Dubai Property Handover Checklist for New Owners

Handover follows completion of the project. Under Law No. 13 of 2008, developers must enter completed projects in the Property Register once the competent authorities issue the completion certificate. Sold units are then registered in the names of buyers who have met their obligations. DLD's FAQ notes that for final registration, the developer must have the project status changed to 100% completed.

Before paying the final instalment:

• check the project's status and completion details in Mashrooi (Dubai REST app);
• ask for a statement of account showing all payments made and any balance;
• compare every charge on the handover invoice with the SPA, and ask for the basis of anything not in it;
• pay into the project escrow account named in the SPA, not a personal or third-party account;
• if a bank is financing the balance, give the lender enough time to arrange payment and registration.

Inspect the unit before you sign the handover acceptance. Take dated photos and give the developer a written list of defects (a snagging list), keeping a copy of what you submitted.

Items to test include:

• doors, windows, locks and seals;
• water pressure, drainage and any leaks in kitchens, bathrooms and balconies;
• air conditioning and thermostats;
• sockets, switches, lighting and the distribution board;
• floors, walls, ceilings, joinery and fitted appliances;
• the unit area and parking bays, compared with the SPA.

You can hire an independent inspection company; this is optional.

Under Article 40 of Law No. 6 of 2019, the developer must repair or replace defective installations, including mechanical, electrical, sanitary and sewerage works, for one year from handover. Structural defects are covered for 10 years from the completion certificate. The article states that agreements contradicting it are void. If the handover documents appear to limit these obligations, ask a lawyer before signing.

Keep the following together, on paper and in digital form:

• the handover letter or certificate, and the signed snagging list;
• the final statement of account and payment receipts;
• your Oqood registration and, once issued, the title deed;
• keys, access cards and parking permits, with a list of what was handed over;
• warranties and manuals for installed equipment and appliances;
• the Building Management Regulation and the Master Community Declaration;
• contact details for the management company and the district cooling provider;
• the details you need to open DEWA and district cooling accounts.

Law No. 6 of 2019 makes the plans, the Master Community Declaration and the Building Management Regulation part of the title deed. The developer must file them with DLD within 60 days of the completion certificate, and DLD may extend this by up to 30 days. Read the building rules before you lease or renovate the unit.

For an off-plan purchase, the title deed is issued after completion through the developer. DLD's service 'Request to complete the initial procedures data' allows parties who have met their contractual obligations to be issued a title deed. The developer submits it through the Oqood portal. DLD lists a processing time of six business days, and the output is sent by email.

Where the registration fee was already collected at the Oqood stage, DLD lists AED 250 for the title deed, AED 250 for the map of a unit or villa, and AED 10 each for the knowledge and innovation fees. Check the SPA for whether these are charged to you.

Once the deed is issued, check it with DLD's Verify Title Deed service. Confirm that the names, unit number, area and parking match the SPA. If you financed the purchase, ask the bank to confirm that its mortgage is correctly recorded. If the developer delays registration, DLD's FAQ says buyers can apply to DLD's Real Estate Registration Assurance section with supporting documents.

Electricity and water in Dubai are supplied by DEWA. As an owner, you open your own account through DEWA's move-in (activation) service. A security deposit and fees apply. We could not confirm the current amounts from DEWA's website when this guide was checked, so confirm them with DEWA before handover.

District cooling. If your building uses district cooling, the cooling provider is a separate account. Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2021 requires providers to hold a permit from the Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau (RSB). Tariffs are based on cooling capacity, cooling energy or another basis approved by the RSB. Connection, capacity, consumption and billing service charges must be approved by the Supreme Council of Energy, and a provider may not collect charges that have not been approved. Bills must show the contracted capacity, consumption and unit rates, and customer contracts must use forms adopted by the RSB.

Ask the developer or management company which provider serves the building, whether cooling is included in service charges and how to open the account.

From handover, service charges for your unit are your responsibility. Before a unit is sold, the developer pays its share (Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 25). Charges must be based on a budget approved by RERA (Article 27). You can check the approved rate for your building in DLD's Service Charge Index.

Practical steps:

• register with the management company and confirm the name on your service charge account;
• request access cards, parking permits and any move-in permit the building requires;
• ask whether a first service charge payment is collected at handover and which dates it covers.

The law also limits how unpaid charges are collected. Under Article 29, a developer or management entity must not prevent an owner from taking possession of or using the unit or common facilities in order to force payment of service charges or utility bills. Collection follows the procedure in the law, which starts with a RERA-approved notice. If you lease the unit, you remain liable for service charges when a tenant who is responsible under the lease does not pay (Article 16).

Keep a dated log of defects that appear after handover. Report them to the developer in writing within the one-year period for installations, and keep copies of all correspondence and replies.

Compare the first service charge invoices with the approved rate and with your unit area as recorded on the title deed. Law No. 6 of 2019 says charges are calculated on the area recorded in the Real Property Register. Disputes about jointly owned property follow the procedures set out in that law, and a lawyer can advise on the right route.

This checklist is general information based on sources checked on 28 September 2026, not legal advice. This website is an information service and not a broker; enquiries submitted through it are passed to licensed agents.