The rule that sets the whole timeline
Off-plan launches in Dubai run on one legal gate. Under Law No. 8 of 2007, Article 5, a developer may not advertise off-plan units in local or international media, or show them at exhibitions, without written authorisation from the Department. In 2025 RERA issued circular 2025-02 after noticing developers marketing projects before completing registration and opening escrow. It tells developers not to market or promote any project until registration is complete and an official permit is issued, requires the permit's QR code on every real estate ad, and prohibits collecting any payment outside the project escrow account.
A law firm summary adds the sequence around it: DLD registration, escrow account, a deposit of 20% of construction cost or a bank guarantee under Law 9 of 2007, then the advertising permit. The practical consequence for marketing: production before the permit, publication after it.
The launch timeline
| Phase | Before or after permit | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Before | One-sentence hook: who the project is for and why this location, this price, this developer |
| Production | Before | Renders, location film, drone of the plot and surroundings, developer interview, show-apartment shoot if built |
| Assets | Before | Landing page, brochure, floor plans, payment plan, WhatsApp flow, broker kit; all unpublished |
| Permit day | After | Permit QR added to every asset; site, ads and social go live the same week |
| Launch event | After | Event permit; filmed for reels and broker follow-up |
| Weeks 1–6 | After | Paid campaigns to the landing page, daily answers on WhatsApp, broker updates on availability |
| Construction | After | Milestone films every quarter for buyers, brokers and phase two |
Drone filming of the plot needs its own permissions; see our drone rules guide. Shooting in public locations needs a DFTC (now the [Dubai Films and Games Commission) filming permit](/journal/dubai-filming-permit-dftc/).
What nobody tells you: the teaser is marketing too
"Something big is coming to Dubai Creek" with a skyline silhouette and the developer's logo is promotion of a project. The circular doesn't carve out teasers, and the industry fine for property advertising without a permit is reported at from AED 50,000, doubled on repeat. If you want pre-launch interest, build it around the developer brand and past deliveries, not the unpermitted project. Our Trakheesi rules guide explains the permit and QR code.
Two other traps:
- Brokers posting early. Developers are held responsible for authorised brokers' materials, according to the Kayrouz summary. Send the broker kit only with the permit QR in it.
- EOIs and deposits. RERA prohibits collecting payments outside the escrow account. A "pay to reserve" form before registration isn't a marketing problem only; it's a legal one.
The broker kit
If you sell through brokers, the kit matters as much as your own ads. It should contain:
- Permit QR and project registration details, ready to place on every post.
- Vertical and horizontal cuts of the launch film, without music they'd need to license again.
- Renders, floor plans and payment plan as editable files.
- A short script for reels: what to say about location, developer and payment plan, and what not to promise.
- Availability updates through one channel, ideally a WhatsApp list or broker portal.
Brokers also need their own permits: the property ad permit and, since February 2026, an NMA Advertiser Permit for social media advertising. Our real estate content guide covers the broker side.
Construction content sells phase two
The off-plan buyer's real question is whether it will be built, and on time. Content that answers it:
- Quarterly milestone films: piling, structure, façade, interiors, with dates on screen.
- The independent proof: escrow releases follow milestones verified by an independent engineer; you can explain the process without overselling it.
- Earlier handovers: if the developer has delivered before, those buildings are your best ad.
- Buyer stories, with written consent.
These films feed buyer updates, broker updates and the next phase's launch at almost no extra cost.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: the launch is a week, the system is two years
Opinion. Developers often spend most of the budget on a launch film and an event, then go quiet until handover. Pretty renders don't build trust over two years. A system does: a landing page that captures every enquiry, a WhatsApp flow that answers buyers and brokers in seconds, CRM follow-up, and construction content every quarter. That keeps phase one buyers calm and fills phase two.
Developer launch checklist
- Registration, escrow and permit dates in the marketing plan.
- All production finished before the permit; nothing published.
- Permit QR placed on every asset on permit day.
- Broker kit with QR, scripts and availability channel.
- No payments outside escrow; no "reserve now" forms before registration.
- Launch event permit and filming plan.
- Quarterly construction films booked for the whole build.
