Off-Plan Payment Plans in Dubai Explained: 50/50, 30/70, Post-Handover

The short answer

An off-plan payment plan splits the price into a construction share and a handover share, sometimes with a third part paid after handover. The plan is not a loan: there is no interest, and in Dubai the payments go into the project’s escrow account.¹⁰ What matters most is how much you must have ready on the handover date, and whether a waiver of the 4% registration fee is part of the deal.⁹

Why payment plans matter more this autumn

Off-plan property made up 76% of Dubai’s residential transactions in Q2 2026, up from 68% in Q1, while total residential transactions fell 31% year on year, according to Land Department data compiled by Better Homes.⁸ With fewer buyers, developers are competing on terms: launches in July and August came with full or partial waivers of the registration fee, often combined with flexible plans.⁸ For the wider picture, read our Dubai property market update for Q3 2026.

The main plan types, with an AED 2 million example

The numbers in a plan name describe percentages of the purchase price. The table shows what each common structure means for a home priced at AED 2,000,000, bought without any outside funding.

Plan	During construction	At handover	After handover
50/50	AED 1,000,000	AED 1,000,000	None
30/70	AED 600,000	AED 1,400,000	None
5/30/65	AED 100,000 booking plus AED 600,000 in instalments	AED 1,300,000	None
10/40/10/40	AED 200,000 booking plus AED 800,000	AED 200,000	AED 800,000

On top of the price, the Dubai Land Department charges a registration fee of 4% of the property value, paid when the purchase is registered.⁹ On AED 2 million that is AED 80,000, due at the start, not at handover.

76%Off-plan share of Dubai residential transactions in Q2 2026⁸

4%Dubai Land Department registration fee on the property value⁹

AED 80,000What a full fee waiver saves on an AED 2 million home

0%Interest on a developer payment plan

Real plans from three current launches

Only one of the three developers below publishes its plan in an official release. For the other two, the plan comes from property portals, and the portals do not agree. We show the date we checked and the source for each figure.

Project	Plan	Handover	Source
The Gate 6, Aljada (Arada, Sharjah)	5% down payment, 30% in instalments over two years, 65% on completion	Not stated by Arada	Arada, 24 March 2026¹
Talay, Marsa Al Saadiyat (Aldar, Abu Dhabi)	5% first instalment, 45% during construction, 50% on handover	30 September 2029	Listed on fäm Properties as of 23 October 2026⁴
Talay Beach (Aldar, Abu Dhabi)	50% during construction, 50% at handover	Q4 2030	Listed on Property Finder as of 23 October 2026⁵
Linar, Al Mamzar (Alef, Sharjah)	10% down, 40% during construction, 10% on handover, 40% after handover	Q4 2030	Listed on Property Finder as of 23 October 2026⁶

The official facts behind these projects: Arada’s Gate 6 is a 220 unit building on Aljada’s West Boulevard with prices from AED 970,000.¹ Aldar put Talay’s 351 villas with four to six bedrooms on sale on 23 September 2026.³ Alef’s Linar has 2,620 apartments across five residential towers, prices from AED 849,000, and freehold ownership for all nationalities according to Alef; the first tower is expected to welcome residents in 2030.²

What sources disagree on

Talay: fäm Properties lists 5/45/50 with handover on 30 September 2029.⁴ Property Finder lists Talay Beach at 50/50 with handover in Q4 2030.⁵ Another broker site, OPR, lists Talay itself at 50/50 with handover in Q4 2030, a year later than fäm.¹² Aldar’s own launch release names no plan and no handover date.³ Talay and Talay Beach may run on different timelines, so ask which collection a quote refers to.
Linar: the Property Finder project page shows 10/40/10/40 with a post-handover share.⁶ Several broker listings advertise 30/70 instead.⁷ Alef’s launch coverage does not mention a plan at all.² Plans can change between launch phases and towers, so the version in your Sales and Purchase Agreement is the only one that counts.
The Gate 6: Arada describes the plan as 5% down, 30% over two years and 65% on completion.¹ Many listings shorten this to 35/65, which is the same plan written differently.

What to check in a post-handover plan

Post-handover plans let you collect the keys before the full price is paid. That flexibility usually has a cost somewhere else, so compare carefully.

The base price. Ask for the price of the same unit on a standard plan, and on full payment. If the post-handover version is higher, that difference is the real cost of the extra time.
Who you pay after handover. Instalments after handover are paid to the developer under your contract. Find out when the title deed is issued in your name and what happens to it while instalments are outstanding.
Late payment terms. Read the clauses on missed instalments, penalties and cancellation. Know what you would lose before you sign.
Resale rules. Many developers only allow resale before handover once a set share of the price has been paid. Check that threshold if you may want to sell early.
Service charges. They start at handover, while you are still paying instalments. Include them in your monthly budget.

The DLD fee waiver: what it really saves

A full waiver covers the 4% registration fee. Better Homes calculated that this saves about AED 77,645 on Dubai’s median apartment price of AED 1,941,130 and about AED 271,655 on the median villa price.⁸ Waivers come as full, partial or deferred offers and usually depend on buying directly from the developer during the campaign.⁸

A waiver is worth exactly what it says, but no more. Compare it with the alternatives: a cash discount for paying more upfront, a better floor or view at the same price, or a shorter time to handover. Make sure the waiver is written into your Sales and Purchase Agreement.

A payment plan is not a loan

A developer payment plan is simply a schedule for paying the purchase price in stages. There is no interest and no third party lender. In Dubai, Law No. 8 of 2007 requires payments from off-plan buyers to be deposited into an escrow account held in the project’s name. The account is dedicated exclusively to building that project, and the developer’s creditors cannot touch it. If a project is not completed, the escrow agent must act to complete it or refund the buyers.¹⁰ Since September 2026 the Land Department runs project registration, sales and escrow accounts on one platform.¹¹

For projects in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, ask for the escrow and registration details under that emirate’s rules before your first payment.

Before you sign: a short checklist

Get the plan in writing from the developer, with every instalment date and amount.
Plan for the handover payment. Know exactly where the 50%, 65% or 70% will come from on that date.
Add the 4% registration fee to your upfront budget, unless a waiver is in the contract.
Check the escrow account and project registration before you pay.
Compare the full price of the same unit on different plans.
Read the resale and cancellation clauses line by line.

If prices are your bigger worry, our article on whether Dubai property will crash covers the outlook. To compare the plans on a specific project, our advisors can request the current offer directly from the developer. Message us on WhatsApp or get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 50/50 payment plan in Dubai?

You pay 50% of the purchase price in instalments while the project is being built and the remaining 50% when the developer hands over the finished unit. On an AED 2 million home that means AED 1 million during construction and AED 1 million at handover.

What does 30/70 mean in an off-plan payment plan?

30% of the price is paid during construction and 70% at handover. It keeps your early commitment low, but the large final payment must be ready on the handover date.

What is a post-handover payment plan?

Part of the price is paid after you receive the keys, usually in instalments directly to the developer. Property Finder lists Linar by Alef with a 10/40/10/40 plan, meaning 40% is paid after handover. Check the exact schedule in the Sales and Purchase Agreement, since portal listings for the same project differ.

Is an off-plan payment plan a loan?

No. A developer payment plan is a schedule for paying the purchase price in stages. There is no interest. In Dubai, payments from off-plan buyers are deposited into the project's escrow account, which by law may be used only for building that project.

What does a DLD fee waiver actually save?

The Dubai Land Department registration fee is 4% of the property value. A full waiver on an AED 2 million home saves AED 80,000. Compare that with any discount offered for a larger upfront payment before you choose.

Sources

Figures are taken from the sources above as of the date shown. This article is general market information, not investment advice. STOREYS does not provide financing advice.

Off-Plan Payment Plans in Dubai and Abu Dhabi Explained: 50/50, 30/70 and Post-Handover (2026 Guide)