The NOC fee is the charge a developer makes to issue a No Objection Certificate for a property transfer. It covers the developer confirming that obligations — principally service charges — are settled and that it does not object to the sale.

Where you’ll see it

You’ll see the NOC fee as part of a resale’s completion costs, paid to the developer when requesting the NOC. The amount varies by developer, and the contract usually specifies which party bears it.

Why it matters

The NOC fee is a real, sometimes overlooked, completion cost, and the NOC it pays for is a gateway to transfer. Budgeting for it and clarifying who pays prevents a dispute or delay right before completion.

What it is not

The NOC fee is not the DLD transfer fee or the trustee fee — it is the developer’s own charge. It is also not the same as any outstanding service charges, which must be cleared separately before the NOC is issued.

Example

To obtain the NOC for a sale, the seller pays the developer’s NOC fee and settles outstanding service charges; the developer then issues the certificate enabling the transfer.

Connected documents and parties

NOC, fee receipt, service-charge statement; seller, buyer, developer, DLD.

Going deeper: for the developer NOC process and its costs, see the No Objection Certificate guidance.

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