UAE Mortgage Offer Checklist: Compare Rates and Time Your Refinance

Reviewed 12 October 2026. Product details are a dated review of the linked official sources; your bank's written offer determines your terms.

A useful mortgage rate strategy starts with a written comparison of offers and a realistic completion timetable. Record the full cost, rate after any introductory period, debt remaining when you expect to sell, and the deadlines that could change the offer. This guide turns those details into a practical decision sheet for UAE buyers and existing borrowers.

Step 1: Give every bank the same brief

Specify the transaction type, property, residency, income, existing debt, requested borrowing, salary-transfer preference and term. For refinancing, use the current outstanding principal and remaining term as the first comparison. A new 25-year proposal should be a separately labelled alternative if the existing loan has only 20 years left.

Ask which conditions have been checked and which remain open. An indicative rate without income acceptance, valuation and credit review is different from an approved offer. Record changes to the loan amount or required cash rather than quietly comparing a different transaction.

Step 2: Fill in a complete offer comparison

Field	What to write down	Why it changes the decision
Amount and term	Same borrowing and remaining years in each base comparison.	A longer term can make an offer look cheaper per month while leaving more debt.
Initial pricing	Annual rate, fixed duration and when that period starts.	An introductory percentage is not a lifetime price.
Later pricing	Benchmark, tenor, margin, floor and reset dates.	The follow-on payment can be materially different.
Cash at completion	Down payment or shortfall, lender fees, valuation, property charges and cover.	A fee refunded later may still need funding now.
Ongoing costs	Required life/property protection, account or offset charges and linked-product requirements.	These can offset a small rate advantage.
Early repayment	Planned partial payments, allowance and full settlement calculation.	The relevant cost depends on your actual repayment plan.
Validity	Credit approval, pricing, valuation and completion deadlines.	These dates can differ within the same application.

The fields reflect the product mechanics set out in the ADCB mortgage KFS and Mashreq mortgage KFS; each lender's own documents must supply the values. For a deeper explanation of rate structures, see fixed versus variable mortgage rates.

Step 3: Compare remaining debt as well as payments

The following is a calculation example, not a live rate comparison. It assumes AED 1.2 million outstanding, monthly reducing-balance payments and the stated rate unchanged for 36 months. It excludes fees, protection and day-count differences.

Illustrative option	Monthly payment	Balance after 36 months	Interest over 36 months
Remain at 5.50%, 20 years remaining	AED 8,255	AED 1,092,449	AED 189,617
Refinance at 4.25%, retain 20 years	AED 7,431	AED 1,078,100	AED 145,609
Refinance at 4.25%, extend to 25 years	AED 6,501	AED 1,113,739	AED 147,770

Extending the second option by five years cuts the payment by about AED 930, but leaves roughly AED 35,639 more debt after three years. This shows why a monthly saving is not the same as a finance-cost saving. If a fixed period ends before the comparison date, model the later payments under stated scenarios rather than assuming the initial rate lasts throughout.

Step 4: Calculate the switching cost

Obtain a retention quote from the existing bank, then add the costs unique to switching: early settlement, new processing and valuation, security release and registration, required cover changes, and any other documented charges. Deduct only confirmed waivers or reimbursements.

The CBUAE fee schedule caps the regulated mortgage early-settlement fee at 1% of the outstanding balance or AED 10,000, whichever is lower; confirm applicable VAT. For Dubai, the DLD mortgage-registration schedule has a 0.25% mortgage-value charge and separate service components. Request one itemised completion quote so charges are not omitted or counted twice.

A quick cash-flow screen divides net switching costs by the monthly payment reduction. For example, AED 15,000 divided by AED 750 is 20 months. This is only a screening calculation: changing rates, a longer term, different balances or an early sale can alter the result. For a fair cost comparison, use payments plus the balance owed at the same future date, then add fees and cover and subtract the common starting principal.

Step 5: Work backwards from the real deadlines

Ask the lender for four dates: when credit approval expires, when pricing expires, when the valuation or liability letter needs renewal, and when funds must be disbursed. Do not assume pre-approval locks a rate for the same period.

For example, ADCB's Dream Home FAQ states a 60-day pre-approval period but 30-day hybrid-pricing validity and 60-day variable-pricing validity. This is a bank-specific example. Obtain the validity terms attached to your own case before setting a transfer date or paying non-refundable transaction costs.

For an existing mortgage, start collecting statements and competing offers before the fixed period ends. The useful lead time depends on the property's registration process, lender requirements and document validity; a generic promise of completion within a set number of days is not a reliable plan.

Step 6: Record the decision and review triggers

Keep a one-page record of the accepted offer, why it suited your circumstances, remaining conditions and future reset date. Revisit it if your income changes, you plan a large repayment, or you expect to sell. Use the mortgage calculator for estimates, then check the lender's repayment schedule.

If the proposal increases borrowing, move to the cash-out refinancing checklist; the purpose and approval of additional funds need their own review. If the main question is a future benchmark movement, the EIBOR scenario guide provides a separate sensitivity analysis.

Sources

• ADCB: Mortgage Key Facts Statement, February 2026
• Mashreq: Mortgage Key Facts Statement, revised 19 June 2026
• CBUAE: permitted mortgage early-settlement charges
• Dubai Land Department: Mortgage registration application
• ADCB: Dream Home FAQs, May 2025 version