A useful purchase review ends with evidence and resolved questions, not a folder of documents nobody has compared. Start with the exact property and proposed transaction. A completed apartment, a financed resale and an off plan reservation may require different checks and different sequencing.
This is an original research checklist, not legal, investment or tax advice. It does not certify a property, recommend a purchase or replace a qualified adviser. Agree the required documents and decision points with the professionals handling your transaction.
Establish the property and jurisdiction
Write down the project, building, unit or plot reference and the seller's capacity. Identify the relevant property authority before requesting documents. ADGM's Registration Authority describes property services across Al Maryah and Al Reem Islands. A general Abu Dhabi address is therefore not sufficient to choose a registration workflow.
If the person negotiating is not the named holder, ask your adviser what evidence of authority is required. Do not assume that a company email, business card or possession of keys establishes the right to sign. Record the question without making an allegation about the person.
Build an evidence register
Use the table below as a working file. A requested document is not the same as one received and checked. Assign an owner to each unresolved item and record what must happen before it can be closed.
| Workstream | Evidence to request or establish | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Property identity | Current register reference and matching property documents | Does every document describe the same asset? |
| Authority to transact | Appropriate owner or representative documentation | Who can sign and on what basis? |
| Restrictions and finance | Applicable searches and lender instructions | What conditions affect the proposed transfer? |
| Running costs | Current statements, budgets and charge terms | What is outstanding and how will it be allocated? |
| Condition | Inspection report and agreed remedial record | What is included, defective or untested? |
| Agreement | Reviewed draft and its schedules | What obligations, conditions and deadlines are proposed? |
| Settlement | Written sequence from the relevant parties | What evidence permits each next step? |
The table does not declare every item a statutory requirement in every case. Your adviser should identify which checks apply and what additional records are needed.
Check authenticity without overstating the result
ADREC's Verify Document service provides separate verification options for certificates, tenancy contracts and Madhmoun permits. Use the appropriate document category and official route. Our certificate checking guide explains that narrow task.
Successful document verification does not replace the rest of this checklist. Ask which current records are needed to investigate relevant interests or restrictions. Do not assume a certificate, listing permit or account statement answers all three questions: who holds the asset, who may sign, and whether this transaction can proceed on these terms.
Investigate costs and condition separately
Request dated account statements and the basis for each quoted charge. Separate recurring costs from one time costs and distinguish a management estimate from an approved amount. Have responsibility for any arrears and adjustments addressed in the transaction documents instead of accepting an oral promise that everything is clear.
Ask whether a developer approval or clearance is required for this specific transfer, who obtains it and what the current provider quotation says. Do not build the timetable around a generic fee range or a promised number of days from an unrelated development.
An inspection should identify what was actually accessed and tested. An inaccessible area remains an unknown, not a pass. Record whether furniture, appliances, parking and other items are included in the agreement, then compare that schedule with the home inspected. Where repairs are proposed, retain the agreed evidence of completion and any outstanding questions.
Keep price research in its proper role
Comparable recorded sales can inform a price discussion but cannot validate documents or eliminate defects. Use the same property type, area definition and relevant period where possible. Keep asking prices separate from completed transactions and explain when the available sample is too broad.
Our project sales pages and market reports provide research context. A citywide median is not a valuation of a particular apartment, and a historical comparison is not a forecast.
Agree decision points before money moves
Ask the parties handling the transaction to set out the required evidence, responsibilities and settlement sequence in writing. Where finance is involved, obtain the actual lender requirements instead of assuming that all banks coordinate a release in the same way.
Keep a short unresolved issues list beside the agreement. If the property identity, authority to sign, charge allocation or settlement conditions remain unclear, obtain qualified advice before committing further. The purpose of this checklist is to make those uncertainties visible, not to turn incomplete information into an approval.