UAE property questions, answered with the source behind each answer
The questions that come up when a property has to move quickly — a lender closing in, an off-plan contract to exit, a bill nobody can explain. Every answer below names the official document it rests on and the date it was last checked, so you can go and read it yourself.
332 answers across 33 topics · Last checked 22 October 2026
Posting a listing and contacting sellers on distress.ae
Practical help with posting, listing review and contacting the person advertising a property.
2 answersMadhmoun property advertising permits in Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi advertising route, explained with official sources and clear emirate boundaries.
1 answerDubai Municipality building permits, renovations and completion
Plans, alterations, contractor changes, failed approvals and completion.
34 answersDubai Municipality housing fees, site plans and Makani
Correcting housing charges and locating the right property records.
20 answersDubai Municipality food permits, labels and imports
Restaurants, food trucks, school catering, labels and shipment release.
12 answersMontaji, consumer products and advertising approvals
Product registration, import clearance, blocked cases and advertising.
8 answersDubai waste, sewerage and environmental services
Waste permits, sewer connections, environmental clearances and authority handoffs.
29 answersDubai Municipality public health and animal services
Salon approvals, pest control and veterinary service eligibility.
23 answersDEQ engineering registration and Dubai Central Laboratory
Engineering accreditation and testing construction, consumer and food samples.
15 answersDubai Municipality parks, camping and community services
Bookings, outdoor permissions, community services and municipal support.
21 answersDHA, Dubai Health and the Sheryan portal
Which organisation to contact, application progress and refund requests.
4 answersDHA professional registration, licences and renewals
Eligibility, verification, licence activation, renewals and professional records.
20 answersDHA clinic and healthcare facility licences
Opening, inspections, renewals, changes, shared facilities and closure.
18 answersDHA licence checks, sick leave and complaints
Professional status checks and the official routes for medical and insurance complaints.
7 answersDHA medication and frozen-specimen services
Facility requests for medication approvals, reporting, disposal and frozen-specimen transfer.
10 answersDHA certificates and medical-report attestation
Birth, death and vaccination records, replacement copies and report attestation.
5 answersDHA overseas-treatment applications
Application documents, supporting letters and reconsideration requests.
3 answersDHA research, training and education services
Research ethics, training programmes, facility permissions and education accreditation.
12 answersDHA government medical-review procedures
The submission routes for employee reports, Sanad cards, parking and window-tint medical reviews.
4 answersDHA health-insurance business permits
Annual permits for insurers, healthcare providers, administrators and brokers.
4 answersDHA school and public-health activities
School programmes, awareness campaigns and health-education material review.
4 answersDLD, Trakheesi and property advertising in Dubai
Advertising permission, marketing contracts, QR checks and the authority behind each service.
11 answersDistressed and below-market property in Dubai: what the words mean
Distressed, below market, below OP — what each phrase actually describes, and how to check a discount is real.
7 answersRepossession, forced sale and property auctions in Dubai
What a lender must do before selling a home, how a court auction works, and what happens if the sale falls short of the loan.
7 answersBuying and selling off-plan property in Dubai
Escrow, Oqood, assignment before handover — and what the rules say when a project is late, cancelled, or an instalment is missed.
10 answersWhat buying and selling property in Dubai costs
Every charge on both sides of a Dubai transaction, item by item, each with the source behind it.
3 answersSelling a property in Dubai: papers, timing and the process
The NOC, the title deed, selling with a mortgage still on it, the papers you need, and how long it all takes.
8 answersMortgages on UAE property: limits, terms and paying one off
How much a bank may lend, the debt and age limits, what early settlement costs, and clearing a repaid loan off the deed.
6 answersService charges and what you actually own in a Dubai building
What the charge pays for, how your share is worked out, who approves it, and what unpaid charges cost.
7 answersTransferring Dubai property: gifts, inheritance and shared ownership
Gifting within a family, inheritance transfers, dividing a jointly owned property, and share transfers.
7 answersPower of attorney for UAE property
What it lets someone do, how long it lasts, how to cancel it, and the self-dealing rule.
4 answersThe property Golden Visa
Which property qualifies, how long the residency lasts, and the permit that comes first.
3 answersPermits for changing or renovating a Dubai property
Who applies, whether a small fit-out needs approval, and what unapproved work costs.
3 answersHow these answers are written
Every figure has a source
No number appears in an answer unless it can be traced to a named document with a date. A figure we could only find in one place is dropped rather than softened.
Where the source is silent, so are we
If an official page does not say something, the answer does not say it either. What is quoted is quoted in full, in the publisher’s own words.
Some questions get a name, not advice
On subjects where being wrong costs someone their home, the answer points at the authority that decides — not at an opinion of ours.
These are general answers about how things work in the UAE, not legal or financial advice about your situation. Read our methodology for how the rest of the site is put together.