How the government protects buyers: ADREC and the law

Meet ADREC

ADREC stands for the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre. It is the government body that regulates the whole property market in the emirate. Developers answer to it. Projects are registered with it. Your purchase is recorded on its system (DARI). If something goes wrong, it is the referee.

Every project must be registered

A developer cannot legally sell an off-plan home in a project that isn't registered with ADREC. Registration means the government has checked the project, the developer, and the escrow account are all in place before a single unit is sold. If a project is registered, it has cleared that gate.

Even the adverts are checked (Madhmoun)

Abu Dhabi runs a system called Madhmoun that verifies property listings before they can be advertised. It cross-checks that the unit is real, the price and details are accurate, and whoever is marketing it is allowed to. This cuts out the fake listings and inflated claims that plague less-regulated markets. What you see advertised has been checked.

Your money is ring-fenced

As covered in our escrow guide, Abu Dhabi Law No. 2 of 2025 forces every off-plan project to hold buyer money in a protected escrow account that the developer can't freely touch. That single rule removes the biggest risk in off-plan buying.

What happens if a project stalls

This is the question everyone worries about. Abu Dhabi has clear rules for it:

• Your money is already sitting in escrow, not spent by the developer.
• ADREC can step in to protect buyers and, in serious cases, arrange for the project to be completed or the money returned.
• Abu Dhabi's 2026 rules also set out a clear refund and compensation path for off-plan buyers, and require refunds to go out within 15 working days if a project is cancelled.

No system can make delays impossible, but Abu Dhabi's system is built so that your money doesn't vanish when they happen.

Your rights as a buyer, in plain words

• The right to buy only into a registered project.
• The right to have your money held in protected escrow.
• The right to have the developer's claims and adverts verified.
• The right to a refund if the deal is properly cancelled.
• The right to have your name on the official government record as the owner.

The simple version

One government body checks the developer, registers the project, verifies the adverts, guards your money, and stands behind you if things go wrong. That is why off-plan in Abu Dhabi is far safer than most people assume.