Reading the shorthand
Every off-plan listing carries a string of numbers like 10/70/20 or 20/40/40. The convention is simple: the figures are percentages of the purchase price, paid in sequence — typically booking, construction-linked instalments, and handover. A 10/70/20 plan means 10 percent at booking, 70 percent spread across construction milestones, and 20 percent due at handover.
Across the 679 projects in our catalog that publish a defined plan, the most common structure is exactly that: 10/70/20 appears on 71 projects. It is followed by 10/40/50 (47 projects), 20/40/40 (46), 10/50/40 (43) and 10/80/10 (35).
Not every listing follows the three-part convention. Some projects advertise multiple structures — 97 in our catalog list two payment plans and 11 list three — and a large minority extend a fourth tranche beyond handover. Understanding what each shape does to your cash position is the single highest-value piece of homework in an off-plan purchase.
What each shape does to your cash flow
Back-loaded plans such as 10/40/50 or 10/30/60 keep your committed capital low during construction and concentrate the obligation at handover. That suits buyers who expect liquidity later — a property sale, bonus cycles, or mortgage financing at completion — but it means a large single call on your cash at handover.
Front-and-middle-loaded plans such as 10/80/10 or 10/70/20 do the opposite: you fund the project steadily during construction and arrive at handover nearly paid up. Buyers who intend to hold and lease the unit often prefer this shape, because rental income starts against a small residual balance.
A meaningful subset goes further. Eighty-one projects in our catalog carry four-part plans such as 10/35/5/50 or 5/60/15/20, where the final tranche extends beyond handover. These post-handover plans effectively let rental income help fund the last instalments — at the cost of the developer typically pricing that flexibility in.
- 10/70/20 — steady construction payments, light handover balance (71 projects)
- 10/40/50 — low commitment during build, heavy handover payment (47 projects)
- 20/40/40 — higher booking deposit, balanced thereafter (46 projects)
- 10/80/10 — nearly fully paid by handover (35 projects)
- Four-part plans (81 projects) — instalments continue after handover
The questions to ask before you commit
The headline split is only the start. Confirm whether construction instalments are date-based or milestone-based — milestone-linked plans naturally pause if construction slows, while date-based schedules do not. Confirm what sits inside escrow, and confirm whether the plan quoted includes the Dubai Land Department registration fee, which is charged separately.
Ninety-seven projects in our catalog advertise two payment plans and eleven offer three, so where options exist, model each shape against your actual cash position rather than defaulting to the lowest booking figure.
Finally, remember that the plan is a contract term, not a courtesy. The sale and purchase agreement will specify cure periods and forfeiture consequences if you miss an instalment, and those clauses vary meaningfully between developers. Read them with the same attention you give the headline percentages, because they define your downside in the scenario where your own liquidity — not the developer's construction — becomes the problem.