Abu Dhabi off-plan buyers can now get a bank mortgage before their home is finished.
Under a framework from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (Adrec), a buyer who has paid at least 50% of an eligible off-plan unit's value can have a bank finance the remaining construction installments and the final payment at handover.
The 50% threshold matches UAE Central Bank mortgage rules. The bank's interest is recorded in Adrec's Initial Real Estate Register, and the bank is named on the mortgage registration certificate before completion.
Adrec's registration service has been live since March 2026, and the first deal under it, between Aldar and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), closed on 4 September 2026. Before this year, mortgages on Abu Dhabi off-plan homes were generally only available at handover.
The change reaches a large share of the market, since off-plan made up 89% of Abu Dhabi's Dh70.4 billion in residential sales in the first half of 2026.
Key facts
-
Adrec's off-plan mortgage registration service went live in March 2026.
-
Buyers must pay at least 50% of the unit's value before a bank can lend under the framework.
-
The first registered deal, Aldar with ADCB, closed on 4 September 2026.
-
Aldar lists six partner banks so far: ADCB, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
-
Abu Dhabi mortgage transactions reached AED 26.7 billion in the first half of 2026, up more than 33%.
-
Two administrative decisions from 2025 set new rules for early escrow withdrawals and fixed refund amounts when an off-plan sale is cancelled.
-
Loan-to-value limits, fees and rules for non-residents under the framework have not been published yet.
How does the 50% rule work?
An Abu Dhabi off-plan buyer pays the first half of the price, and a bank can then pay the rest. The rule works in three steps. The buyer pays at least 50% of the unit's value to the developer.
Once that threshold is met, a bank can fund the remaining instalments during construction and the final payment when the keys are handed over. The bank's mortgage interest is then recorded in Adrec's Initial Real Estate Register, with the bank named on the registration certificate before handover.
The registration step is what lets banks lend during construction. Adrec says the service gives "greater clarity and protection for buyers, developers and financial institutions." Andrew Laver, a director at Cavendish Maxwell, told The National that "it enhances transparency by allowing mortgage interests to be recorded in the Initial Real Estate Register before completion."
Who completed the first off-plan mortgage in Abu Dhabi?
Aldar and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank completed the first registered off-plan mortgage under the Adrec framework on 4 September 2026. Aldar's announcement of the deal did not name the project or the unit. Ghazi Saeed Alateibi, executive director at Adrec, said the deal "demonstrates ADREC's off-plan mortgage registration service in live market use."
Faisal Falaknaz, Aldar's chief financial and sustainability officer, called it "an important step in further enhancing the transparency and accessibility of the market."
Which banks offer off-plan mortgages in Abu Dhabi?
Six banks are named as lenders for Aldar buyers under the framework: ADCB, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic and First Abu Dhabi Bank. Aldar says more partners are available.
Aldar buyers reach these lenders through Home Finance by Aldar, a free in-house advisory service that compares conventional and Islamic mortgage offers, and they can start the process in the Live Aldar app. Separately, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank offers its own off-plan financing on Modon developments (covered below).
How to get an off-plan mortgage in Abu Dhabi, step by step
-
Check that the unit is eligible, and ask the developer whether it supports financing under the Adrec framework.
-
Check that your sale and purchase agreement includes the default and refund terms set by Abu Dhabi's 2025 rules, explained below.
-
Pay at least 50% of the unit's value through the developer's payment plan.
-
Apply to a lender. Aldar buyers can use Home Finance by Aldar or the Live Aldar app.
-
Ask the bank for its loan-to-value limit, fees and eligibility rules, since these have not been published for the framework.
-
Once the bank approves the loan, the mortgage is registered in Adrec's Initial Real Estate Register and the bank is named on the registration certificate.
-
The bank pays the remaining construction instalments and the final payment at handover.
If you're new to buying off-plan in the UAE, our step-by-step guide to buying off-plan property in Dubai explains payment plans, developer checks and what to confirm before you sign.
How is this different from the Modon and ADIB offer?
The Adrec framework is a registration system run by the regulator, while the Modon and ADIB offer is a financing product from one developer and one bank. On 9 July 2026, Modon and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank launched off-plan home financing for future Modon developments.
Under that plan, buyers pay 15% during construction and a further 5 to 10% at handover, and ADIB finances up to 75% of the property's value, subject to eligibility.
The terms depend on which developer you buy from, so check which route applies to the project before you commit to a payment plan.
Off-plan mortgage options in Abu Dhabi and Dubai compared
|
Adrec framework |
Modon and ADIB |
Dubai Holding and Emirates NBD |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Emirate |
Abu Dhabi |
Abu Dhabi |
Dubai |
|
Date |
Live since March 2026, first deal 4 September 2026 |
Launched 9 July 2026 |
Announced 16 April 2026 |
|
What it is |
Regulator-run mortgage registration |
Developer and bank financing product |
Developer and bank financing product |
|
Buyer's own payments |
At least 50% of the unit's value |
15% during construction, then 5 to 10% at handover |
Not published |
|
Bank financing |
Remaining instalments and final payment |
Up to 75% of the property's value, subject to eligibility |
Not published |
|
Projects covered |
Eligible off-plan units, first deal with Aldar |
Future Modon developments |
Meraas, Nakheel and Dubai Properties developments |
|
Non-residents |
Not published |
Not published |
Eligible, subject to approval |
What other off-plan rules changed in Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi has also changed how off-plan payments are held and refunded, through two administrative decisions issued in 2025. Law firm A&O Shearman set out both in an analysis of Abu Dhabi's new escrow and off-plan sales regime, published on 8 September 2026.
When developers can use escrow funds
Off-plan payments in Abu Dhabi are held in a project escrow account.
Until a few months ago, no withdrawals were allowed until at least 20% of construction was complete. Administrative Decision No. 24 of 2025 adds a conditional exception.
A developer can draw funds earlier if it provides an unconditional, irrevocable bank guarantee of at least 20% of total construction costs, along with an approved engineering cost report issued no more than 30 days before it applies.
The developer must also have been registered in Abu Dhabi for at least four years, have completed and delivered at least three projects, and have had no legal violations or administrative penalties in the 12 months before applying.
What happens if an off-plan sale is cancelled?
Law No. 3 of 2015 already let a developer or buyer cancel an off-plan contract for a substantial breach, but it doesn’t mention any standard compensation or refund timelines yet.
Administrative Decision No. 165 of 2025 now fixes how much a developer can keep when a buyer defaults and the unit is cancelled, based on construction progress
|
Construction progress |
Amount the developer can keep |
|---|---|
|
Project not started, for reasons outside the developer's control |
Nothing, full refund to the buyer |
|
Below 10% |
10% of the sale contract value |
|
10% to 30% |
15% |
|
30% to 60% |
25% |
|
60% to 100% |
40% |
Where the buyer has paid 60% or more of the unit's value, Adrec can set the percentage case by case. The escrow trustee must release the developer's share within 15 business days of the developer's request, and the buyer's balance within 15 business days of the buyer's request.
Any money the developer collected outside the escrow account must be refunded in full within 30 days of Adrec's cancellation notice.
This links directly to the new mortgage framework. If a financed purchase is cancelled, the buyer's refund request must come with a no-objection letter from the bank that holds the mortgage.
A&O Shearman advises buyers to make sure these default and refund protections are written into the sale and purchase agreement.
How big is Abu Dhabi's off-plan market in 2026?
Off-plan made up 89% of residential sales value and 82% of all residential deals in Abu Dhabi in the first half of 2026, according to Adrec data cited by A&O Shearman. The National put residential sales for the period at Dh70.4 billion in its report of 13 September 2026.
The wider market grew fast. Adrec's H1 2026 transaction report, published on 24 July 2026, recorded AED 117 billion in total real estate transactions, up 112% year on year. Sales reached AED 86.1 billion across 16,838 transactions, up 163.7%. Mortgage transactions rose more than 33% in value to AED 26.7 billion across 8,876 deals.
International buyers are a growing part of the Abu Dhabi property market. Foreign direct investment reached AED 13.8 billion in the first half of 2026, up 309% year on year and already above the total for all of 2025. Non-resident investors came from 116 nationalities, up from 82 a year earlier, led by the UK, China, Russia, the US, Germany and France.
More off-plan supply is on the way. Knight Frank, quoted by The National, puts Abu Dhabi's 2026 to 2030 pipeline at about 36,900 homes under construction, of which 66% are apartments and 33% villas. For the Dubai side, our article on the Dh111 billion of new property supply Dubai added in H1 2026 covers what that volume means for buyers.
What does the new rule mean for buyers?
Abu Dhabi off-plan buyers now need cash for the first half of the price, and a bank can cover the rest before handover. Matthew Green, head of research for CBRE in the Middle East and North Africa, told The National that "by facilitating mortgages earlier during the construction phase, as opposed to only on handover, investors will be able to purchase off-plan properties with more certainty of the source of funds for future stage payments, making it easier to plan financially."
Farooq Syed, chief executive of Springfield Properties, said that "access to mortgage financing before handover provides greater flexibility in managing the remaining construction instalments and final payment."
Before you commit, ask your bank for the terms that haven't been published yet:
-
the loan-to-value limit,
-
fees,
-
and whether non-residents qualify.
International buyers can find the basics on ownership rules and costs in our guide for international investors. If residency is part of your plan, our UAE Golden Visa guide sets out the property requirements, and it's worth confirming how a mortgaged off-plan unit is treated before you apply.
If you'd prefer a finished home with a mortgage at the point of purchase, our guide to buying ready property in Dubai covers how the secondary market works.
How does Abu Dhabi compare with Dubai for off-plan mortgages?
Off-plan buyers can now get financing during construction in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, through different structures. On 16 April 2026, Dubai Holding Real Estate and Emirates NBD announced integrated off-plan mortgage financing across Meraas, Nakheel and Dubai Properties developments, open to UAE residents and non-residents subject to approval.
Khalid Al Malik, CEO of Dubai Holding Real Estate, said it "creates a more structured and predictable pathway for buyers throughout the development lifecycle."
For how Dubai's own market moved this year, our Q2 2026 Dubai real estate market report breaks down transactions and prices by segment. If you're looking at off-plan in Dubai right now, our recently published Sobha Hartland II guide to Riverside Crescent covers one of the most active off-plan communities in Mohammed Bin Rashid City.
Frequently asked questions
What is Abu Dhabi's off-plan mortgage framework?
It's a mortgage registration service from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (Adrec). Once a buyer has paid at least 50% of an eligible off-plan unit's value, a bank can finance the remaining instalments and the final payment, and the mortgage is recorded in the Initial Real Estate Register before completion.
Can you get a mortgage on off-plan property in Abu Dhabi?
Yes. Since March 2026, Adrec's framework lets banks lend on eligible off-plan units before handover, and the first registered deal, between Aldar and ADCB, closed on 4 September 2026.
How much do you need to pay before a bank will lend on Abu Dhabi off-plan property?
At least 50% of the unit's value under the Adrec framework. That threshold matches UAE Central Bank mortgage rules.
Which banks offer off-plan mortgages in Abu Dhabi?
Aldar names six partner banks: ADCB, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic and First Abu Dhabi Bank. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank also offers its own off-plan financing on future Modon developments.
Is the Adrec framework the same as the Modon and ADIB offer?
No. The Adrec framework is a regulator-run registration system with a 50% payment threshold. The Modon and ADIB offer, launched on 9 July 2026, is a product for future Modon developments where buyers pay 15% during construction and 5 to 10% at handover, and ADIB finances up to 75% subject to eligibility.
When can Abu Dhabi developers withdraw money from escrow?
Normally after at least 20% of construction is complete. Under Administrative Decision No. 24 of 2025, eligible developers can withdraw earlier if they provide a bank guarantee of at least 20% of total construction costs and an approved engineering cost report.
What happens if an off-plan sale is cancelled in Abu Dhabi?
Under Administrative Decision No. 165 of 2025, the developer can keep between 10% and 40% of the sale contract value depending on construction progress, or nothing if the project hasn't started for reasons outside its control. Refunds must be paid within 15 business days of the buyer's request, and a mortgaged buyer needs a no-objection letter from the bank.
Can non-residents get an off-plan mortgage in Abu Dhabi?
The Adrec and Aldar announcements don't say. Check eligibility with the lender before you rely on financing.
Can you get an off-plan mortgage in Dubai?
Yes. In April 2026, Dubai Holding Real Estate and Emirates NBD announced integrated off-plan mortgage financing across Meraas, Nakheel and Dubai Properties developments, open to residents and non-residents subject to approval.
How big is Abu Dhabi's off-plan market?
Off-plan made up 89% of residential sales value and 82% of residential deals in Abu Dhabi in the first half of 2026, and residential sales totalled Dh70.4 billion. Adrec recorded AED 26.7 billion in mortgage transactions over the same period, up more than 33%.
