Off-Plan Handover and Snagging in Dubai: A Buyer's Checklist

Handover is the point where a completed property passes from the developer to you. For an off-plan purchase, it comes after the developer receives the building completion certificate and notifies you that the unit is ready.

Before you take the keys and make the final payment, you inspect the property — 'snagging' — and complete the transfer at the Dubai Land Department. Treat the handover notice as the start of your final steps, not the finish line.

A few things to have in order before the developer invites you to inspect and complete.

• Check your payments and Oqood. Off-plan payments go into the project's escrow account, and your purchase is registered on Oqood, the DLD's off-plan register. Make sure your payments and registration are up to date.
• Read the SPA again. Your Sale and Purchase Agreement sets the unit's specification, the completion date and the handover terms. Re-read it so you know exactly what you were promised.
• Wait for the completion certificate. The developer can only hand over once the project has its building completion certificate. The handover notice starts the clock on your final payment and inspection.

Snagging is a careful inspection of the finished unit against the contract and good building standards, listing every defect — a 'snag list' — for the developer to fix before you accept the property. You can snag it yourself or hire a professional snagging company; many buyers do the latter for a brand-new unit.

Inspect before you sign the handover acceptance, because signing can be read as accepting the property's condition. Put the snag list in writing, give the developer the chance to fix the items, and re-inspect once they say it's done.

• Walls, floors, paint and joinery — for cracks, chips and poor finishing.
• Doors, windows, locks and cupboards — that they open, close and seal.
• Air conditioning, plumbing and drainage, sockets, switches and lighting.
• Kitchen and bathroom fittings, water pressure and any supplied appliances.
• That the unit matches the SPA — the size, layout and specification you paid for.

Fixing the snag list is not your only protection. Under UAE law a developer carries a defects liability after handover: broadly, around 10 years for major structural defects — the structure, foundations and load-bearing elements — and about one year for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works and finishes. Your SPA should restate the exact periods.

So a defect you find after moving in may still be the developer's to fix. Report defects in writing as soon as you spot them, and consider a second inspection near the end of the first year. For the precise terms, check your SPA, and take legal advice if a serious defect appears.

Once you accept the unit, the sale is transferred at the Dubai Land Department. For a completed off-plan property, the Oqood registration is converted into a title deed in your name after the final payment and the DLD transfer.

The 4% DLD transfer fee and the registration trustee fee are due at this stage if they weren't paid earlier in the purchase, along with any final instalment to the developer. Check what's outstanding with both the developer and the DLD before you sign off.

With the transfer done, you receive the keys and access cards. Connect DEWA and the cooling in your name, register with the owners' association, and budget for the service charge, which pays for the building's shared upkeep.

If you plan to let the property out rather than live in it, read our landlord guide; to let it short-term to visitors, you'll need a holiday-home permit first.