Two construction percentages: why the developer says 95% and the regulator says 88%
On one Central Park tower in City Walk an internal inspection reported 95.4% complete while the regulator’s reported 88.3%. Both are official. Where the gap comes from, which number to trust, and for what.
Central Park is the residential phase of the City Walk quarter, built by Meraas between Jumeirah and Downtown around a large internal park. It went on sale in spring 2023 and hands over in stages through 2026 — one tower in August, another in the third quarter, a further phase in the fourth. Buyers in one "project" can therefore receive keys a year apart from their neighbours.
The two numbers
More interesting is what happened on one of the quarter's towers. An internal inspection dated 11 June 2026 put completion at 95.40%. The regulator's own inspection of the same tower, carried out on 12 May 2026, put it at 88.28%. A gap of seven percentage points, and both figures are official.
Where the gap comes from
Three reasons, all systemic rather than specific to this project.
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- Different dates. A month of active construction separates 12 May from 11 June. Part of the gap is simply the calendar.
- Different methods. The regulator measures progress by weighted stages tied to funding and to the release of money from the escrow account. A developer's internal reporting measures the physical volume of work completed. These are two different scales and they are not obliged to agree.
- Different frequency. Regulator inspections happen at intervals; between visits the register's figure does not move even though the site does.
Which number to trust
Both, for different purposes. The developer's figure tells you where construction physically stands now. The regulator's figure is what is documented and what you can rely on in a dispute. For "will they make the date" the first is more useful; for any conversation about your rights, the second.
A practical rule: if the gap between the two is small and both rise from inspection to inspection, the project is running normally. If the regulator's figure has not moved for several quarters while the sales desk talks about being nearly finished, that is worth investigating.
Where to look
Construction progress for a registered project is published in the Land Department register and can be retrieved by project number — together with the escrow account that receives buyer payments. The check takes minutes and needs no intermediary. Asking the sales desk for the percentage and not verifying it against the register is the most common and most expensive shortcut on the primary market.
What else to check before handover
- The date in the contract, not in the presentation, and the length of the grace period that follows it.
- The completion certificate. Keys are issued after it is granted, not when the hoardings come off the facade.
- The snagging list. Inspection with defects recorded is a distinct stage; there is no obligation to sign the handover form before they are rectified.
- Warranty periods. The UAE provides a structural warranty on the building and a separate one on building services. Know the terms before handover rather than after the first leak.
Video on this topic
The same subject on the English channel — each clip has a written version of its own.
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In the news
Other write-ups on the site about the same thing.
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Off-plan money does not go to the developer. It goes to an account opened for one project, at a bank, under supervision, and is released against verified construction. What escrow protects against — and the three risks it leaves entirely with you.
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