First phase of Dubai building classification complete

dubai - It focused specifically on non-freehold areas in Dubai

The Dubai Land Department (DLD) recently announced the completion of the first phase of its building classification project, which was launched earlier in 2015 as an initiative from the DLD to survey real estate projects across Dubai.

Phase one focused specifically on (non-freehold) old areas in Dubai.

Sultan Butti bin Mejren, director-general of DLD, said: "This important project aims to enhance the transparency in real estate transactions by ensuring accurate data is available to government and private real estate customers. Our target was to complete the project by the end of 2017 which we have done."

After a survey of empty land plots, villas, commercial and residential buildings, factories and shopping centres, all types of buildings in Dubai were incorporated into the project's database. This will facilitate rental procedures for tenants, as well as provide a precise classification of each property in the surveyed areas.

The survey examined 100 per cent of land plots outside freehold areas, with the data collected focusing on the current state of the plot, whether there was a building or just vacant land, as well as determining the number of buildings, floors and units (apartments) and the nature of the property's use (residential or commercial).

Moreover, the specifications of the property were also listed according to 64 criteria, which includes the availability of parking spaces, the age of the building, the existence of facilities and services such as lifts, as well as the profile of its location such as sea view.

The survey revealed that 79,280 plots of land are now located in non-freehold areas, compared to 69,982 plots located in freehold areas, bringing the total up to 149,262 plots.

The project will ensure that developers are able to classify their projects according to DLD classifications. With the data, real estate brokers can now list properties based on DLD classification, while allowing companies to classify any property before leasing it.

There is a possibility of modifying the rental increase calculator to reflect the classification of buildings.

- deepthi@khaleejtimes.com