What it really costs
Most buyers in Dubai budget carefully for the purchase price and then get surprised by everything around it. The costs are not hidden, but nobody puts them in one place, so transfer day arrives and the numbers suddenly feel bigger than expected. Here is the honest breakdown every buyer should see before making an offer, and every agent should know from memory.
The fees on a Dubai secondary purchase
DLD transfer fee: 4% of the purchase price, plus a small admin fee. By convention the buyer usually pays it, although like most things in a deal it can be negotiated as part of the terms.
Agency fee: 2% of the purchase price. This is the market standard on a secondary sale in Dubai. On rentals, the tenant pays 5% of the annual rent. These are industry standard figures, and an agent worth their fee will explain exactly what you get for it.
Trustee office fee: transfers happen at a DLD approved registration trustee office, which charges a fixed registration fee that varies with the property price band. Budget roughly AED 4,000 to 5,000 including admin.
NOC fee: before transfer, the developer issues a No Objection Certificate confirming there are no outstanding service charges on the property. This typically costs between AED 500 and 5,000 depending on the developer, and is usually paid by the seller.
Mortgage costs, if you are financing: add the bank arrangement fee, a valuation fee, and mortgage registration with the DLD at 0.25% of the loan amount.
A worked example: AED 2,000,000 apartment, cash purchase
Purchase price: AED 2,000,000
DLD transfer fee at 4%: AED 80,000
Agency fee at 2%: AED 40,000
Trustee and admin fees: approximately AED 4,000 to 5,000
Total needed beyond the price: roughly AED 125,000, a little over 6%.
Buying with a mortgage? Plan closer to 7 to 8% once the bank costs are included, and remember the bank lends against the property price, not the fees, so this money needs to be available in cash.
Why this matters more than people think
Deals fall apart at the finish line when costs surprise people. A buyer who discovers an extra AED 125,000 requirement two weeks before transfer is a buyer in a panic, and panicked buyers walk away from good properties. A prepared buyer negotiates better, moves faster and closes calmer.
There is a professional lesson in this too. If your agent cannot walk you through this table from memory, ask yourself what else they are guessing at. The agents who thrive in this market are the ones who treat the transaction as their craft, not an afterthought once the deal is agreed.
Go deeper
If you are an agent and you want to own every step of the deal, from the first offer to transfer day, that is exactly what my new course covers. The Transaction Masterclass maps every Dubai deal end to end: the players, the RERA forms, the money, cash and mortgage timelines, off-plan, and what to do when deals go wrong.
And if you are buying and want the numbers checked honestly before you commit, book a free call and we will go through them together.
Want a second opinion on your numbers?
Book a free 30 minute call with Ashley. No pitch, just the numbers and what to do next.
Or start here: The Investor Numbers Masterclass.
Ashley J Hawthorne is the founder of Your Real Estate COO and Managing Director of a Dubai brokerage, with 23 years in real estate across the UK and Dubai and nine industry awards. More about Ashley.
