Resources

UAE real estate abbreviations.

A quick glossary for terms you'll hear during a launch or in your Sale and Purchase Agreement.

ADREC: Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre — Abu Dhabi's real estate regulator, the emirate's counterpart to Dubai's RERA.
Approved Developers: Developers whose projects a bank has pre-approved for mortgage financing.
ARRA: Ajman Real Estate Regulatory Agency — the body under Ajman Municipality that licenses developers and brokers in Ajman.
Arrangement Fee: A one-off fee a lender charges for setting up the financing. Also called a processing or management fee.
BLN: Broker Licence Number — the registration number ADREC issues to a licensed broker in Abu Dhabi.
BUA: Built-Up Area — the total floor area of a unit, including walls.
DED: Department of Economic Development — the Dubai authority that issues trade licences.
Deferred Payment: A payment agreed now but made at a later date.
DEWA: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority — the utility provider new owners register with at handover.
Disbursal: The point at which the lender actually releases the financed amount.
DLD: Dubai Land Department — the government body that registers property ownership and transactions.
DP: Down Payment — the initial percentage of the purchase price paid on booking.
EIBOR: Emirates Interbank Offered Rate — the benchmark rate UAE banks lend to each other at, used to price variable-rate mortgages.
Ejari: Dubai's official tenancy contract registration system, used once a unit is leased out.
EMI: Equated Monthly Instalment — a repayment of the same amount every month.
EOI: Expression of Interest — a non-binding way to tell an agent which unit interests you. It reserves nothing and costs nothing; the agent follows up directly.
Equity: The share of a property's value you own outright, once any mortgage is deducted.
Escrow Account: A regulated bank account where a developer's funds for a project are held and released in stages. Dubai requires one under RERA; Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah have their own escrow rules.
Facility Offer Letter: The lender's formal written offer of financing, setting out the terms.
Financed Amount: The sum the lender advances towards the purchase.
Financier: The bank or company providing the financing.
Financing Repayments: The instalments paid back to the lender over the term.
Fixed Rate: A profit or interest rate that stays the same for the whole term.
Flip: Buying a property intending to resell it quickly at a profit.
Floating Rate: A rate that moves with a benchmark such as EIBOR, so repayments can change. Also called a flexible rate.
Freehold: Full ownership of a property and the land it sits on, available to foreign buyers in designated Dubai areas.
GFA: Gross Floor Area — the total floor area of a building across all levels.
Handover: The date a project is completed and units are delivered to buyers.
HNWI: High-Net-Worth Individual — someone holding at least USD 1 million in liquid assets.
Home Financing: Financing taken to buy a property and repaid in instalments.
Islamic Financing: Financing structured to comply with Sharia, without conventional interest.
Joint Borrowers: Two or more people who take the financing together and are both named on the contract.
Lease Period: The length of time a lease runs.
Leasehold: The right to use a property for a fixed term, commonly 99 years, without owning it outright.
Lessee: The person taking the lease and responsible for the payments.
Madhmoun: Abu Dhabi's advertising permit system, run by ADREC — the emirate's equivalent of Dubai's Trakheesi.
Maturity: The end of the financing term, when the balance has been repaid in full.
Mortgage: A loan secured against a property, repaid over an agreed term.
Mortgage Advisor: Someone who advises on financing options and helps submit the application.
Mortgage Charges: The DLD's fees for registering a mortgage against a property.
MOU: Memorandum of Understanding — the signed agreement between buyer and seller setting out price, terms and payment schedule. In Dubai this is Form F.
NOC: No Objection Certificate — a document from the developer confirming there's no obstacle to a resale or transfer.
Off-Plan: A property sold before or during construction, typically at a lower price than a completed unit.
OP: Original Price — the price a unit first sold for from the developer.
Oqood: The DLD's initial registration of an off-plan unit, issued before the final title deed.
Outstanding Balance: The amount still owed on the financing.
Payment Plan: The schedule of instalments a buyer pays toward an off-plan unit, often tied to construction milestones.
Periodic Repayments: Repayments made on a set cycle, such as monthly or quarterly.
POA: Power of Attorney — a legal document authorising someone to act on a buyer's behalf, common for remote/international buyers.
Post-dated Cheque: A cheque written now but dated for the future, commonly used for instalments in the UAE.
Principal: The amount borrowed, excluding profit or interest.
RAK RERA: The real estate regulator of Ras Al Khaimah, part of RAK Municipality. A different body from Dubai's RERA, despite the shared acronym.
REAP: Real Estate Advertisement Permit — the permit RAK RERA issues before a property can be advertised in Ras Al Khaimah.
Registration Fee: The DLD's 4% transfer fee, paid on purchase.
Rent Committee: The Dubai body that settles disputes between landlords and tenants.
RERA: Real Estate Regulatory Agency — regulates Dubai's real estate sector, including broker licensing. Ras Al Khaimah's regulator shares the acronym but is a different body — see RAK RERA.
ROI: Return on Investment — the yield or gain an investor expects from a property, usually shown as an annual percentage.
Saleable Area: The floor area you can actually use, excluding corridors, lifts and other shared space.
Service Charge: The annual fee owners pay for building maintenance and shared facilities, usually quoted per square foot.
Sharia-compliant: Structured to meet Islamic finance rules, as approved by a Sharia board.
SPA: Sale and Purchase Agreement — the binding contract signed between buyer and developer.
Sq Ft / Sq M: Square feet / square metres — the units property size and price-per-area are typically quoted in.
SRERD: Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department — Sharjah's property regulator, which must approve an advertisement in writing before a property is marketed in the emirate.
Title Deed: The legal document proving ownership, issued once a property is registered with the DLD.
Title Papers: The documents showing a property is registered in a particular person's name.
Trakheesi: The DLD permit number required for any property to be legally advertised or marketed in Dubai. Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah issue their own — see Madhmoun, REAP and SRERD.
UAQ: Umm Al Quwain — the emirate between Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. Brokerage there is licensed by the Municipality, with no separate permit per advertisement.
UHNWI: Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual — someone holding at least USD 30 million in liquid assets.
Unconditional Offer: An offer with no conditions attached.