A payment plan is a loan from the developer, and like any loan it has a cost and a value. This is Part 5 of my guide to The WOW Tower: both current plans in dirhams for every unit type, the year-by-year cash flow on a one-bedroom, how much of the post-handover instalments the office guarantee covers, and how the plan compares with those of other DLRC projects.
The short version
- Two plans. The standard plan is 35/65: 35% during construction and 65% on handover. The post-handover plan is 50/50: 20% at booking, 30% during construction in stages tied to progress, and 50% after handover over 18 or 36 months, for homes and offices alike.
- The 4% DLD fee and an admin fee are paid at booking on either plan.
- On the 50/50 you will have paid 54% of the price by handover including the DLD fee, and the rest falls in the months when the unit is finished and can earn rent. On the 35/65 the whole price is paid by handover, 65% of it on the day.
- Only the offices carry a guaranteed rent: 7% net a year. It covers about 42% of an office's post-handover instalment on the 36-month option.
- Valued at 5% a year, the 50/50 over 36 months is worth about 12% of the price in today's money, level with the most generous DLRC plans and ahead of the calendar-dated ones. The 35/65 and the 50/50 over 18 months are each worth about 11%.
- On the 50/50, construction instalments wait for progress, so a slower build means slower payments.
The WOW Tower payment plans, in dirhams
In October 2026 The WOW Tower is sold on two plans: the standard 35/65, and the 50/50 with half the price paid after handover. The earlier 60/40 with 18 months after handover, in the developer's fact sheets of May and June 2026, no longer applies.
The 50/50 post-handover plan:
| Stage | Share | Studio from Dh741,000 | 1 bedroom from Dh1.1M | 2 bedroom from Dh1.8M | Office from Dh2.7M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking and SPA signing | 20% | Dh148,200 | Dh220,000 | Dh360,000 | Dh540,000 |
| DLD registration fee | 4% | Dh29,640 | Dh44,000 | Dh72,000 | Dh108,000 |
| During construction, tied to progress | 30% | Dh222,300 | Dh330,000 | Dh540,000 | Dh810,000 |
| Paid by handover, with the fee | 54% | Dh400,140 | Dh594,000 | Dh972,000 | Dh1,458,000 |
| After handover, over 18 or 36 months | 50% | Dh370,500 | Dh550,000 | Dh900,000 | Dh1,350,000 |
| Each month, over 36 months | Dh10,292 | Dh15,278 | Dh25,000 | Dh37,500 | |
| Each month, over 18 months | Dh20,583 | Dh30,556 | Dh50,000 | Dh75,000 |
An admin fee is also due at signing. Any buyer, of a home or an office, can take the 50% over 18 months instead of 36, which doubles the monthly figure. Offices also carry 5% VAT on the price, on either plan, which the developer charges with each instalment rather than up front; on a Dh2.7M office that is Dh135,000 in all. Residential sales carry no VAT.
The SPA sets how the 30% is split across construction stages. The calculations below assume three equal stages of 10%, reached as the build progresses on schedule.
The 35/65 plan:
| Stage | Share | Studio from Dh741,000 | 1 bedroom from Dh1.1M | 2 bedroom from Dh1.8M | Office from Dh2.7M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLD registration fee, at booking | 4% | Dh29,640 | Dh44,000 | Dh72,000 | Dh108,000 |
| During construction | 35% | Dh259,350 | Dh385,000 | Dh630,000 | Dh945,000 |
| Paid before handover, with the fee | 39% | Dh288,990 | Dh429,000 | Dh702,000 | Dh1,053,000 |
| On handover | 65% | Dh481,650 | Dh715,000 | Dh1,170,000 | Dh1,755,000 |
The SPA sets how the 35% is split, including what is due at booking. Nothing is owed after handover, but the 65% has to be ready on the day: from cash, or from a mortgage on the finished unit, subject to the bank. The plan suits a buyer who wants to pay less while the tower is built and to own the unit outright from the first day of letting.
Year by year: a one-bedroom bought in October 2026
Here is the 50/50 over 36 months on a Dh1.1M one-bedroom booked in October 2026, with handover in Q3 2029 and the construction stages spread evenly across the build.
| Year | Paid that year | Paid in total | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dh264,000 | Dh264,000 | 20% at booking plus the 4% DLD fee |
| 2027 | Dh110,000 | Dh374,000 | First construction stage |
| 2028 | Dh110,000 | Dh484,000 | Second construction stage |
| 2029 | Dh155,833 | Dh639,833 | Third stage, handover, first three monthly instalments |
| 2030 | Dh183,333 | Dh823,167 | Twelve monthly instalments |
| 2031 | Dh183,333 | Dh1,006,500 | Twelve monthly instalments |
| 2032 | Dh137,500 | Dh1,144,000 | Last nine instalments, to September 2032 |
Two features of that profile matter. Before handover the payments are modest and spread over three years, which suits a buyer paying from income or savings. After handover the payments are larger and monthly, but the unit is finished and can be let, or the buyer can live in it.
If the home is let at the DLRC median rent signed in the last 90 days, the rent covers part of each 36-month instalment: about 30% for a studio, 29% for a one-bedroom and 23% for a two-bedroom. Over 18 months it covers half as much, and the instalments end in March 2031. The rest comes from you.
On the 35/65 the same one-bedroom needs Dh429,000 before handover, including the fee, and Dh715,000 on handover, with nothing after it. From then on, any rent is income.
What the guaranteed rent covers on an office
The WOW Tower's guaranteed return applies to the commercial offices only, never to the apartments. On an office it is 7% net a year for 10 years. How the guarantee works is covered in Part 7; here is what it does to the payments.
| Entry office at Dh2,700,000 | 36 months after handover | 18 months after handover |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed rent a month | Dh15,750 | Dh15,750 |
| Instalment a month | Dh37,500 | Dh75,000 |
| From your pocket a month | Dh21,750 | Dh59,250 |
| Share of the instalment the rent covers | 42% | 21% |
Those figures assume the rent starts on the day of handover. The lease allows the tenant a short rent-free period first, to fit the office out. Over the whole 36 months that brings the coverage down to about 40%, and on the 18-month option to about 19%. The 7% is net of the service charge, so that does not come out of it; the VAT on each instalment comes on top.
Over the full 10 years the guarantee pays Dh1,890,000, which is 70% of the office's price, before any change in its value. On the 35/65 the office is fully paid at handover, so the Dh15,750 a month is income from the end of the fit-out period, with no instalment against it.
What you need each month to carry the plan after handover
The months after handover are the heavy part of the 50/50. This is what each unit asks of you every month over 36 months, after the rent it could earn.
| Unit at its starting price | Instalment a month | Rent a month | From your pocket a month | Over 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Dh10,292 | Dh3,083 at the DLRC median | Dh7,209 | Dh259,500 |
| 1 bedroom | Dh15,278 | Dh4,417 at the DLRC median | Dh10,861 | Dh391,000 |
| 2 bedroom | Dh25,000 | Dh5,833 at the DLRC median | Dh19,167 | Dh690,000 |
| Office, 36 months | Dh37,500 | Dh15,750 guaranteed | Dh21,750 | Dh783,000 |
Rents for the homes are the median new contracts DLRC tenants signed in the last 90 days; a new building may let for more, and an empty month for less. Service charges on the homes, and VAT on the office, come on top. On the 18-month option each home's instalment doubles, and the share from your pocket rises to about Dh17,500 a month on a studio, Dh26,139 on a one-bedroom and Dh44,167 on a two-bedroom. If those monthly figures are more than you want to carry, the 18-month option is the wrong choice, and a smaller unit or a larger down payment is the right conversation to have before booking, not after.
The real cost of the plan compared with other DLRC plans
A plan that lets you pay later is worth more to you than one that asks for everything now, because your money can earn something in the meantime. To compare plans fairly I discount every payment to today at 5% a year, which is my assumption for what the money could earn elsewhere, not a market rate. The result is what each plan costs in today's money for every Dh1,000,000 of price, if you book in October 2026.
| Plan | Paid by handover | Last payment | Today's value per Dh1M | Handover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The WOW Tower 50/50, 36 months after | 50% | Sep 2032 | Dh875,600 | Q3 2029 |
| Samana Parkville, with cheques: 10%, 10% at month 12, then 1% a month | 43% | Jun 2033 | Dh876,800 | Q3 2028 |
| Samana Ibiza, with cheques: 15%, 10%, 5%, then 1% and 0.5% a month | 50% | Dec 2034 | Dh887,700 | Q2 2028 |
| The WOW Tower 35/65, 65% on handover | 100% | Q3 2029 | Dh890,200 | Q3 2029 |
| The WOW Tower 50/50, 18 months after | 50% | Mar 2031 | Dh890,400 | Q3 2029 |
| The Archive 60/40, dated instalments | 60% | Jul 2031 | Dh922,600 | Q3 2028 |
| The Archive 50/50, half on completion | 100% | Q3 2028 | Dh942,100 | Q3 2028 |
For the 35/65 row I spread the 35% evenly across booking and the three construction stages, since the SPA sets the split. Plans of the other projects are taken from their developers' own websites (Samana, 7 October 2026) and brochure (Imtiaz, 4 August 2026). Wadan lists two plans for Weston, "60/40 PHPP" and "50/50", without the stages, so I could not model them.
What the table says: The WOW Tower's 50/50 over 36 months is one of the two most generous plans in DLRC on this measure, worth about Dh124,000 per Dh1,000,000 of price against paying in full today. Its 35/65 and its 50/50 over 18 months are each worth about Dh110,000, because the large payments still fall three years out. Samana's monthly plans are similar in value but stretch payments to 2033 and 2034. The Archive's plans are dated by the calendar and ask for more before handover.
Two caveats. The WOW Tower hands over a year later than the others, so you wait longer for the keys. And the value of a plan does not change the price: a cheaper unit on a less generous plan can still cost less. Compare the two side by side for your own unit in my payment plan comparator.
What can change the numbers
- A slower build. The construction instalments wait for progress, so a delay pushes them back. Why that matters, and why it is unusual in Dubai, is in Part 6.
- An early finish. Read what your SPA says happens to unpaid instalments if the building completes before the expected date; some contracts bring them forward.
- Finance. Banks lend up to 50% on property bought off-plan under Central Bank rules. After handover the property is finished, and a mortgage on it can refinance the remaining instalments, subject to the bank. More on that in Part 12.
How to read any developer's plan before signing is in decoding developer payment plans. The full series is in the WOW Tower investor guide.
Sources and dates
- The two plans, 35/65 and 50/50 with 18 or 36 months after handover for homes and offices, starting prices, VAT with each instalment: the developer's October 2026 terms, updated 13 Oct 2026. The earlier 60/40: Mr. Eight fact sheets (May and June 2026) and brochures (Aug 2026).
- 7% net for 10 years on offices only: the developer's October 2026 terms. Rent-free fit-out period: the developer's Agreement to Lease, general points only.
- Office service charge: Dh12 interior and Dh3 balcony per sq ft, Mr. Eight, 30 Sep 2026; entry suite areas from the business apartment list (April 2026).
- DLRC median rents: DLD Ejari contracts starting 9 Jul to 7 Oct 2026, via DXB Interact, retrieved 7 Oct 2026.
- Competitor plans: samanadevelopers.com, Samana Parkville and Samana Ibiza pages, 7 Oct 2026; Imtiaz brochure for The Archive, 4 Aug 2026, page 62; wadan.ae Weston page, 7 Oct 2026.
- Present values: my calculation at an assumed 5% a year, monthly discounting, booking in October 2026; for the 35/65, the 35% spread evenly before handover.
- Off-plan lending limit of 50%: Central Bank of the UAE, Regulations regarding Mortgage Loans, Article 3, read 7 Oct 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
There are two. The standard plan is 35/65: 35% during construction and 65% on handover. The post-handover plan is 50/50: 20% at booking plus the 4% DLD fee, 30% during construction in stages tied to progress, and 50% after handover over 18 or 36 months, for homes and offices alike.
On the 50/50, 20% of the price, Dh148,200 on a studio from Dh741,000, plus the 4% DLD fee of Dh29,640 and an admin fee, all at booking and SPA signing. On the 35/65, the SPA sets the booking amount within the 35% paid during construction.
Yes, the 50/50: half the price is paid after handover, over 18 or 36 months. Over 36 months that is about Dh10,292 a month on a studio, Dh15,278 on a one-bedroom and Dh25,000 on a two-bedroom at their starting prices; over 18 months, twice as much.
On the 50/50, 54% of the price including the DLD fee: 20% at booking, 4% DLD fee and 30% during construction, which is Dh594,000 on a Dh1.1M one-bedroom. On the 35/65, all of it: 39% with the fee before handover and the other 65% on handover.
No. Offices are sold on the same two plans as the homes: 35/65, or 50/50 with 18 or 36 months after handover. Offices also carry 5% VAT, charged with each instalment.
On offices only, partly. The 7% net guarantee pays Dh15,750 a month on a Dh2.7M office, about 42% of the Dh37,500 monthly instalment on the 36-month option, and about 21% on the 18-month option. Apartments have no guarantee.
On today's value the 50/50 over 36 months is among the two most generous I compared: about Dh875,600 per Dh1,000,000 of price at a 5% discount rate, with the 35/65 at about Dh890,200, level with Samana Parkville's monthly plan and below The Archive's dated plans at Dh922,600 and Dh942,100.
On the 50/50, the 30% due during construction is tied to progress, so a slower build pushes those instalments back. The booking payment is already in the project's escrow account, released to the developer only against certified progress.
During construction, UAE banks can lend at most 50% of the value of a property bought off-plan. After handover, the finished unit can be mortgaged to refinance the remaining instalments, subject to the bank's own criteria.