Handover and Snagging Checklist for UAE Buyers

Handover is the point at which you inspect the unit, record defects, pay any balance due, and register the title. In Dubai, Law No. 6 of 2019 holds the developer liable for structural defects for 10 years from the completion certificate, and for defective installations for one year from handover. In Abu Dhabi, Article 73 of Law No. 3 of 2015 holds the developer liable for 10 years and one year respectively, but both periods run from the Municipality’s final completion certificate, not from handover.

This checklist is for clients of Your Key Property Management LLC. The inspection items are practical advice. The Dubai and Abu Dhabi liability periods cited here are official. In Dubai, 5% of the project escrow account is also retained for a year after units are registered in purchasers’ names.

What should I do before the handover appointment?

1. Read the SPA again. Note the handover date, any grace period, what “practical completion” means, and how defects are to be notified.
2. Ask for the completion certificate (or the building completion document used in that emirate) and confirm that utilities can be connected in your name.
3. Request a statement of sums due: the remaining purchase price, any variation or extra-work invoices, registration fees still outstanding, and the first service-charge demand. Official transfer and mortgage fees are set out in Total cost of buying in Dubai vs Abu Dhabi.
4. Obtain a service-charge position. In Dubai, use the Service Charge Index and ask for a written clearance or NOC. In Abu Dhabi, ask for the approved schedule and confirmation that no non-disposal entry sits on the unit. See Service charges explained.
5. Arrange finance drawdown if you have a mortgage, including valuation and mortgage registration. Off-plan LTV is capped at 50%. See Mortgages for expats and non-residents.
6. Take a copy of the approved drawings and specifications, so you can compare what you were sold with what you are being shown.

If the project is in Dubai, also keep your Oqood certificate ready for title conversion. If it is in Abu Dhabi, use the DARI sale certificate, or the AccessRP record for Al Reem Island and Al Maryah Island. Process background is in Buying off-plan in Dubai and Buying off-plan in Abu Dhabi.

What should I check during snagging?

The following is practical inspection advice, not a legal test. Walk the unit in daylight, with the keys, and take dated photographs and a written list. Where you can, bring a qualified inspector.

• Identity of the unit. Number, floor, parking bay and storage match the SPA.
• Area. Compare the built area with the SPA and, where a measurement standard was specified, with that standard. Do not argue from memory.
• Water and drainage. Run every tap, shower and cistern; check for leaks, pressure and drainage, including the balcony and bathrooms.
• Electrical. Test sockets, isolators, air-conditioning, lighting and the consumer unit. Ask how to isolate the supply.
• Air-conditioning and ventilation. Cooling, leaks around indoor units, and thermostat control.
• Doors, windows and glazing. Alignment, locks, seals, and water ingress around frames.
• Finishes. Floors, paint, joinery, kitchen worktops, appliances that were included in the specification, and any cracked tiles or hollow plaster.
• External areas. Balcony waterproofing, railings, and any private garden or plot boundary on a villa.
• Common parts you will rely on. Lifts, access to your floor, and the route to your parking bay — then report building-level defects separately from unit defects.

Send the snag list to the developer in writing the same day, and keep proof of delivery. Agree, if you can, a date for re-inspection of closed items.

What do the official Dubai liability periods cover?

Article 40 of Law No. 6 of 2019 provides that:

• The developer remains liable for 10 years from the date of the completion certificate to remedy defects in the structural parts of the jointly owned real property.
• The developer remains liable for one year from handover of the unit to repair or replace defective installations, including mechanical and electrical works, sanitary and sewerage installations, and similar installations.
• If the owner refrains from taking possession for any reason, that one-year period starts from the date of the completion certificate.
• These periods do not take away other rights or warranties under other legislation.
• An agreement made after the Law came into force that contradicts this Article is void.

That last point matters: a handover form that asks you to waive these periods should be treated with caution and referred for legal advice.

Separately, Article 14 of Law No. 8 of 2007 requires the escrow agent to retain 5% of the total value of each escrow account once the completion certificate is obtained, and to release it to the developer one year after the units are registered in the purchasers’ names. This supports post-completion obligations; it is not a substitute for your own snag list.

Abu Dhabi defects periods. Article 73 of Law No. 3 of 2015, as published on DARI, provides that:

• The developer remains liable for 10 years for the repair or correction of any defects that threaten the durability and safety of the building, with respect to the structural parts of any building or the common parts in a real-estate development project.
• The developer remains liable for one year for the repair or replacement of defective installations.
• Both periods run from the date of the Municipality’s final completion certificate, not from handover.

Report defects early. The one-year installations clock may already have started before you get the keys. That matters on a project such as Yas Park Place. For a unit registered in ADGM, such as Baheen Tower on Al Reem Island, confirm the applicable ADGM rules, which are a separate legal system.

What happens after I take the keys?

1. Pay the remaining SPA sums only through the agreed official route, usually the escrow account or the trustee / DARI / AccessRP payment screen.
2. Register the title. Dubai: convert Oqood to a title deed at DLD. The DLD registration fee is 4%, paid once at Oqood registration; there is no second 4% at this conversion. Abu Dhabi: complete DARI or AccessRP registration and pay the published transfer fee for that registry.
3. Register any mortgage at the same registry. Official percentages are 0.25% in Dubai and 0.1% in ADREC and ADGM.
4. Connect utilities in your name (DEWA in Dubai; the Abu Dhabi utility provider for the building). Confirm current connection requirements and deposits with the utility; we have not printed unofficial fee amounts here.
5. If you will let the unit, register the tenancy (Ejari in Dubai; Tawtheeq in Abu Dhabi) and only then hand over to a tenant. Yield method is in Rental yields by area.
6. If you need a Golden Visa letter, apply to the land registry after the title (or qualifying off-plan certificate) is in your name. See UAE Golden Visa through property.
7. Keep a file: SPA, payment receipts, Oqood or DARI certificate, title deed, snag list and close-out emails, warranties, service-charge invoices, and the completion certificate if you were given a copy.

Your Key can attend a handover with you and help coordinate registration. We are a brokerage, not a building inspector or a law firm. For serious structural or installation defects, use the statutory route and independent professional advice.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a Dubai developer liable for defects after handover?

Ten years from the completion certificate for structural defects, and one year from handover for defective mechanical, electrical, sanitary, sewerage and similar installations, under Article 40 of Law No. 6 of 2019. If you do not take possession, the one-year period starts from the completion certificate.

What happens to the project escrow account at completion in Dubai?

The escrow agent must retain 5% of the account once the completion certificate is obtained, and release it one year after units are registered in the purchasers’ names, under Article 14 of Law No. 8 of 2007.

What is snagging?

It is the practical inspection of the unit against the contract and good workmanship, to list defects for the developer to remedy. Do it when you take the keys, and confirm everything in writing.

Should I refuse handover if there are defects?

It depends on the seriousness of the defects and on the SPA. In Dubai, refusing possession still starts the one-year installation clock from the completion certificate. Take advice before you refuse.

What official period applies to defects in Abu Dhabi?

Under Article 73 of Law No. 3 of 2015, published on DARI, the developer is liable for 10 years for defects that threaten the durability and safety of structural parts or common parts, and for one year for repair or replacement of defective installations. Both periods run from the Municipality’s final completion certificate, not from handover. Report defects early, because the one-year clock may already have started before you get the keys.

When do I get the title deed?

After remaining payments, any required clearance or NOC, and registration at DLD, DARI or AccessRP, as applicable.

Official sources (as of 16 Nov 2026)

• Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 40 — 10-year structural and one-year installation liability; voiding of contrary agreements.
• Law No. 8 of 2007, Article 14 — 5% escrow retention for one year after unit registration.
• DLD: Request to register the initial sale — Oqood background.
• DLD Service Charge Index
• Law No. 3 of 2015, Article 73, on DARI — 10 years for defects threatening durability and safety of structural or common parts; one year for defective installations; both from the Municipality’s final completion certificate.
• ADREC rules and ADGM Real Estate Services — Abu Dhabi registration routes.

Last updated: 16 Nov 2026

Abdul Shakoor, Founder & CEO, Your Key — RERA certified (Dubai) and ADREC certified (Abu Dhabi)

To arrange a handover or registration appointment, contact Your Key, call or message +971 54 451 7999, or email main@yourkey.ae. Offices: Abu Dhabi, M01, Al Mansouri Building, Al Gheel Street, Al Danah; Dubai, Office 17, 35th Floor, Al Saqr Business Tower, DIFC. Browse off-plan projects if you are still buying.