Off-Plan Instalments: Ask for the Completion Letter First

Many off-plan buyers treat the next instalment cheque (قسط — a dated payment on the schedule printed in the Sale and Purchase Agreement) as automatic once the developer sends a payment request. Dubai Land Department (DLD — دائرة الأراضي والأملاك) prints a clearer operational right on its live FAQ: because the schedule of payments is based on completion rates, the investor who receives a payment request has the right to see the current completion percentage through a letter from the project consultant approved by DLD — otherwise the investor is not obligated to pay until that stage or percentage is confirmed. Orientation only — not legal advice.

Primary: DLD — Frequently Asked Questions (off-plan / escrow answers). For how to read the schedule itself before the first cheque, see our earlier guide How to Read Dubai Off-Plan Payment Plans. Today’s paper is the completion-letter gate on a live payment request — not a rewrite of that schedule guide, and not a new DLD circular dated 16 October 2026.

First, the words

• Off-plan means buying a unit before (or while) it is built, with payments usually tied to construction milestones rather than a single handover cheque.
• SPA (Sale and Purchase Agreement) is the contract that records the deal terms — including the payment schedule the buyer and developer agreed.
• Payment schedule / instalment plan is the table of amounts and dates (or completion stages) the SPA attaches; DLD’s FAQ treats that table as completion-linked, not as a free-standing calendar demand.
• Escrow account is the project bank account where buyer off-plan payments and project finance must be deposited under Dubai’s escrow rules — it protects construction funding; it does not replace the buyer’s right to check completion before paying a requested instalment.
• Project consultant letter on the FAQ is the completion evidence DLD names: a letter from the consultant approved by DLD stating the current completion percentage.
• Oqood is DLD’s provisional (interim) register for off-plan sales — separate from today’s payment-request check; we covered Oqood in a dedicated guide.

What DLD actually prints on payment requests

On the FAQ, DLD answers investors who say they cannot get a clear completion figure from the developer or from RERA (the Real Estate Regulatory Agency under DLD) while new payments are still being demanded. The printed reply is operational: since the schedule of payments is based on completion rates, the investor has the right, upon receiving the payment request, to know the current completion percentage specifically through a letter from the project consultant approved by Dubai Land Department. Otherwise the investor will not be obligated to pay, unless it is confirmed that the project has reached the stage or percentage of completion specified in the agreed schedule.

DLD also points investors to track completion progress through the official project-tracking service on its website or through its smart application (Dubai REST / related DLD channels named on the same FAQ cluster). That tracking habit sits next to the consultant letter — it does not erase the letter right when a payment request lands.

How this sits next to Dubai REST “Payment Plan”

DLD’s public Payment Plan walkthrough for Dubai REST shows a buyer opening a property, viewing instalment details and payment history, and paying an instalment in-app. That is a payment channel. It does not override the FAQ’s completion-linked obligation test. Brief both: use REST (or the escrow path your SPA names) to see what is claimed as due — and ask for the DLD-approved consultant letter before you treat the request as payable.

Why it matters to an investor

Off-plan cheques are often signed months ahead and released when the developer calls. If the call arrives without a completion proof that matches the SPA stage, you are not reading a “delay tip” from a portal — you are looking at DLD’s own FAQ line on when the obligation crystallises. Put the consultant letter in the same folder as the SPA schedule and the escrow account details before you release the next cheque. Do not invent a percentage from a sales WhatsApp; ask for the letter DLD names.

Why it matters to an agent

Brokerage desks lose trust when they push “just pay, the building is fine” without a completion trail the client can show a bank or a court later. On the first off-plan briefing, put three lines side by side: the SPA payment schedule, the escrow account for that project, and the DLD FAQ right to a DLD-approved consultant letter on each payment request. If the developer cannot produce the letter, say so early — the FAQ’s “not obligated” line is the brief, not a soft negotiation slogan.

A short checklist before you release the next instalment

1. Open the SPA schedule — which stage or percentage does this request claim?
2. Ask for the consultant letter — current completion percentage from the project consultant approved by DLD.
3. Cross-check DLD tracking — project tracking on DLD’s site / smart app as the FAQ suggests.
4. Confirm the escrow path — buyer off-plan amounts belong in the project escrow account under Dubai’s escrow framework.
5. Only then release the cheque / in-app payment — when the stage matches what the SPA and the letter confirm.
6. Keep the pack — SPA schedule, payment request, consultant letter, and escrow receipt in one file for the client.

What we did not claim

We have not invented a new DLD circular dated 16 October 2026, a fixed fine for paying early, or a guaranteed refund formula for every dispute. The completion-linked schedule wording, the consultant-letter right, the “not obligated to pay” line, and the project-tracking pointer are taken from DLD’s live FAQ. Escrow purpose and developer scope are taken from the same FAQ cluster. Confirm the live FAQ wording and your SPA dates before you brief or pay. Orientation only — not legal advice.