Mortgage basics
How do I use Lenddoo's UAE mortgage calculator?
Open the mortgage calculator, enter the property price, your deposit, and the term you want. It returns an indicative monthly instalment at current baseline rates, plus an estimate of upfront costs like the DLD transfer fee and mortgage registration, so you can see the full cash outlay, not just the loan repayment.
What this calculator is for
The mortgage calculator starts from a property price you already have in mind and shows the resulting instalment and upfront costs. If you don't have a specific property yet and instead want to know your maximum borrowing power from income, use the affordability calculator instead, see the affordability walkthrough or the affordability maths behind it.
Step 1: enter property price and deposit
On the mortgage calculator, start with the property's purchase price and how much deposit you're putting down. The tool checks this against typical LTV bands, up to 80% for expat residents on a first home under AED 5M, lower for investment property or higher-value homes, and flags if your deposit doesn't meet the minimum.
Step 2: choose your term and see the instalment
Select a term of up to 25 years. The calculator applies an indicative baseline rate to show your estimated monthly instalment. Since Emirates NBD's indicative fixed rate around 3.89% is often the lowest in market, with most other banks sitting 0.05-0.10% above, treat the output as a useful benchmark rather than a guaranteed quote.
Step 3: check the upfront cost estimate
| Cost | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| DLD transfer fee | 4% of property price |
| Mortgage registration + admin | ~0.25% + AED 290 |
| Bank arrangement fee | 0-1% |
| Valuation fee | AED 2,500-3,500 |
| Trustee fee | ~AED 4,200 |
| Agency commission | ~2%, if using an agent |
A worked example
For a AED 2M property with a 20% (AED 400,000) deposit, you'd finance AED 1.6M. Over 25 years at an indicative 3.89% fixed rate, the reducing-balance monthly instalment works out to roughly AED 8,300, before adding property and life insurance premiums. The calculator also totals the upfront cash needed, typically the 4% DLD fee plus registration and valuation, so you can see the full completion budget, not just the repayment.
How this differs from the affordability calculator
This tool works from a property price you already have in mind and shows repayments and fees. If you don't have a specific property yet and want to know your maximum borrowing power based on income, use the affordability calculator instead.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to budget for the ~2% agency commission on top of DLD fees
- Assuming the displayed rate is guaranteed rather than indicative
- Not checking LTV eligibility before assuming a given deposit is sufficient
- Ignoring life and property insurance premiums when estimating total monthly outgoings
What to do next
Once you have a realistic instalment and cost estimate, move to a pre-approval comparison to see actual offers from 18+ banks based on your documents.
Run the numbers on your own case
Free Lenddoo tools and guides related to this article.
Last reviewed 18 July 2026