The trustee fee is the charge made by a DLD-approved registration trustee office for processing a property transfer at their counter. The trustee office is the government-authorised venue where buyer and seller complete the transfer and the new title deed is issued.
Where you’ll see it
You’ll see the trustee fee on your completion statement, separate from the DLD transfer fee and any professional conveyancing fee. It is paid at the transfer appointment, usually scaled to the property value, plus VAT.
Why it matters
Buyers budgeting only for the DLD transfer fee can be caught out by the additional trustee fee. Knowing it is a distinct, fixed-tier charge helps you calculate the true cost of completing a purchase.
What it is not
The trustee fee is not the DLD transfer fee (the government registration charge based on property value). It is not the broker commission, and it is not the conveyancer’s professional fee. It pays only for the trustee office’s role in processing the transfer.
Example
At a resale completion, the buyer pays the DLD transfer fee, the title deed issuance fee, and a separate trustee office fee for handling the appointment and registering the new ownership.
Connected documents and parties
Completion statement, transfer application, title deed; buyer, seller, trustee office and DLD.
Going deeper: for a full breakdown of completion costs, see the fee guidance from a Dubai property transfer service.
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Last reviewed: June 2026