Investing Guide
Dubai real estate glossary
The terms every Dubai investor meets, in plain language.
- D33
- The Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), a 10-year plan launched in 2023 to double the size of Dubai's economy by 2033 and cement it among the world's top three global cities.
- DLD
- The Dubai Land Department, the government body that registers all property ownership and transactions in Dubai and issues title deeds.
- Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan
- Dubai's long-term urban development blueprint, guiding land use, density, green space, and infrastructure through 2040 to support a projected population of 5.8 million.
- EOI
- Expression of Interest, a refundable deposit a buyer places to reserve priority access to units in a high-demand off-plan launch before the official sales date.
- Escrow
- A regulated account where an off-plan buyer's payments are held and released to the developer only as construction milestones are verified, a core buyer protection under Dubai law.
- Oqood
- The Arabic word for "contract." In Dubai, Oqood is the Dubai Land Department system used to register off-plan property sales, recording the buyer's interest before the building is complete.
- RERA
- The Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department that licenses brokers and developers and enforces Dubai's real estate laws.
- SPA
- Sale and Purchase Agreement, the binding contract between buyer and developer (or seller) setting out price, payment plan, handover date, and each party's obligations.