POAS Podcast – Episode 08

Welcome back to the POA’s desk.

In Episode 7 we covered the main POA types. In this episode we go deeper on the Property Sale POA — the most common type we draft at POAS, and the one with the strictest requirements from the Dubai Land Department.

A Property Sale POA does one thing. It authorises someone to sell a specific property on behalf of the owner. That sounds simple. But the document has to be drafted with precision, because the DLD will reject it for any of a long list of small errors.

Start with what must be specified. The property itself must be named in detail. That includes the title deed number, the property type, the unit number, the building or community name, and the plot or location reference. A POA that says “to sell my apartment in Dubai” is not enough. A POA that says “to sell apartment 1204 in Aspect Tower, Business Bay, with title deed reference XYZ” is the level of detail required.

The principal must be identified clearly. Full legal name as it appears on the title deed. Nationality. Passport or Emirates ID details. If the principal is a company, the trade licence and authorised signatory must be specified. Any mismatch between the POA and the title deed will cause rejection.

The attorney must be identified clearly. Full legal name. Nationality. Identification details. The relationship to the principal, if relevant. The attorney’s signature is captured at the notary, so they must be present at the notarisation or available for remote verification.

The powers granted must be specific. A Property Sale POA typically includes powers to sign the sale and purchase agreement, agree the sale price within a stated range, attend the trustee appointment, sign all transfer documents, receive the proceeds in the principal’s name or in the attorney’s name on behalf of the principal, deal with the developer for the NOC, handle utility account transfers, and sign any related documents required to complete the transfer.

The document must be bilingual. English and Arabic. The Arabic version is the version that the DLD considers binding, so the translation must be accurate. A small translation error in the powers granted can render the document unusable. This is why we use court-licensed translators and verify the Arabic against the source language before notarisation.

There are several common rejection reasons. The property is not specified clearly, so the DLD cannot match it to a title deed. The principal’s name on the POA does not match the title deed exactly. The powers are too generic and do not specifically authorise the sale. The document has expired or has no clear expiry. The Arabic translation contains errors. The notarisation is incomplete or from an unauthorised notary.

There are also limits worth knowing. A Property Sale POA usually has a validity period. Some are valid for one year, some for two, some for as long as the principal allows. After expiry, a new POA is required. Some POAs include a stated minimum sale price below which the attorney cannot sell. Some include an explicit prohibition on selling to specific parties or related persons. These are protections for the principal and we recommend including them in most cases.

If the attorney is also the buyer, the POA cannot be used. This is a hard rule. Self-dealing is not permitted. The attorney must be an independent third party with no conflicting interest in the transaction.

At POAS, the Property Sale POA fixed fee is AED 2,199. That includes bilingual drafting tailored to the property, verification of the title deed details, confirmation of the parties’ identification, court-licensed notarisation, and digital delivery of the notarised PDF. If the document is rejected for any reason within our control, we redraft and re-notarise at no additional cost.

In Episode 9 we cover the Property Management POA. The document for landlords and overseas owners who need someone to handle their property without authorising a sale.

I’m Patrick. Thanks for joining me at the POA’s desk.