How Certified Poor works
Certified Poor publishes one thing: what the Dubai Land Department register records about off-plan property, organised so a buyer can use it. Prices are what buyers actually paid, not asking prices. Delivery figures are the dates developers filed with the DLD, not their marketing. We have no inventory, sell nothing, and are not affiliated with any developer, so no one can pay to change a number or a ranking.
Where the numbers come from
| Source | What we use it for | Refreshed |
|---|---|---|
| DLD transactions register | Every recorded off-plan sale: price, size, unit type, project and district. Used for all prices, medians and "most-bought" rankings. | Snapshot of 22 September 2026 |
| DLD project register | Projects registered this year, escrow status, construction percentage and the completion date filed with the DLD. Used for pipelines, escrow and "late" figures. | Every few days (last 19 October 2026) |
| DLD cancelled projects | Projects the register lists as cancelled. | With the register |
| DLD service pages | Official fees: 4% transfer fee, trustee, title deed, mortgage registration, Golden Visa rules. | Checked when rates change |
| Developer material | Payment plans and unit types, labelled as marketed and never presented as register data. | When a project changes |
How each figure is calculated
Independence
Certified Poor is an analysis platform only. It has no property inventory, does not list or sell units, takes no payment from developers and is not affiliated with any developer or agency. Rankings are plain sorts of register data; there are no paid placements. When a visitor asks for a report, we email it to them and may follow up about their search; we never sell or share their details.
Corrections
When we find a figure is wrong, we fix it and say so on the page. Recent corrections:
| Date | What was wrong and what changed |
|---|---|
| 19 Sep 2026 | Construction progress counted 14 projects the register lists as over 100% built (one at 17,692%) as complete. They are now excluded, and "complete" fell from 61 to 47. |
| 19 Sep 2026 | Developer, area and project rankings used hand-typed scores ("reliability 92/100") with no data behind them. All were removed and replaced with DLD register figures. |
| 19 Sep 2026 | Two Emaar vs DAMAC articles gave contradicting, unsourced delivery figures. They were merged into one page built on register data. |
| 18 Sep 2026 | Five area comparisons averaged building medians instead of using all sales. Corrected to true medians, with a note on each page. |
| 18 Sep 2026 | The cost of buying for foreigners understated registration fees. Corrected to the official DLD rates. |
Spotted a wrong figure? Tell us through the contact page with the page and the correction, and we will check it against the register.
Questions
Where does Certified Poor get its data?
From the Dubai Land Department open data service: the transactions register (every recorded off-plan sale), the project register (registrations, escrow status, construction percentage and filed completion dates) and the list of cancelled projects. Fees come from the DLD's own service pages.
Is Certified Poor an agency or a developer?
Neither. It is an analysis site only: it has no property inventory, does not sell units, earns nothing from developers and is not affiliated with any of them. No developer or agent can pay for a ranking.
How often is the data updated?
The DLD project register is re-read regularly, usually every few days. The transactions snapshot was last refreshed on 22 September 2026. Every page shows figures from the latest snapshot automatically.
What does "median price" mean on this site?
The middle recorded sale: half of the sales were above it and half below. It is calculated from all recorded sales in an area or project, never by averaging the medians of individual buildings.