Bulk purchase off plan in Dubai (2026): full floors, unit blocks and whole towers

A bulk purchase off plan in Dubai is still registered unit by unit: the Dubai Land Department's initial sale service requires each sale contract to be entered in the interim register within 90 days of signing, and Article 3 of Law No. 13 of 2008, issued on 14 August 2008, makes any sale not entered there void. In one of the few bulk deals disclosed with figures, Gulf Land Property Developers said it closed a sale of 41 units at Tonino Lamborghini Residences Dubai in Meydan for AED 150 million in April 2026, as TradeArabia reported on 7 May 2026, without naming the buyer or disclosing a discount.

That is the pattern of most bulk deals in Dubai real estate: the volume is announced, the terms are not. This guide is for family offices, funds and private investors in the Americas, Europe, India and Asia who want to buy units in bulk from a developer, take a full floor or acquire a whole tower, off plan or ready. It sets out how these deals are priced, papered, resold and checked, and it quotes no discount that a named, dated source has not published.

What is a bulk purchase off plan in Dubai, and how is it different from buying single units?

A bulk purchase is a negotiated sale of a block of units by one developer to one buyer: a run of apartments across several floors, a full floor, the upper floors of a tower or every unit in a building. An off market deal is one that is not offered on portals or at a public launch, which is the norm for blocks of this size.

The legal steps are the same as for a single unit. Each unit has its own sale and purchase agreement, its own payment schedule and its own registration. What changes is everything around those steps: the price, the payment plan, the choice of units, any exclusivity over the remaining stock, and the size of the risk the buyer takes on one project and one developer.

Two disclosed examples show the scale. Gulf Land's 41 units came to AED 150 million in April 2026, which by simple division is about AED 3.7 million a unit on average; the unit mix was not published. Zawya Projects reported that the 41 units were 7.5 per cent of the project's 541 units. In an earlier deal, Gulf News reported on 14 February 2023 that a buyer it did not name paid AED 650 million for the entire crown of Aire Dubai, the 69 storey tower on Sheikh Zayed Road by Alta Real Estate Development: a triplex, two duplexes and five full floor penthouses across the top 11 floors.

There is one conflict in the reporting. Zawya Projects headlined the Tonino Lamborghini deal as Gulf Land purchasing 41 units, while Gulf Land's own release and TradeArabia describe Gulf Land, the developer, closing a bulk sale. This guide follows the company's release.

How is a bulk deal priced, and what does the developer gain?

No regulator, data provider or named market report reviewed for this guide publishes a typical bulk discount for Dubai off plan stock, and neither disclosure above states one. Any percentage quoted to you is therefore a negotiating position, not a market benchmark.

The logic of the negotiation is still clear. A developer that sells a block in one transaction gains contracted sales with less of the marketing spend and agency commission of selling each unit separately, a large deposit paid at once and a reference sale it can announce. Under Article 7 of Law No. 8 of 2007, issued on 6 May 2007, off plan buyers' payments go into the project's escrow account, and Article 9 dedicates that account exclusively to the construction of the project. A bulk buyer's money therefore funds that building, which is part of what the developer is buying with a lower price.

The buyer can trade on four levers, and price is only one of them.

1. Price per square foot, measured against the developer's own current list prices for the same unit types and floors, in writing.
2. Payment plan. A larger share deferred to handover or after it reduces capital at risk during construction. Our guide to off plan payment plans explains how to compare plans on total cost.
3. Unit selection. Views, floor and stack position matter more on resale than a small price concession.
4. Terms that only a block buyer can ask for: who pays the Land Department fee, the right to resell before a set payment threshold, a cap on service charges for an initial period, or a right of first refusal on adjoining stock.

The test of a bulk price is the resale market at completion. If the discount is smaller than the cost of exiting a block quickly, it is not a discount.

How is a bulk purchase papered and registered?

The developer registers each sale through Oqood, its portal for the interim register. The Land Department's initial sale service, accessed on 7 November 2026, requires the contract to be signed by developer and purchaser and registered within 90 days of signing, and issues a provisional registration certificate to the purchaser by email.

The same page lists the fees: 2 per cent of the sale value from the seller, 2 per cent from the purchaser, knowledge and innovation fees of AED 10 each, and AED 1,000 for the developer's self registration. Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013, issued on 18 September 2013, sets the sale fee at 4 per cent of the contract value and says it is shared equally unless the parties agree otherwise. On a block of units, who bears the 4 per cent is a material term and belongs in the term sheet.

A company can buy. For a limited liability company the Department asks for the trade licence, an Arabic legal translation of the memorandum of association and a shareholder certificate; for a foreign company it also asks for the memorandum ratified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lists a free zone NOC for the purchase contract. Which vehicle to use is a structuring question, covered in our guide on how to hold UAE property personally, through a company or a foundation.

The escrow rules sit under the contracts. Article 6 of Law No. 8 of 2007 requires a developer to apply for an escrow account before it sells off plan, Article 9 requires a separate account for each project, and Article 14 has the escrow agent keep 5 per cent after the completion certificate, released one year after units are registered to buyers. Article 4 of Law No. 13 of 2008 bars a developer from selling off plan before it has taken possession of the land and obtained the required approvals. Pay only into the escrow account named for the project.

Default is where a block multiplies risk. Law No. 19 of 2020, issued on 24 November 2020, replaced Article 11 of Law No. 13 of 2008. If a buyer defaults, the Department serves 30 days' notice. If the default continues, a developer may terminate and keep up to 40 per cent of the unit's value where the project is more than 60 per cent complete, or up to 25 per cent where work has started and completion is below 60 per cent, refunding the balance within one year or within 60 days of resale, whichever is earlier. Above 80 per cent completion it may instead keep the contract and claim the balance, or ask the Department to auction the unit. On 41 units, those percentages apply 41 times.

Can you resell or assign units before completion?

The law allows it. Article 6 of Law No. 13 of 2008 provides that units recorded in the interim register may be sold, mortgaged or otherwise disposed of, and Article 3 means the onward sale must itself be registered. Executive Council Resolution No. 30 of 2013 levies the 4 per cent fee on the value of a sale contract; this guide found no separate published rate for an off plan resale, so budget on 4 per cent and confirm it with the Department.

The developer's contract decides when. A resale needs the developer's no objection certificate, and developers set the conditions. Gulf News reported on 15 September 2018 that master developers and others, including Select Group and Damac, tied resale to at least 30 per cent of the price being paid, and 40 per cent in some cases. That is a contractual policy, not a law, and it varies by developer and by project, so the clause in your own agreement is the only reliable answer.

A bulk buyer should negotiate this clause before signing: the payment threshold for an NOC, the NOC fee, whether units can be sold in tranches, and whether the developer may compete with your resales by releasing its own remaining stock at a lower price.

What are the risks, and how do you diligence the developer?

Three risks are specific to buying in bulk.

1. Concentration. A block ties a large sum to one developer, one building and one handover date. A delay or a specification change affects every unit at once.
2. Resale absorption. Selling dozens of similar units in one building at completion means competing with the developer's own stock and other investors. Fitch said in a note reported by The National on 29 May 2025 that about 120,000 units were planned for handover in Dubai in 2026, against 30,000 delivered in 2024, and expected prices to fall by no more than 15 per cent in a correction running into 2026. Whatever the outcome of that forecast, an exit plan should assume the buyer is not the only seller.
3. Developer delivery. Escrow protects how money is used, not when the building is finished. Article 17 of Law No. 8 of 2007 allows a developer to be struck off the register for failing to start construction within six months of permission to sell off plan, and Law No. 19 of 2020 requires a full refund where work has not started for reasons beyond the developer's control or RERA cancels the project. Decree No. 33 of 2020 set up the Special Tribunal for Liquidation of Cancelled Real Property Projects, as Khaleej Times reported on 15 December 2020.

The public check is the Land Department's Project Status service, called Mashrooi, available through the Dubai REST application. It lists the project number, number of units, registration, start and completion dates, the completion field, the developer and the escrow account and bank. Zawya Projects, for example, reported Tonino Lamborghini Residences as 51.85 per cent complete in March 2026 on the REST app, with handover slated for the first quarter of 2027.

Before any deposit, confirm that the project and its escrow account appear on the service, that the escrow bank matches the one in the contract, that the reported completion matches a site visit, and that the developer's other projects were delivered close to their registered dates. Ask for the building permit and the master developer's NOC for off plan sales, and read the sale agreement for the delay clause, the specification schedule and the area variation clause.

How do off market property deals in Dubai work for ready floors and whole buildings?

Ready stock is transferred at the Land Department rather than through Oqood. The Department's sale registration page lists 2 per cent of the sale value for the seller and 2 per cent for the buyer, an electronic no objection certificate from the developer in freehold areas, registration of any buying company with the Department first, and a service partner fee of AED 4,000 plus VAT on sales of AED 500,000 or more. A full floor of separately titled apartments is transferred unit by unit, so these steps repeat for each title.

Whole buildings and full floors that come to market this way are usually offered under a confidentiality agreement, because sellers do not want the asset's identity, rent roll or price circulating. Pricing moves from comparables to income: the rent roll, the costs and the condition. Our guide to buying a whole building in Dubai covers the asset deal and the share deal, tenancy law, rent caps and corporate tax in detail.

What is verifiable about distressed property in Dubai?

Less than the marketing suggests. Two routes produce sales that can be checked.

The first is a mortgagee sale. Law No. 14 of 2008, issued on 14 August 2008, requires the lender to give 30 days' notice through a notary public (Article 25), after which the execution judge may order the property attached and sold at public auction (Article 26). The debtor may ask once for a postponement of up to 60 days (Article 27), and the sale follows the Land Department's procedures (Article 28). Khaleej Times set out the same sequence on 12 July 2026. BSA, writing on 18 September 2024, described auctions held through the Emirates Auction portal, a valuation by an expert who is usually the Land Department, a deposit of at least 20 per cent of that valuation, and the balance due within 10 days. If the first session fails, the price falls in steps of 5 per cent to a maximum of 25 per cent, and after a further three months the property may sell to the highest bid not below 50 per cent of the initial valuation.

The second is a developer's auction of a defaulted off plan unit. Under Law No. 19 of 2020, once a project is more than 80 per cent complete, a developer may ask the Department to auction a unit whose buyer has defaulted.

Everything else described as distressed, such as an owner who must sell quickly or a below market listing, is a private sale at a negotiated price. It may be a good price, but it carries no legal process behind it. Ask for the court file, the auction reference or the Department's notice; if none exists, value it against registered transactions like any other listing. This guide found no published statistic on the number or value of mortgagee auctions in Dubai in 2026.

What it means for investors

A bulk purchase off plan in Dubai gives a larger buyer three things a single unit buyer does not get: a negotiated price, a negotiated payment plan and the choice of stock. It also concentrates three risks, delivery, default and resale, in one project. The law reduces the first through escrow and registration, sets clear limits on the second, and does nothing about the third.

For a buyer paying in US dollars, the dirham is pegged at AED 3.6725 to the dollar, so the instalments carry no currency risk against the dollar; for a European or Asian buyer the exposure is to the dollar. A resident individual in India can remit under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme to buy immovable property abroad, according to the Reserve Bank of India's FAQ updated on 6 April 2023; the annual limit and conditions are set by the Bank, so confirm them with an adviser in India. Buyers in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe should confirm with their own advisers how a block of foreign units, or a company that holds them, is reported at home.

The practical edge is in the contract. A buyer who negotiates the fee split, the NOC threshold for resale, the delay clause and the developer's freedom to discount its remaining stock has priced the deal properly. A buyer who negotiates only the headline discount has not.

What we recommend

Treat a block of units as an acquisition, not a large shopping list. On the commercial desk, Castilion Estates runs bulk, full floor and whole building mandates through six gates.

1. NCNDA. Every conversation about a specific block or building begins with a non circumvention and non disclosure agreement. Nothing identifying is shared before it is signed.
2. Buyer profile and proof of funds. A short profile and evidence of funds or financing, so the developer knows who is at the table.
3. Offer memorandum. The project, its Land Department registration and escrow account, completion status, the units offered, the developer's current prices for comparison and a value framework, with a source for every figure.
4. Letter of intent. Price, payment plan, units, the 4 per cent fee split, resale terms and exclusivity. For larger assets a deposit accompanies it.
5. Due diligence. Your legal, technical and tax advisers test the contracts, the escrow, the permits and the site.
6. SPA and transfer. The agreements are signed and each unit is registered in the interim register within 90 days, or, for ready stock, transferred at the Land Department on completion.

Confirm the current position with the authority before relying on it, because fees, registration rules and developer policies change. To discuss a block, a floor or a tower in confidence, see commercial and whole asset transactions or contact Castilion Estates.