What is a Property Registration Trustee and Why is it Important?

The presence of real estate registration trustee offices plays a vital role in the current Dubai real estate landscape. It aims to provide a platform that allows numerous offices in Dubai to register all real estate transactions through multiple branches that operate even outside of Dubai Land Department’s working hours. These registration trustee offices offer convenient and substantial real estate services as it supports a wide range of DLD procedures.

What makes it important?

A real estate registration trustee office is an authorised agency that acts as a satellite office of the Dubai Land Department. It conducts numerous services such as the transfers or sales, mortgages, grants, development, and pre-registration of properties. These offices provide professional real estate registration services beyond DLD’s working hours and business days. Moreover, a real estate registration trustee office has its set of in-house experts that can help individuals or corporate clients to expedite a purchase of properties in Dubai and across the UAE.

Services of a Trustee Office

Title Deed - Real estate registration trustee offices offer a unique advantage of processing Title Deeds within 30 minutes, given all the required documents are submitted. This service offers efficient and fast property transfer.

Sale - It offers registration of different kinds of ownership transfer and helps to complete all related transactions in an easy and cost-effective way. In services such as for sale, lease to own, finance lease, lease finance release, delayed sell, and delayed sell lease to own registration.

Fees & Charges

Land Department fees: 4% from selling price + 580 AED (if apartment or villa) or +430 AED (if land) (Manager cheque)

Registration Trustee fees: 4,000 AED + 200 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is equal or more than 500,000 AED. 2,000 AED + 100 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is less than 500,000 AED.

Mortgage - A mortgage is usually a long-term loan used for buying a property. This service helps buyers and investors for registration of mortgaged property to the lender as it ensures the rights of the property whether it is first or second-degree mortgage.

Fees & Charges

Land Department fees: 0.25% of the mortgage value to DLD (Manager cheque) + AED 290 4% from selling price + 580 AED (if apartment or villa) or +430 AED (if land) (Manager cheque) - for LLC Company, freezone, and offshore BVI.

Registration Trustee fees: 4,000 AED + 200 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is equal or more than 500,000 AED. 2,000 AED + 100 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is less than 500,000 AED.

Property Blocking - This service is usually done between a seller and a buyer in which the property listed is mortgaged and entered into an agreement of sale. It allows the buyers to settle the seller's mortgage, ensuring that the vendor will not be able to sell the property to anyone else other than the buyer.

Fees & Charges

4% of selling price + 580 AED (if apartment or villa) or 40 AED ( if off-plan) or 430 AED (if land). 1520 AED + 25 AED (5% VAT) for entering the transaction blocking service (usually paid by seller). 4,000 AED + 200 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property equal or more than 500,000 AED. 2,000 AED + 100 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property less than 500,000 AED.

Step 2: Release Mortgage and Sale Land Department fees: AED 1,290 Release Mortgage AED 1,560 In case of Islamic Bank Registration Trustee fees: AED 300 + 15 AED (5% VAT)

Gifts & Grants - A grant is a form of ownership transfer that allows first-degree relatives to register a property or properties as a gift to a person or persons which happens to be their immediate relative, parents, spouses, and children without any compensation.

Fees & Charges

Land Department fees: 0.125% from the evaluation (It should be not less than 2,000 AED) + 560 AED (if apartment or villa) or 410 AED (if land).

Registration Trustee fees: 4,000 AED + 200 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is equal or more than 2 Million AED.  2,000 AED + 100 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is less than 2 Million AED.

Development - This service provides registration of finance rental agreement to own contract - Ejara, between the landlord and the financer in order to obtain full ownership of the property upon the completion of the installment.

Fees & Charges

Land Department fees: 4% from selling price + 580 AED (if apartment or villa) or 430 AED (if land).

Registration Trustee fees: 4,000 AED + 200 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is equal or more than 500,000 AED. 2,000 AED + 100 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is less than 500,000 AED.

Pre-registration - Trustee offices provide registration or registration of mortgage for off-plan properties.

Fees & Charges

Land Department fees: 4% from selling price + AED 40 (Manager cheque)

Registration Trustee fees: 5,000 AED + 250 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is equal or more than 500,000 AED. 3,500 AED + 175 AED (5% VAT) if the price of the property is less than 500,000 AED. If off-plan Seller is represented by POA below fees will be applied: Transfer fee of 8% of the selling price  + AED 40/- knowledge & innovation fees to Dubai Land Department. AED 10,000/- trustee fee + AED 500/- VAT  (Can be paid by cash or card)

In-house services - Real estate registration trustee offices offer a set of unique free and paid in-house services for their clients including free pick & drop, mou preparation, priority service and free consultation as well as document delivery, legal translation, and attestation.

By offering these services, real estate registration trustee offices provides more sophisticated property transactions and procedures by removing the need for investors to book appointments, follow up and wait at the DLD’s headquarters. It also helped DLD staff to minimise the burden and increase the speed of transactions.

Requirements and Procedures

For any property registration proceedings, the following documents are required:

• Original title deed

• Original and copy of passport, visa, Emirates ID of both seller and buyer.

• Original No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the developer - if it's a freehold property.

• Original Sales & Purchase Agreement

• Seller’s Cheque

• Fees from DLD and registration trustee office.

However, the set of required documents varies if the client is an individual, LLC company, freezone company, or an offshore overseas company (BVI).

Additional required documents:

For LLC Company

• Trade license with valid full set of parties.

• Board of Resolution / Power of attorney

• Company Stamp

For Freezone Company

• No Objection Certificate (NOC) from a Freezone (Only for buying) (for selling not required).

• Certificate of Good Standing

• Certificate of Incorporation

• Certificate of Incumbency

• Memorandum of Association. (Arabic Legal translation)

• Shareholder Resolution. (Arabic Legal translation)

• Company Stamp

For Offshore Overseas Company (BVI)

• No Objection Certificate (NOC) from a Free Zone (Only for buying) (for selling not required).

• No Objection Certificate (NOC) from DLD (Only for buying) (for selling not required).

• Certificate of Good Standing. (Attestation + Arabic Legal translation)

• Certificate of Incorporation (Attestation + Arabic Legal translation)

• Certificate of Incumbency (Attestation + Arabic Legal translation)

• Memorandum of Association. (Attestation + Arabic Legal translation)

• Shareholder Resolution. (Attestation + Arabic Legal translation)

• Company Stamp

Property Registration Procedure in Dubai

• Both buyers and sellers must visit the Dubai Land Department - Project Registration Centre together to initiate the process.

• Buyers should present his passport and full contact information.

• Both parties (buyers and sellers) should proceed to the registration desk, where the seller will receive sale amount from the buyer.

• Both parties are being assisted by the registration trustee officer.

• Sale transaction details are entered in an e-form which will be signed by both parties.

• Sale of a property is then registered with the Dubai Land Department.

• Real estate registration trustee officer collects all the fees.

• The seller will then be asked to sign the copy confirming receipt of the original purchase cheque.

• The new title deed is issued under the buyer’s name with the location map of the property.

• The process is done

In some cases, DLD may refer the buyer and seller to the appraisal division of the Dubai Land Department if they have any doubt regarding the current value of the registered property. DLD staff will have to re-evaluate the value of the property.

To know more about real estate registration trustee offices in Dubai, here are some of the authorised offices.

• Aamal Service Centre
• Afnan Real Estate Registration Trustee
• Al Thiqa Real Estate Registration Trustee
• Approved Real Estate Registration Trustee
• Injaz Real Estate Registration Trustee
• Mithaq Real Estate Registration Trustee LLC
• Tamleek Real Estate Registration Trustee