Most owners think of this as the Defect Liability Period, or DLP, and assume it’s a goodwill clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement. In Dubai, it’s stronger than that. For jointly owned property, the developer’s liability is set by statute, and it runs on two separate clocks rather than one.
The timing matters more than usual right now. Dubai completed 104 real estate projects in the first half of 2026 worth more than AED 111 billion, up from 75 projects worth AED 73 billion a year earlier, according to the Dubai Land Department. More than 24,500 new units were added over those six months, an increase of over 36% year on year, with ready-for-handover construction space up 23.4% to 1.95 million square meters. That’s a lot of keys changing hands, and a lot of clocks starting quietly.
What Is the Defect Liability Period in Dubai?
For jointly owned property in Dubai, Article 40 of Law No. 6 of 2019 sets the developer’s obligation. It creates two distinct liability periods:
- Ten years from the date the developer obtains the project completion certificate, to remedy defects in the structural parts of the jointly owned property.
- One year from the date the unit is handed over to the owner, to repair or replace defective installations, including mechanical and electrical works, sanitary and sewerage installations, and similar systems.
That one-year installation window is what most people mean when they say DLP. It’s the short clock; it covers the faults owners actually encounter, and it’s the one that expires while nobody is looking.
One detail worth knowing: where an owner doesn’t take possession of the unit for whatever reason, Article 40 provides that the liability period runs from the date of the project completion certificate instead. Delaying handover doesn’t buy extra warranty.
Many SPAs also contain their own contractual defect liability clause. That sits on top of the statutory position rather than replacing it, and its term can differ, so the contract is still worth reading.
What the Period Covers, and What It Doesn’t
The developer’s liability covers defects in how the property was built and fitted out. It doesn’t cover how it has been used since.
Typically covered within the one-year installation window:
- Electrical works, including wiring, distribution boards and fixtures
- Plumbing, sanitary fittings and sewerage installations
- HVAC and AC systems, including commissioning faults that appear under real load
- Waterproofing failures, particularly in bathrooms and on balconies
- Finishing and joinery defects, where the SPA extends to them
Typically excluded:
- Normal wear and tear
- Damage caused by the owner, a tenant, or a contractor
- Modifications made after handover, including fit-out work
- Items visible at handover and signed off anyway
- Anything never reported to the developer in writing
That last exclusion is the expensive one. A fault raised on a phone call, mentioned to a site engineer, or sent by WhatsApp to a sales agent is, in practice, a fault that was never reported.
Two Clocks, Not One: Structural, Installations and Product Warranty
Three protections apply to a new Dubai property, running on different timelines through different channels. Sorting a defect into the right one on day one saves months of the wrong conversation.
- Installation liability. One year from unit handover, against the developer, under Article 40 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019.
- Structural liability. Ten years from the project completion certificate, against the developer, under the same article. Separately, the federal decennial regime makes contractors and the supervising engineer jointly and severally liable for ten years for total or partial collapse and for defects threatening structural stability or safety. Those provisions now sit at Articles 821 to 824 of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025, the new Civil Transactions Law, which came into force on 1 June 2026 and replaced Federal Law No. 5 of 1985. Claims must be filed within three years of the collapse or of discovering the defect, and the regime cannot be excluded by contract.
- Product and equipment warranties. Roughly 12 to 60 months, covering appliances, AC units and water heaters, claimed against the manufacturer or installer rather than the developer.
So a failed oven in month eight is a manufacturer claim. A leaking bathroom in month eight is an installation claim against the developer. Significant cracking in a structural element in year four is a structural claim, on a completely different clock: same building, three different routes.
The new Civil Code is not retroactive. Facts and acts occurring before 1 June 2026 may remain governed by Articles 880 to 883 of Federal Law No. 5 of 1985, subject to the transitional provisions of the new law.
Snag Before Signing the Handover Acceptance
The strongest position an owner will hold is the moment before signing the handover acceptance form. Faults recorded at that point are documented as pre-existing, which closes off any later argument about who caused them.
A professional snagging inspection in Dubai typically costs between AED 1,000 and AED 3,000 per unit and commonly returns dozens to a few hundred items in a new apartment. That surprises first-time owners, though it shouldn’t. Most items are small: a door that doesn’t close square, grout gaps, a socket wired the wrong way round, an AC vent moving air at half the expected rate. Individually minor. Collectively, a bill.
Photograph everything, date it, and submit the list in writing. A signed acceptance form with an attached snag list is a far better document than a signed acceptance form on its own.
Signing the handover acceptance without an inspection quietly converts the developer’s defect list into the owner’s repair budget.
The End-of-Period Inspection Around Month 11
The second inspection is the one almost nobody books, and it’s the one that pays for itself.
Some faults only appear once a property has been lived in for a full cycle. Waterproofing fails after heavy rain. AC performance drops through a Dubai summer under continuous load. Plumbing joints weep slowly enough that the stain takes half a year to show.
An inspection around month 11 catches those issues while the installation liability is still running. Once month 12 passes, the same list becomes an owner-funded maintenance project. For a first-year owner, a few actions return more.
| MARKET INSIGHT
Dubai issued Law No. 3 of 2026 on the Quality and Safety of Buildings, announced on 10 March 2026. It applies to every building in the emirate, including free zones and DIFC, whether built before or after the law took effect. The law introduces a mandatory Quality and Safety Certificate, issued after a licensed engineering office inspects the building and produces a technical report. Certificates run for 10 years for buildings under 40 years old and 5 years for buildings aged 40 or more. Dubai Municipality administers the regime, and owners are responsible for periodic maintenance and rectification. For owners, building conditions are now documented, certified, and enforceable rather than a private matter between owner and manager. Defect records created at handover feed directly into that file. |
How to Report a Defect and What Happens If the Developer Refuses
Report every defect in writing, within the applicable period, with dated evidence attached. That sentence is the whole process, and skipping any part of it weakens the claim.
In practice: a formal notice to the developer or their appointed facilities team, listing each item, with photographs and the date of discovery. Keep the acknowledgement. If a repair is carried out, record when it happened and whether it worked, because a badly executed repair during the period is still a live claim.
If the developer refuses or stalls, the written record becomes the case. A defect reported in writing and left unfixed supports a complaint to RERA far more strongly than one raised verbally and remembered differently by both sides. The Dubai Land Department and the Rental Disputes Settlement Center both work from documents, not recollections.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the terms of a specific SPA and any claim position with a qualified legal advisor.
Why Overseas and Busy Owners Miss the Window
The clock runs whether anyone is watching it or not.
Overseas owners are the most exposed. Handover happens during a short trip, snagging is rushed or skipped, and the month-11 inspection never gets scheduled because nobody is in the country to open the door. Resident owners lose the window differently, usually to work, to the logistics of moving in, or to the assumption that a brand-new apartment can’t have much wrong with it.
The outcome matches either way. Month 12 passes, the installation liability lapses, and a list of faults that would have been repaired at no cost becomes a set of quotes from third-party contractors. The loss is invisible, which is precisely why it keeps happening.
How KAIZEN Manages Handover and DLP
KAIZEN has managed property in the UAE since 2006 as a RERA-registered manager, with more than 400 million sq/ft under management across the country and over 36,000 units under owners association management.
Handover and DLP Management treats the window as a managed process rather than a one-off inspection: attending handover on the owner’s behalf, commissioning professional snagging before the acceptance form is signed, logging every defect in writing, chasing the developer through each repair, and tracking the expiry date so the month-11 inspection is booked rather than remembered too late.
The property then moves into ongoing unit management, so leasing, rent collection, and maintenance continue without a gap while outstanding defect work is completed. In buildings under KAIZEN owners association management, unit-level and common-area defect records sit in the same system, which shortens the distance between reporting a fault and fixing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the defect liability period in Dubai?
For jointly owned property, Article 40 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 gives the developer one year from the date of unit handover to repair or replace defective installations, and ten years from the project completion certificate for defects in structural parts. A Sale and Purchase Agreement may add its own contractual period on top, so the contract is still worth checking.
What does the developer have to fix?
Within the one-year window, defective installations including mechanical and electrical works, sanitary and sewerage systems, and similar installations. Within the ten-year window, defects in the structural parts of the building. Normal wear and tear, owner-caused damage and post-handover modifications are excluded.
What happens when the one-year period expires?
The cost of repairing installation faults transfers to the owner. Report anything outstanding to the developer in writing before month 12, with dated evidence, so the claim stays live even if the repair runs past the expiry date. Structural liability continues on its separate ten-year clock.
Is a snagging inspection worth it?
Yes. A professional inspection typically costs AED 1,000 to AED 3,000 per unit and commonly identifies dozens to a few hundred items in a new apartment. Catching those issues within the warranty period means the developer repairs them at no cost, which comfortably covers the inspection fee.
What if the developer won’t fix a defect?
Report it in writing within the applicable period and keep the evidence, including photographs, dates, and any acknowledgment. A documented report that went unaddressed supports a complaint to RERA far more effectively than a verbal request. For structural defects, the federal decennial regime under Articles 821 to 824 of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 also applies, with claims filed within three years of discovery.
