ADREC Explained: Buying Off-Plan Property in Abu Dhabi

ADREC, the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, was established in November 2023 by the Department of Municipalities and Transport to lead the emirate's property sector through strategy, promotion, regulation and transactions management. For an off-plan buyer, it is the body behind project registration, escrow oversight and the register that makes a sale contract binding.

What is ADREC and what does it do?

ADREC is the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre, a body under the Department of Municipalities and Transport. Its About the Centre page says it was established in November 2023 and works through four pillars: Strategy, Promotion, Regulation, and Transactions Management.

Later legal texts cite Executive Council Resolution No. 223 of 2023 as the instrument establishing the centre. According to ADREC's FAQs, its responsibilities include enhancing data transparency, ensuring compliance, overseeing dispute resolution and improving customer services. Account registration is not available on the ADREC website: all services are accessed through the TAMM platform.

ADREC also runs Madhmoun, which its FAQs describe as the first governmental Multiple Listing Service in the GCC. Madhmoun limits advertising to a maximum of three approved brokers per property and lists only verified properties.

What is DARI, and how is it linked to ADREC?

DARI is the digital platform for Abu Dhabi property transactions and records. Its official App Store listing describes DARI as Abu Dhabi's official digital real estate ecosystem, developed by Advanced Real Estate Services (ADRES) and backed by the DMT.

The listing says users can complete property transactions from listing to ownership transfer and issue and download documents such as title deeds and valuation reports. ADREC's FAQs add that the escrow account number of any registered project, and the project's completion rate, are found on dari.ae.

Can foreigners buy property in Abu Dhabi?

Yes, within investment areas. Law No. 19 of 2005, as amended by Law No. 13 of 2019, says non-national natural or legal persons may own and acquire all the principal or collateral real rights of properties located within investment areas, and may dispose of them in any manner.

Otherwise, Article 3 of the same law limits ownership to three categories: UAE nationals and their equivalent, public joint stock companies in which non-nationals hold no more than 49%, and any person named in a resolution of the Crown Prince or the Chairman of the Executive Council. The law defines investment areas as areas designated by a decision of the Executive Council. Both laws are published on ADREC's property ownership rules page.

The UAE government portal u.ae lists nine areas where foreigners are allowed to own property: Yas Island, Saadiyat, Reem, Mariya, Lulu, Al Raha Beach, Sayh Al Sedairah, Al Reef and Masdar City. This site has area pages for Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Al Reem Island, Al Raha Beach and Masdar City.

The same u.ae page describes four systems through which expatriates hold property in Abu Dhabi:

System	How u.ae describes it
Ownership	Ownership deeds for residential units for a period of 99 years, land not included
Musataha	Residential units for 50 years, renewable by agreement for a similar period
Usufruct	Residential units for 99 years, without the right to change the property
Long-term lease	An initial period of not less than 25 years

Those descriptions are u.ae's own. The same page titles Law No. 19 of 2005 as concerning the regulation of the real estate sector, while the legal texts on ADREC's site cite it as the law concerning real estate ownership. The English texts of Law No. 19 of 2005 and Law No. 13 of 2019 on ADREC's site state no 99-year term for ownership within investment areas, so treat the 99-year figure as u.ae's summary and check the right recorded for your unit.

Listings often use the phrase freehold property in Abu Dhabi. The English text of Law No. 19 of 2005 on ADREC's site does not use that word. It speaks of ownership and real rights within investment areas, so ask which registered right a unit carries. Owners interested in residency routes can read the UAE Golden Visa guide for property investors.

How does an off-plan purchase work in Abu Dhabi?

An off-plan sale is lawful only after the project is approved, its plans are deposited, an escrow account is open and the disclosure statement is approved. Those are among the six conditions in Article 15 of Law No. 3 of 2015. From the buyer's side, the process runs as follows.

1. Confirm eligibility. If you are not a UAE national, check that the project sits within an investment area.
2. Check the project. ADREC's developer journey says a registered project receives a Project ID that is published on ADREC's verified project register. The ADREC Directory has a Projects tab, and a Professions tab that filters by broker, evaluator and developer.
3. Check the escrow account. Look up the project's escrow account number on dari.ae.
4. Read the disclosure statement. Article 15 requires the Department's approval of a disclosure statement showing all the data related to the unit and the project.
5. Sign and pay into escrow. Article 7 requires a broker who markets a project to deposit the unit price in the project escrow account, not a personal account.
6. Get the sale registered. Under Administrative Decision No. 246 of 2015, the seller must apply to register the sale in the interim register immediately after it is concluded. If the seller fails to do so within 21 days, the buyer may apply and recover the cost, and a late application by the seller carries a fine of AED 10,000.
7. Pay the instalments. Article 15 binds the buyer to pay according to the actual completion percentage of the construction works, unless otherwise agreed with the developer. The payment plan calculator lays out a schedule from the percentages in your contract.
8. Get the unit transferred to the Real Estate Register. Once the buyer has fulfilled the contract and paid the full price, Decision No. 246 of 2015 gives the developer 21 days to apply for transfer of the unit to the Real Estate Register.

Current launches are on the Abu Dhabi off-plan projects page, with context on the Abu Dhabi area page and developer profiles such as Aldar Properties.

What protects the money a buyer pays?

The project escrow account does. ADREC's FAQs define it as a secure, regulated bank account dedicated to a specific project, into which all payments by off-plan buyers or project financiers are deposited.

The rules sit in Law No. 3 of 2015 and its amendment, Law No. 2 of 2025:

• An escrow account must be opened for each individual project (Article 18).
• Nothing may be disbursed unless the developer has completed at least 20% of the construction works. Earlier release needs a bank guarantee worth not less than 20% of the total value of the construction works (Article 19 as replaced by Law No. 2 of 2025).
• The account may not be used to pay the land price or brokers' commissions (Article 19).
• The account trustee retains not less than 5% of the overall value of the project as a performance bond. The developer may draw it only after one year from the completion certificate, unless the Department approves an earlier withdrawal against a bank guarantee (Article 24).

What does it cost to register an off-plan purchase in Abu Dhabi?

ADREC's developer journey page lists a fee of 2% of the unit sale price against the step in which each off-plan sale and purchase agreement is registered. The page does not say which party bears it, so read the agreement.

Item	Amount	Official source
Registering an off-plan sale and purchase agreement	2% of unit sale price	ADREC developer journey
Registration fee on a sale (general schedule)	Set at not less than 1% and not more than 4% per transaction, divided equally between seller and buyer unless otherwise agreed	Executive Council Chairman Resolution No. 49 of 2018
Developer's administrative fee	Maximum AED 5,000	Resolution No. 183 of 2017
Broker's commission on a sale	2% of the contract, up to a maximum of AED 500,000	Resolution No. 183 of 2017
"Any Transfer of Ownership" at an ADREC Trustee Office	1050, inclusive of VAT. The page prints the number with no currency	ADREC Trustee Office page

What happens if a buyer stops paying?

The developer may terminate the contract without going to court or arbitration, but only after a set procedure. Under Article 17 as replaced by Law No. 2 of 2025, the developer must notify the buyer through a notary public or registered mail and demand payment within 60 days. If no amicable settlement is reached, the buyer's name may be removed from the Initial Register and the unit resold after a 30 day period.

Administrative Decision No. 165 of 2025 then sets the compensation due to the developer, taking into consideration the terms agreed in the sale and purchase agreement:

Construction progress	Deduction from the sale contract value
Construction not commenced for reasons beyond the developer's control	None: all amounts received are refunded
Works begun, completion below 10%	10%
Completion above 10% and up to 30%	15%
Completion above 30% and up to 60%	25%
Completion above 60% and up to 100%	40%

Where the buyer has paid 60% or more of the unit value, ADREC may set the compensation without being bound by the table. The escrow trustee must refund the buyer's remaining balance within 15 working days of the buyer's request. Money collected outside escrow must be refunded in full within 30 days. The buyer keeps the right to go to court or arbitration.

What if the developer is late or the unit changes size?

The law gives buyers several remedies. Under Article 25 of Law No. 3 of 2015, if buyers owning not less than 5% of the sold units complain that a project has not started, the Department investigates and may cancel the project if it finds the delay has no acceptable excuse. It may also impose a delay penalty in the buyer's favour where delivery runs more than 6 months past the expected date, unless the developer proves the delay was beyond its control.

Under Article 31, if the unit is more than 10% smaller than the registered area, the buyer may choose a price reduction equal to the decrease or rescind the contract.

Disputes can go to Taswea, the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Settlement Centre, which lists delays in starting projects and incomplete projects among the disputes it handles. An unsettled dispute is referred to the relevant court.

How is off-plan in Abu Dhabi different from Dubai?

The structure is similar, but the laws, registers and platforms are separate, so Dubai figures do not carry over.

Point	Abu Dhabi	Dubai
Off-plan register	Initial Real Estate Register, Law No. 3 of 2015	Interim Property Register kept by the Land Department, Law No. 13 of 2008
Effect of not registering	The disposition is not binding	The disposition is void
Escrow law	Law No. 3 of 2015, amended by Law No. 2 of 2025	Law No. 8 of 2007

The Dubai column is drawn from the law texts on the Dubai legislation portal. For Dubai's process, see how to buy off-plan in Dubai.

Is it worth buying property in Abu Dhabi, and where?

No official source ranks areas or promises a return, and this guide does not either. What a buyer can verify is whether the area is an investment area, whether the project is registered, and how far construction has progressed on DARI. ADREC publishes market reports and dashboards on its website. A licensed lawyer should review any contract before you sign.

Common mistakes

• Using Dubai fee figures for Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi fees come from its own resolutions and ADREC pages.
• Assuming the contract alone is enough. An unregistered off-plan sale is not binding under Article 27.
• Ignoring default terms. The deduction on a cancelled unit can reach 40% of the contract value.