Short answer
- To check construction progress on off-plan in Dubai before payment from Canada, open Mashrooi (Project Status) in Dubai REST: the DLD's record of the build, escrow and latest inspection.
- If a request looks ahead of the build, the DLD FAQ lets you ask the project's DLD-approved consultant to confirm, in a letter, how far construction has got.
- For an independent figure, RERA's technical auditor charges AED 15,000 per unit or villa.
- Send money only to the escrow number Dubai REST displays; a RERA director has publicly urged buyers not to pay outside escrow.
- Canada has no national scheme that reimburses wire transfers sent under deception, so the check comes before the transfer.
Check construction progress (off plan, Dubai) before payment from Canada: how?
Hold each payment request up against the project's Dubai REST record; where the two disagree, request the consultant's completion letter. It takes minutes per instalment. Your SPA (sale and purchase agreement) still sets the plan, so a request is not wrong just because progress looks slow; the aim is to know the facts before money leaves Canada.
The pre-payment routine, instalment by instalment
Dubai REST project status, completion percentage: Canada investors' view
Mashrooi is where the Land Department publishes how far each registered project has got. Beyond the percentage, its DLD guide lists developer, escrow and inspection details; Gulf News (2023) mentions an active, finished or cancelled label, start and projected completion dates, the latest inspection with a report to download, and site photos.
Phase 1: read the record
Plan the login early: foreign investors can only sign in to Dubai REST with UAE PASS or a title deed, and off-plan buyers rarely hold a deed, so a passport-based UAE PASS Visitor account is the likely route.
- Consultant letter
- on request
- Source: DLD FAQ
- Technical audit
- AED 15,000
- Source: DLD FAQ
- RERA watch level
- 5% complete
- Source: DLD FAQ
Should I pay next instalment (off plan)? Buyers in Canada weigh the facts
The decision is yours under the SPA; base it on today's record rather than a sales email.
| You find | What it means | Before paying |
|---|---|---|
| Completion matches the milestone | Request is consistent with the record | Confirm the escrow account, then pay |
| Completion lower than the milestone | Record and request disagree | Ask for the consultant's completion letter in writing |
| Account differs from Dubai REST | Possible error or fraud | Do not transfer; ask the developer and DLD to confirm |
…stop paying the installment because the developer has stopped building?
Withholding money has its own risk. A missed payment lets the developer begin the DLD default procedure (Article 11 of Law No. 13 of 2008, as amended by Law No. 19 of 2020), so take legal advice first.
What changes when the money leaves a Canadian bank?
A wire sent from Canada is hard to pull back, so verify first. Canadian protections target unauthorized card use, not transfers you approved.
Phase 2: timing the transfer from Canada
Pair this with how to verify the escrow account, what to do when the handover date changes and what happens after a missed payment. The global pre-payment guide and the hub for Canadian buyers cover the rest; check a project's registry facts whenever a request arrives.
Where can I see the completion percentage of a Dubai project?
Can I ask for proof of progress before paying an instalment?
What is a RERA technical audit and what does it cost?
Will my Canadian bank refund a wire sent to the wrong Dubai account?
Related guides
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures change; check the official source before acting. Published 12 October 2026, last updated 12 October 2026.