any actual project images available through the official service.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-dubai-rest",
        "dld-real-estate-data"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 5,
      "title": "Payment destination evidence",
      "body": "Keep the account name, bank, account or IBAN details, payment reference and the written instruction that connects the destination to the exact project. Resolve any mismatch before treating a requested transfer as part of the project evidence trail.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-faq",
        "dld-dubai-rest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 6,
      "title": "Complete payment and fee schedule",
      "body": "List every installment with its percentage, AED value, due date or construction trigger, plus reservation, registration, administration and handover amounts. Reconcile the installment percentages to 100% and keep uncertain fees outside the confirmed total.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-faq"
      ]
    },
    {
      "position": 7,
      "title": "Documents and versions",
      "body": "Preserve the reservation form, sale and purchase agreement draft, floor plan, brochure and amendments with dates or checksums where lawful. Do not silently replace an older document: the change itself may be important to the buyer decision.",
      "source_ids": [
        "dld-faq"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "evidence_states": [
    {
      "title": "Verified and dated",
      "body": "The fact comes from an identified official source, the project identity matches and the observation date is preserved. Verification is still a snapshot; later sources may change it."
    },
    {
      "title": "Attributed claim",
      "body": "The statement comes from a developer, advertisement, brochure or advisor and remains labeled with that source. It may be useful, but it is not silently upgraded into independent confirmation."
    },
    {
      "title": "Unresolved or blocked",
      "body": "The source is missing, contradictory, identity-ambiguous, inaccessible or not cleared for display. The product shows the gap and the next verification question instead of filling it with an estimate."
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    {
      "title": "Not a contract or title review",
      "body": "This checklist organizes evidence; it does not replace review of the reservation form, sale and purchase agreement, title position or legal remedies by an appropriately qualified professional."
    },
    {
      "title": "Not a delivery guarantee",
      "body": "A status record, inspection date or reported completion percentage describes an observed state. It cannot guarantee the future pace of construction or the final handover date."
    },
    {
      "title": "Not an investment-return forecast",
      "body": "Advertisement validity, escrow evidence and construction progress do not prove future rent, resale price or appreciation. Forecasts must remain assumptions and should never be presented as official facts."
    },
    {
      "title": "Not live inventory or exact-unit history",
      "body": "The public dossier does not claim current availability, accept reservations or identify an exact unit’s resale history without a stable, lawful identity record that supports that conclusion."
    }
  ],
  "questions": [
    {
      "question": "How can I verify a Dubai off-plan project?",
      "answer": "Use Dubai Land Department project-status services or Dubai REST and match the exact project and developer identity. Preserve the status, completion percentage, inspection date and escrow details with the date checked."
    },
    {
      "question": "What does a Madmoun QR code prove?",
      "answer": "DLD says it verifies the advertisement’s authenticity and validity and exposes authorised advertisement details. It does not independently prove every forecast, return claim, brochure promise or future completion date."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is a Dubai off-plan escrow account?",
      "answer": "DLD describes it as the project bank account into which amounts collected from purchasers of off-plan units and project financiers are deposited. Match payment instructions to the exact project evidence."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is “Pay 1% Monthly” a complete payment plan?",
      "answer": "No. A usable schedule needs every percentage, AED amount, date or construction trigger, fee and remaining balance, and the percentages should reconcile to 100%."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does a reported construction percentage guarantee handover?",
      "answer": "No. It is a dated progress claim from a named source. Keep the inspection date and attribution, compare later updates, and do not turn one snapshot into a delivery guarantee."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "dld-faq",
      "publisher": "Dubai Land Department",
      "label": "Frequently Asked Questions",
      "url": "https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/frequently-asked-questions/",
      "expectedHost": "dubailand.gov.ae",
      "displayRight": "link_to_official_publisher",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-07-19"
    },
    {
      "id": "dld-dubai-rest",
      "publisher": "Dubai Land Department",
      "label": "Dubai REST service overview",
      "url": "https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/eservices/dubai-rest/",
      "expectedHost": "dubailand.gov.ae",
      "displayRight": "link_to_official_publisher",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-07-19"
    },
    {
      "id": "dld-madmoun",
      "publisher": "Dubai Land Department",
      "label": "Madmoun QR advertisement verification",
      "url": "https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/news-media/dubai-land-department-provides-madmoun-service-to-verify-validity-of-real-estate-ads-via-qr-codes/",
      "expectedHost": "dubailand.gov.ae",
      "displayRight": "link_to_official_publisher",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-07-19"
    },
    {
      "id": "dld-real-estate-data",
      "publisher": "Dubai Land Department",
      "label": "Real Estate Data field register",
      "url": "https://dubailand.gov.ae/en/open-data/real-estate-data/",
      "expectedHost": "dubailand.gov.ae",
      "displayRight": "link_to_official_publisher",
      "verifiedAt": "2026-07-19"
    }
  ],
  "interpretation": "Educational buyer due diligence. Not legal advice, inventory, brokerage or an offer to transact."
}