How to Check Construction Progress in Dubai: Dubai REST and Mashrooi

Renders and site videos from a sales team are marketing material. For the official picture you go to DLD, which publishes the completion percentage, inspection details, planned dates and escrow data. All of it sits in the Dubai REST app under Project Status (Mashrooi). Below I show how to use it, what I look at, and what to do when the numbers don't line up with your payment plan.

Where the numbers come from

The developer doesn't simply type in a completion figure. The percentage in Dubai REST is based on the project's technical report.

DLD explains the process in its FAQ ↗:

• RERA periodically reviews projects on the register and requires developers to update their technical data, meaning the expected completion date and the completion percentage;
• a technical report is treated as expired three months after the last one, and the developer must pay for a new one;
• developers can order a project technical report ↗ to establish the actual completion percentage. The fee is AED 15,000 plus AED 10 + AED 10, it takes four business days, and the result is an e-technical report.

So I always look at how recent the inspection is, not only at the percentage. A good number from an old report tells you very little.

Checking in Dubai REST, step by step

This follows DLD's official guide (PDF ↗):

1. Open the Dubai REST app.
2. Tap Services in the bottom bar.
3. Choose Project Status (Mashrooi).
4. Search for the project by name and open it.
5. Review the project details, status, developer details and escrow account details.
6. Tap the arrow next to the percentage on the building image to open the inspection details.
7. If you'd like to see the site in person, fill in the visit request and the developer will contact you.

According to DLD, the app shows completion percentages, actual project photos, the escrow account number and payments owners owe on projects they've invested in (Dubai REST ↗). You can mark projects as favourites and follow their updates.

What the project record contains

DLD's Project Status Enquiry ↗ page lists the contents:

You can search by project name or number and filter by function, status, number of rooms and unit size. There are three tabs: Projects, Following and Updates.

Reading the numbers

Completion against your payment plan

Take out the schedule in your SPA. Say the next instalment is due at 60% completion and Dubai REST shows 45%. That gap is something to raise with the developer.

DLD is clear on this point. When you receive a payment request, you are entitled to know current completion through a letter from the DLD-approved project consultant. Until it's confirmed that the project has reached the stage or percentage in the agreed schedule, the investor is not obliged to pay (FAQ ↗).

If you want an official document, an investor can obtain a RERA technical auditor's report on completion. The fee is AED 15,000 per unit or villa.

How fresh the data is

Open the inspection details and check when the record was last updated.

• If the update is recent, the figure should reflect the site.
• If it's more than three months old, the figure may be out of date, because by then the technical report counts as expired. Ask the developer when the next one is due.

Planned completion date

Compare it with the date in your SPA. Sometimes DLD already shows a later date while the sales team still quotes the old one. When that happens I go by DLD and ask for an answer in writing.

The trend

A single snapshot doesn't tell you much. Add the project to Following and look again every month or two. If the percentage stays flat for months, pay closer attention.

Example: matching your schedule to DLD data

The payment plan and project data below are illustrative:

Suppose the developer invoices the third instalment while Dubai REST still shows 35%. You have grounds to ask for confirmation of completion. There's no need for a confrontation, since DLD's rules provide for exactly this check.

Visiting the site

You can book a visit straight from the project record. It won't replace the data, but you'll see for yourself what's happening on the ground.

On a visit I usually look at and ask about:

• how many floors are up, and whether facade and interior works have started;
• whether machinery and crews are active on a working day;
• when the developer expects the next technical report;
• whether the planned completion date has changed, and why;
• who the management company will be after handover.

Ask in writing for

• the consultant's letter on current completion before any stage-linked payment;
• an updated completion date if it has moved;
• a statement of account for your unit.

Written answers help if there's a dispute later. Your bank will also ask for them if you take a handover payment mortgage.

Warning signs

• The percentage hasn't moved for several months.
• Inspection details and the record haven't been updated for a long time.
• The planned date keeps slipping without explanation.
• You're asked to pay for a stage that DLD data doesn't show.
• Bank details on the invoice don't match the escrow data in the record.

When a project stalls, RERA monitors its progress. If completion is at or below 5% and work has stopped, the developer is given time to correct the situation, and if it doesn't, cancellation proceedings begin. For projects that stalled at higher completion and whose developer is gone, DLD says it and RERA step in to protect the parties' rights and complete the project (FAQ ↗). I explain how escrow protects buyers' money in Dubai escrow accounts.

If you're financing off-plan

Your bank keeps an eye on progress as well. The Central Bank requires payments to the developer to follow completion milestones physically confirmed by the bank or an independent professional. Your own share is paid first and the bank's money after (CBUAE ↗). If handover is getting close, start planning a handover payment mortgage early.

When the project is nearly done

In the last stretch, start getting ready for keys:

• confirm the handover date and the final payment amount;
• if you're financing that payment, start the approval early;
• book a snagging inspection (see snagging and handover inspection);
• find out who the management company is; its details are in the project record.

From my practice. At Peninsula Four in Business Bay we chose a three-bedroom before keys were issued, and the layout mattered to us as much as the stage. In tower A the view is partly blocked by tower B, so we searched in tower B. At Seslia Tower, after handover I carried out the snagging, connected DEWA, cooling and gas, and bought appliances and textiles. The client flew into a home that was ready to live in, and we found a tenant.

Quick checklist

1. Project found in Dubai REST → Project Status (Mashrooi).
2. Completion matches the stage you're being asked to pay for.
3. The record and inspection details were updated within the last three months.
4. Planned completion matches the SPA, or any change is explained in writing.
5. Escrow bank and account number match your contract.
6. Project added to Following.

The full developer checklist is in how to check a Dubai developer. Projects I follow are in the off-plan catalogue, and the official DLD tools are collected under Resources.

Send me your project

Message me the project name and your payment schedule on WhatsApp. I'll compare them with the DLD data and tell you what to check before the next instalment. If you're buying off-plan from a developer, I don't charge you for this.