Dubai payment plans, explained
Almost every new project in Dubai is sold on a payment plan: a little to book, more while it is built, the rest at handover -- or after it. What “80/20” and “post-handover” really mean, and how to compare two plans.
Short answer
A plan is written as what you pay before handover, then on or after it. “80/20” means 80% while the building goes up -- including the booking payment -- and 20% when you get the keys. “60/40 post-handover” means 60% up to handover and 40% spread over months or years after it. Compare plans by how much you must pay before handover, when each payment falls, and how you will pay the handover balance.
The common plans
| Plan | How it is paid | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 80/20 · 10/70/20 | 10% to book, 70% in instalments during construction, 20% at handover | Buyers paying from savings; the classic plan of the big master developers |
| 60/40 · 50/50 | Less during construction and more at handover | Buyers who will take a mortgage on the handover balance |
| Post-handover | Part paid before handover, the rest over 1 to 5 years after it, monthly or quarterly | Investors who want rent to help pay the rest |
| 1% a month | A down payment, then 1% of the price every month, often running past handover | Spreading the cost evenly, on mid-priced projects |
| Construction-linked | Each instalment due when the building reaches a stage (“10% at 30% complete”) | Paying only as the work is done |
A worked example
A home at AED 1,500,000 on a 20/40/40 plan (60/40), handover in three years:
| When | Share | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| On booking | 20% | AED 300,000 |
| With registration: the DLD fee | 4% | AED 60,000 |
| During construction, 4 payments | 40% | AED 150,000 each |
| On handover | 40% | AED 600,000 |
Every project page here works its plans out for each unit type, with the DLD fee and registration costs on top. See the projects
How to compare two plans
Before handover
How much must you pay before you have the keys? That is the money you cannot borrow against and cannot rent out yet.
The handover payment
A large balance at handover needs cash or a mortgage approved on time. Banks lend on finished homes, so this is where most buyers borrow.
Dates or milestones
Instalments due on dates come whether or not the building is on time; construction-linked ones wait for the work.
After handover
A post-handover plan is a loan from the developer: the title deed usually stays mortgaged to them until it is paid, and selling early means settling it.
Advice first, then the right project
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Questions buyers ask us
Normally not: the plan's payments add up to the price. Some developers offer a lower price for paying more up front, which is the same thing from the other side.
Usually yes, and some developers give a discount for it. Ask before you sign.
Yes, that is common: banks lend on the finished home at handover. Apply a few months before, as approval and the valuation take time.
Yes: most developers let you resell before handover only once you have paid a share of the price, often 30–40%. Plans that are light before handover push that further out.
Not necessarily. Off-plan homes can qualify, under conditions on the developer and how much has been paid. Check with us for a particular project.
More guides
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This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Dubai's rules and fees change; figures are correct to the best of our knowledge on 15 October 2026. Check the latest with the Dubai Land Department or an adviser before you sign or pay.
Which plan suits you?
Tell us how you want to pay -- cash, a mortgage at handover, or with rent coming in. We will find the projects whose plans fit.