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A Dubai off-plan buyer comparing a digital construction progress record with the residential building under construction outside.
DubaiBuying Guides

How to Track Your Off-Plan Construction Progress in Dubai

written by The Projectory TeamPublished 8 min read

Track Dubai off-plan construction through DLD and Dubai REST, compare official progress with developer updates, and know when to ask for evidence.

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Once you have bought an off-plan property in Dubai, set aside 15 minutes each month to check the project. Use the Dubai Land Department record as your official reference, then compare it with the developer’s latest construction update, your SPA and your payment statement. That small routine gives you a dated record of how the building has moved from one stage to the next.

Quick answer

Search for the registered project through the DLD Project Status Enquiry or Project Status (Mashrooi) in Dubai REST. Save the completion percentage, inspection date and photographs, then compare them with the developer’s update and your next contractual milestone. Check monthly during construction and every two weeks around a milestone payment or the final six months.

Check the official DLD project record

The quickest route is the DLD website:

  1. Open Project Status Enquiry.
  2. Search by project name, project number or land number.
  3. Select the exact registered project or phase.
  4. Save the project number once you have confirmed the right record.

Project marketing names can differ from the registered name, and a multi-phase development may have a separate record for each phase. Match the developer, plot and project number against your SPA or Oqood before relying on the result.

The project page can show:

  • the official completion percentage and project status;
  • the latest inspection details and site photographs;
  • registered and expected completion dates where available;
  • the developer’s details and contact options;
  • the escrow bank and account details;
  • an option to follow the project or request a visit.

You can complete the same check in the Dubai REST app. Open Services, choose Project Status (Mashrooi), search for the project and select it. DLD also offers the service through its WhatsApp channel.

Add the correct project to your favourites in Dubai REST. It is much easier than repeating the search every month, especially when the marketing and registered names differ.

A site engineer checking the structure and facade installation inside a Dubai residential project under construction.

Read the completion percentage properly

The DLD figure records the latest approved position for the registered project or phase. It does not show the finish level inside your exact apartment.

Construction percentages also move unevenly. Excavation, foundations and basement work can occupy months while producing a modest rise. Repeated floors may then move faster. Facade, mechanical and electrical systems, lifts, testing and common-area finishes follow their own sequence.

Read the percentage alongside three details:

  • Inspection date: DLD’s FAQ describes a technical report as valid for three months. An older update deserves a written query.
  • Inspection photographs: look for a clear change in structure, facade, windows, external works and common areas across successive visits.
  • Expected completion date and comments: save any revision so you can compare it with the date in your SPA and later notices.

A five-point increase cannot tell you how many weeks remain. The approved programme, remaining work and final authorities’ processes shape the delivery date.

Build a monthly progress file

Create one folder for the property and update it on the same day each month.

Keep What to record When to update
DLD project status Percentage, status, inspection date and photographs Monthly
Developer update Work completed, current activity and stated next stage Whenever issued
SPA and addenda Completion date, grace period and payment milestones Once, then after any amendment
Payment statement Amount paid, next instalment and balance After every payment

Use dated filenames such as 2026-07-29-DLD-project-status.pdf. Save the full page or a PDF rather than a cropped percentage. The status, inspection date and project number provide the context you may need later.

Keep developer emails, notices and photographs in the same folder. A simple spreadsheet with one row per month is enough:

Check date | DLD percentage | inspection date | developer update | next payment | notes

Increase the check to every two weeks when a construction-linked instalment approaches or during the final six months. Daily checks rarely add anything useful.

A buyer’s monthly off-plan construction progress file with project photographs, a tablet record and a simple checklist.

Compare progress with your payment schedule

Open the payment schedule in your SPA and identify whether the next instalment falls on a calendar date, a construction milestone or handover. The wording controls what evidence is relevant.

For a construction-linked demand, compare:

  1. the milestone named in the developer’s notice;
  2. the latest percentage and inspection date on DLD;
  3. the amount and due date in your SPA;
  4. your current statement of account.

DLD’s buyer guidance says you can ask for a letter from the DLD-approved project consultant confirming the current completion percentage when a payment request depends on construction progress. Ask the developer for that letter if the official record appears behind the milestone in the notice.

Keep the request and response in writing. A missed instalment can have contractual consequences, so obtain UAE legal advice before delaying or withholding any amount.

For a fuller explanation of escrow accounts and how construction progress affects the release of project funds, read our guide to RERA and escrow protection for Dubai off-plan buyers.

What to do when the records stop lining up

One quiet month can occur during a normal construction programme. A repeated gap needs a clear answer.

Write to the developer when:

  • the DLD inspection is more than three months old;
  • the official percentage stays unchanged across several checks;
  • the expected completion date moves;
  • a milestone demand appears ahead of the official record;
  • inspection photographs or progress updates stop appearing;
  • the project status changes to stalled, under cancellation or cancelled.

Include the project number, unit number, your latest DLD record and the relevant SPA page. Ask for the current work stage, the latest consultant-certified percentage, the revised programme and the expected date of the next official inspection.

Use the project’s Contact Developer or Book a Visit option where available. A site visit can add useful context, although access remains subject to the developer’s safety rules.

If a regulatory concern remains unresolved, DLD’s RVS complaint service accepts supporting documents through the website and Dubai REST. DLD states an expected follow-up period of five business days. Contract termination, refunds and compensation are judicial matters, so take UAE legal advice for those claims.

If the official record shows a serious stoppage or cancellation process, our guide to developer bankruptcy and stalled off-plan projects in Dubai explains the next checks in more detail.

The final months before handover

A project can reach 100% construction before the keys are ready. Final inspections, building-completion procedures, utility connections, common-area preparation, snagging and buyer account clearance can still be in progress.

During the final six months, track both construction and handover readiness:

  • save every completion or handover notice;
  • reconcile your developer statement and remaining balance;
  • ask when snagging, final payment and key collection will begin;
  • confirm which ownership and completion documents will be issued;
  • prepare any mortgage well before the final balance falls due.

Our off-plan handover mortgage checklist covers the financing timeline. The complete Dubai off-plan buying guide brings the wider purchase, registration and handover process together.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I check an off-plan project’s progress?

Check once a month during normal construction. Move to every two weeks around a milestone payment or during the final six months.

Is the developer’s construction update enough?

Use it to understand the work taking place on site. Keep the DLD project record as the official reference for the approved completion percentage and inspection history.

Can I track my exact apartment through DLD?

The percentage applies to the registered project or phase. Ask the developer about access, unit-specific inspections and snagging closer to handover.

What if I cannot find the project by its advertised name?

Search the project number or land number shown in your SPA or Oqood. Confirm the developer and plot before saving the record.

What should I do if the DLD update is more than three months old?

Ask the developer for the latest consultant-certified percentage and expected inspection date in writing. Save the older DLD record and the response in your progress file.

Does 100% completion mean I can collect the keys?

Key handover follows the developer’s completion, account-clearance and handover process. Ask for the snagging date, final statement and document sequence once the project reaches its closing stages.

Your monthly routine

Open the DLD record, save the dated page, compare it with the latest developer update and check your next SPA milestone. Fifteen minutes a month gives you a clean history of the project and an early prompt to ask questions when the records drift apart.

Official sources

About the Projectory Team

Projectory’s editorial content is created and reviewed by its founders, who bring more than 30 years of combined experience brokering, buying, developing and selling property in the UAE.

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