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Methodology & editorial policy

How we check, calculate and correct.

The rules behind every price, payment plan, guide and number on OffPlan Insider: where each fact comes from, how we keep it current, and what we do when something is wrong.

Owner
OffPlan Insider Research
Applies to
Projects, guides, reports and tools
Last reviewed
25 Sep 2026
The short version
  • Project facts come from the developer and carry the date we last checked them.
  • Rules, fees and law cite the official body that sets them.
  • Our own figures show their inputs and date, and estimates are labelled.
  • We are paid by developers, not buyers, and we say so on every page.
  • Mistakes are corrected with a visible update date.
01

How we verify a project

Every price, payment plan, size and handover date on a project page comes from the developer. We keep an internal record of where each fact came from and who checked it, so it can be audited and updated. You see the result as one line.

Verified directly with the developer · Updated 21 Sep 2026This is the line you see on every project
  1. Collect

    From the developer’s sales team: the price list, payment plan, brochure, floor plans and handover schedule.

  2. Check

    Compared with the version we already hold. Any change is logged with the date and who checked it.

  3. Publish

    One dated line on the project, so you can see when it was last confirmed.

  4. Re-check

    Again when the developer releases a new price list, and before any shortlist or booking.

What each status means

Statuses are set from the developer’s own announcements. The count shows how many of the 65 projects we track carry each one today.

Pre-launch

Announced by the developer; prices and plans not yet released. We show “to be released” and offer to send them when published.

5
New launch

Released recently, with a price list and payment plan from the developer.

17
Selling

On sale with published prices; availability changes as units sell.

21
Under construction

Building has started; the developer’s schedule sets the handover date.

19
Near handover

Construction is close to completion, according to the developer.

1
Ready

Completed and handed over; any remaining units are sold ready.

2

When a detail has not been released yet, we show “to be released” and offer to send it when the developer publishes it. We never fill the gap with an estimate.

02

Keeping it current

Prices and availability change as units sell, so the fields that move fastest carry their own date. The date is never removed to hide its age: if a project has not been re-checked for a while, you can see that.

LineaHOLM Developments · From AED 960K

Verified directly with the developer · Updated 21 Sep 2026

Up to 30 days31 to 60 daysOver 60 days: shown in amber and queued for a re-check
FieldDated separatelyRe-checked
Starting priceYesWith every new price list, and before any shortlist or booking
AvailabilityYesOn request, and before any shortlist or booking
Payment planYesWhen the developer changes it
Launch statusYesWhen the developer announces a change
Sizes, plans, handoverWith the projectWhen the developer releases new material
03

Which source wins

When sources differ, we use them in this order. For a project’s own facts only the first applies: the developer’s figure is the one we publish. The others give market-wide and legal context.

Official sources we cite

Fees, law and visa rules in our guides name the body that sets them. The ones we use most:

  • Dubai Land DepartmentRegistration fees, off-plan registration (Oqood) and project records, including the Dubai REST app.
  • Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA)Developer and project registration, escrow rules and circulars.
  • Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007Escrow accounts for real estate development.
  • UAE Government portal (u.ae)Golden Visa and residency rules.
  • Abu Dhabi Real Estate CentreRegistration and rules for property in Abu Dhabi.
04

How we calculate

Any figure we work out ourselves shows the formula, the inputs and the date, in one line starting “Calculated by OffPlan Insider”. Worked examples use real developer figures.

Cash on day one

price × booking % + 4% registration + trustee fee (about AED 4,200) + developer admin (about AED 3,500)
Booking, 20%AED 192,000
Registration, 4%AED 38,400
Trustee feeAED 4,200
Developer adminAED 3,500
Day-one cashAED 238,10024.8% of AED 960,000

Calculated by OffPlan Insider from the developer’s price and payment plan for Linea and published fees, 21 Sep 2026. If you buy through an agent instead of direct, add 2% commission.

Try it with your price

Median entry price

the middle value of each developer’s published starting price, across the projects we track
Projects with a published price57
Projects without one (left out)8
MedianAED 1.89M

Calculated by OffPlan Insider from developer price lists, 22 Sep 2026.

See it in the market snapshot

Cash over time

each instalment placed on the developer’s schedule; construction milestones spread evenly between launch and handover

Construction-linked dates are our estimate. The developer’s milestone certificate sets the real date.

See a cash curve

Rental yield

gross yield = annual rent ÷ price; net yield also subtracts service charges and running costs

Always labelled as an estimate, with the rent source and date. Never shown as a promised return.

Yield calculator, coming soon
05

Estimates and advice

DeveloperFacts

Prices, plans, sizes and dates from the developer, with the date we checked them.

Official sourceRules

Fees, law and visas, citing the body that sets them.

Our estimateEstimates

Yields, drive times, cash curves and market figures. Labelled every time, never a promise.

Nothing on OffPlan Insider is legal, tax or financial advice. Prices, payment plans, sizes and handover dates come from developers and can change. Take independent professional advice before committing to a purchase.

06

Editorial policy

Who writes and reviews

Guides and reports are written by the OffPlan Insider research desk. Each one shows who wrote it, when it was first published and when it was last reviewed, and ends with three things: its sources, a short “what we could not verify” note, and a change log.

BylineResearch desk, publish and review dates
SourcesDeveloper schedules and official rules, named
What we could not verifyStated plainly, not hidden
Change logEvery update, dated

How we write

Plain English, specific numbers and dates. Every paragraph answers a question, explains a number, compares options or points to the next step. We do not use sales language or badges that cannot be measured:

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How we write about developers

We report what developers publish and what regulators record: projects, prices, plans, handover dates and completed communities. We do not publish rumours, anonymous claims or opinions about a developer, and we do not give developers “trust scores”.

How we are paid, and what that means

OffPlan Insider is a registered marketing partner of the developers it lists and is paid by them, not by buyers. That is why we keep facts, rules and estimates apart and label each one. Lists are ordered only by things we can measure, such as price, handover date or booking deposit, never by “best investment”.

07

Corrections

If something on OffPlan Insider is wrong, tell us. We check it with the developer or the official source, correct the page and add the date to its change log.

  1. You report itUse the form or email hello@offplaninsider.com
  2. We check itWith the developer or the official source
  3. We correct itThe page shows the new update date
  4. We log itIn the page’s change log

Report an error

Thanks. We’ll check it with the source and update the page if it needs correcting.

Corrections log

No corrections published yet. Updates to individual guides appear in each guide’s change log.