A buyer has agreed a AED 1.5 million price for a ready apartment and wants to know the total cash needed on transfer day, not just the sale price.
The Walkthrough
- Start with the agreed sale price
AED 1.5 million is the baseline — everything else in this walkthrough adds to this figure, not replaces it. - Add the 4% DLD transfer fee
4% of AED 1.5 million is AED 60,000, payable to the Dubai Land Department at transfer — one of the largest additional costs. - Add agency commission
Agency commission is typically a percentage of the sale price, paid separately from the DLD fee — check the agreed rate with your specific agent. - Add trustee office and NOC fees
These smaller but real fees cover the official transfer registration process and the seller's No Objection Certificate — both due around transfer time. - Total everything for the real transfer-day figure
Sale price plus DLD fee plus agency commission plus trustee and NOC fees gives the true cash amount needed, which is meaningfully more than AED 1.5 million alone.
The Takeaway
On a AED 1.5 million apartment, the DLD fee alone adds AED 60,000, and once agency commission, trustee and NOC fees are stacked on top, the real transfer-day cash requirement is significantly higher than the advertised sale price — running the full breakdown before agreeing to a price avoids a last-minute cash shortfall.
Try It With Your Own Numbers
This example used specific figures to make the process concrete, but the same steps apply whatever your actual numbers are. Run the Property Purchase Cost Calculator with your own details — free, in under a minute, no sign-up required.