---
title: "Handover"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/handover.md
type: glossary-term
description: "Handover is the point at which a finished off-plan home passes from the developer to the buyer, once the final instalment and handover fees are paid."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Handover

> Handover is the point at which a finished off-plan home passes from the developer to the buyer, once the final instalment and handover fees are paid.

Also known as: Completion, Delivery, Possession.

## What Handover means for a buyer

Handover is the end of the off-plan process. The building receives its [completion certificate](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/completion-certificate), the developer sends you a [handover notice](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover-notice), you inspect the unit, settle what is owed and collect the keys.

The sequence usually runs as follows:

1. Pay the final instalment under the [payment plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/payment-plan), unless part is deferred under a [post-handover plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/post-handover-payment-plan).
2. Pay the handover costs: typically [service charges](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charges) in advance, the [title deed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed) issuance fee and utility deposits for [DEWA](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/dewa) and any district cooling.
3. Carry out [snagging](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/snagging) and agree a list of defects for the developer to fix.
4. Sign the handover documents and take possession. Risk in the unit, and liability for service charges, pass to you.

The handover date in the SPA is an anticipated date, not a promise. Contracts allow the developer extra time, and delays of months are common across the market; where sources quote different dates for a project, treat the developer's latest statement as the working one and plan your finances with a margin.

If you are buying with a mortgage, the bank releases funds at this stage, so the loan must be fully approved before the notice period runs out. Overseas buyers who cannot attend can appoint someone under a [power of attorney](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/power-of-attorney). The [defects liability period](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/defects-liability-period) starts to run from handover.

## Related terms

- [Handover notice](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover-notice): A handover notice is the developer's formal letter telling an off-plan buyer the home is complete and setting a deadline to pay the balance and take possession.
- [Snagging](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/snagging): Snagging is the detailed inspection of a new home at handover to list defects and unfinished work for the developer to put right.
- [Completion certificate](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/completion-certificate): A building completion certificate is the authority's confirmation that a building has been finished in line with its permit and is fit to be occupied.
- [Defects liability period](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/defects-liability-period): The defects liability period is the time after completion during which the developer must repair faults: in Dubai, one year for installations and ten for structure.
- [Title deed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed): A title deed is the land registry's certificate of ownership for a completed property, issued by the Dubai Land Department or, in Abu Dhabi, through ADREC.

## In depth

- [Buying off-plan property in the UAE: how it works and how buyers are protected](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/buying-off-plan-in-the-uae)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.