The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) has introduced a framework for registering mortgages on off-plan units. A bank can now be named on the mortgage registration certificate before handover, with the mortgage recorded in the Initial Real Estate Register.
Aldar and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) completed the first transaction under the framework on 4 September 2026. Ghazi Saeed Alateibi, Executive Director of the Real Estate Transaction Sector at ADREC, said the first registration confirms that the service is in live use.
The framework is available to banks and developers that meet ADREC's requirements. ADREC has supported mortgage registration for off-plan units since March 2026. The first transaction under the new framework followed after the participating bank and developer completed the required procedures.
Under the framework, buyers who have already paid 50% of the purchase price can take out a mortgage while the property is still under construction. The bank can then cover the remaining instalments, including the final payment due at handover.
Aldar has made this option available at eligible projects through its free Home Finance by Aldar service. Buyers can use the service to access mortgage offers from more than six conventional and Islamic banks, including:
- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
- Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
- Dubai Islamic Bank
- Emirates NBD
- Emirates Islamic
- First Abu Dhabi Bank
Off-plan sales accounted for 89% of Abu Dhabi’s residential sales value in the first half of 2026, with total residential sales reaching AED 70.4 billion. The emirate also recorded 8,876 mortgage transactions worth AED 26.7 billion during the same period.