Sakani guide

DLD fees and total transaction costs in Dubai: a worked breakdown

Every cost you pay when buying or selling a Dubai property — DLD 4%, trustee fees, NOC, mortgage registration, agent commission — with full worked examples at AED 1M, 2.5M, 5M and 10M.

Sakani editorial team 7 min readUpdated 4 June 2026

The headline number — DLD 4%

The Dubai Land Department charges 4% of the agreed sale price as a transfer fee on every secondary-market transaction. Plus AED 580 admin. By Dubai convention this is split 50/50 buyer–seller, but the actual allocation is whatever Form F says — many cash deals shift it 100% to one side in exchange for a price adjustment.

Trustee office fee

A flat ~AED 4,000 (AED 4,200 for transactions over AED 500K, AED 2,200 for under) payable on the day at the registration trustee office. Typically split 50/50 buyer–seller.

Developer NOC

Paid by the seller to the developer before transfer. Range: AED 500–5,250 depending on developer. Add AED 1,500–3,000 if a fast-track is needed. See the developer-NOC guide for a per-developer breakdown.

Mortgage costs (buyer side)

If the buyer is mortgaged: bank arrangement fee ~1% of loan (capped around AED 10,000), valuation ~AED 3,000, mortgage registration with DLD = 0.25% of the loan amount + AED 290 admin, property and life insurance (varies). Total mortgage-specific cost: typically 1.5% of the loan.

Mortgage discharge (seller side)

If the seller has an existing mortgage: bank liability letter AED 200–500, early-settlement fee (often capped at 1% of outstanding balance or AED 10,000 by Central Bank rules), DLD mortgage release ~AED 1,290.

Agent commission — and how to skip it

The Dubai market convention is 2% of the price paid by each side to the agent representing them (sometimes only the buyer's side). On a AED 5M sale that's AED 100,000 per side. On Sakani, direct owner-to-buyer transactions avoid this entirely; via the licensed brokerage track the fee is negotiable and typically well below 2%.

Worked example — AED 1,000,000 cash purchase

DLD 4% AED 40,000 + AED 580 admin. Trustee AED 4,200. NOC AED 1,500 (seller). Sakani direct deal: zero commission either side. Total transaction friction (combined buyer + seller): AED ~46,280, or about 4.6% of price.

Worked example — AED 2,500,000 mortgaged purchase

DLD 4% AED 100,000 + AED 580 admin. Trustee AED 4,200. NOC AED 5,000 (seller). Buyer mortgage 75% LTV = AED 1,875,000: arrangement fee AED ~10,000, valuation AED 3,000, mortgage registration AED 4,978 (0.25% + 290), insurance AED ~3,000. Total friction: AED ~130,000, or 5.2% of price.

Worked example — AED 5,000,000 cash purchase

DLD 4% AED 200,000 + AED 580 admin. Trustee AED 4,200. NOC AED 5,250. Sakani direct deal: zero commission. Total: AED ~210,030, or 4.2% of price. Compare with a traditional 2%-each-side agent flow: add AED 200,000 (combined) = ~6.2% of price.

Worked example — AED 10,000,000 luxury cash purchase

DLD 4% AED 400,000 + AED 580 admin. Trustee AED 4,200. NOC AED 7,000. Lawyer-supervised closing AED 10,000 (private SPA + client-account custody). Total: AED ~421,780, or 4.2% of price. The lawyer-supervised track typically pays for itself on deals above AED 8M.

Sakani is a property-technology platform. Brokerage services, Form A / Form B / Form F contracts and DLD trustee transactions are handled by our RERA-licensed brokerage partner, Cedara Core Realty L.L.C (RERA ORN 54063).

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