What is Dubai REST App?
Dubai REST (Real Estate Self Transaction) is the Dubai Land Department's free official app. It validates title deeds, shows a project's registration and escrow status, registers and renews Ejari, and runs the RERA rent increase calculator.
Description
Dubai REST is DLD's own mobile application, free on iOS and Android. It is not a portal advertising property for sale; it is the public front end of DLD's register, which makes it the cheapest verification tool available to a Dubai buyer. Anyone can install it, and owners sign in with UAE Pass to see every property registered against their Emirates ID.
The services that matter to investors are the title deed validator, the owner dashboard, transaction tracking, Ejari registration and renewal, the RERA rent increase calculator driven by the Smart Rental Index, the service charge index, project and escrow status lookup, the DLD fee calculator and valuation requests.
For buyers, the single most valuable function is verification before payment. The app checks a title deed against the register, and it reports whether an off-plan project is registered, which developer is behind it, its recorded construction progress and whether it holds a DLD-supervised escrow account under Law No. 8 of 2007. Those two checks take a few minutes and remove most of the fraud risk from a Dubai transaction.
For owners and landlords the recurring uses are Ejari and the rent calculator. Ejari registration makes a tenancy contract enforceable and is required for DEWA connection and visa processing. The rent increase calculator returns the maximum legally permitted increase at renewal for a specific unit, based on the index for that area, building and property type.
How to interpret
Treat Dubai REST as the source and everything else as a claim. Brochures, portal listings and forwarded messages are marketing material; the app reads the government register.
Install it before you need it. Owners who open the dashboard once a quarter catch registration errors, wrong recorded areas and stale contact details early, while correcting them is administrative rather than urgent.
The app tells you what is registered, not whether a deal is sensible. Confirmed escrow registration proves the legal structure exists; it says nothing about the developer's delivery record, the payment plan or whether the price is defensible.
Dubai market context
Escrow verification is the highest-use check in the app for off-plan buyers. Law No. 8 of 2007 requires off-plan payments to be made into a project's DLD-supervised escrow account and released against inspected construction milestones. Money paid into a developer's general account sits outside that protection, so matching the account details shown in the app to the account on your payment instruction is not optional.
The app also surfaces DLD's service charge index, the published rate per square foot by building, which is the reference point when an owners association budget looks out of line. The budgets themselves are approved by RERA and administered through the Mollak system.
Dubai REST covers the registration side only. It does not replace the Form F, the developer or master-developer No Objection Certificate, or the registration trustee office appointment where a resale transfer actually completes and the new title deed issues.
Frequently asked questions
Open the app's title deed validation service, enter the deed number and the property details, and the app confirms whether the deed matches DLD's register and shows the registered owner and any encumbrance. Owners can also see all of their deeds in the dashboard after signing in with UAE Pass.
Use the project or developer lookup in Dubai REST. It returns the project's registration status, the developer, recorded construction progress and the DLD-supervised escrow account required under Law No. 8 of 2007. Check the account details there against the account named on your payment instruction before transferring anything.
Yes. Ejari registration and renewal are among the app's tenancy services, and the registered contract is what DEWA and visa processing require. Landlords also use the app's rent increase calculator to confirm the maximum permitted renewal increase before serving notice.
The app carries DLD's service charge index, which shows the approved rate per square foot for a building. Compare the figure your owners association is invoicing against the indexed rate; a material gap is worth raising with the management company and, if unresolved, with RERA.
Yes, the app is free to download and the lookup services carry no charge. Transactional services such as Ejari registration or a valuation request carry their own published government fees, which are shown before you submit.
Anyone can download it and use the public lookups, including title deed validation and project or escrow status. The owner dashboard requires a UAE Pass sign-in linked to an Emirates ID, so non-resident owners without one usually verify through a DLD trustee office or customer happiness centre instead.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal, or tax advice. Yields, returns, and market data referenced are historical or estimated and are not guaranteed. Capital is at risk. Seek independent professional advice before making investment decisions. Oliva is a licensed Dubai real estate advisor (DLD Broker Card: 92025, RERA BRN: 1573501). Read our Key Risks Disclosure and Disclaimer.