All property related transactions are recorded by the Dubai Land Department, a government department which is largely responsible for making property investment in Dubai safe and secure for overseas buyers. Providing rules and laws that govern property and land transitions it also handles disputes between landlord and tenants.
In recent months Dubai property has had a surge in buyers and sellers who are taking advantage of the higher prices . The volume of transactions has caused delays especially to those buyers who are using a mortgage in some cases the mortgage offer letter expires before the land department is able to perform the transfer.
There have been rumours and speculation for the last few months regarding the Dubai Land Department setting up separate smaller sub-departments dedicated to property transfers in an attempt to ease the pressure and long delays of obtaining title deeds.
The move to split the load into smaller offices dotted around Dubai was welcomed by brokers and buyers. The result is somewhat unexpected, Trustees as they are called are charging an additional 4000 AED ($1,095) to perform the same task.
The Land Department is re-directing all property transfer for freehold property to one of the five trustees offices. Leasehold and land transfers are still happening at the Land Department head office.
Estate agents and buyers alike are taken back at the additional unexpected cost of the transfer. At the moment there is no other option for property transfer.
Feedback from buyers is the trustees still have a lot to learn about the transfer process thus leaving buyers frustrated at the additional cost and overall poor service.
