---
title: "Post-handover payment plan"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/post-handover-payment-plan
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/post-handover-payment-plan.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A post-handover payment plan lets an off-plan buyer take the keys and pay part of the price to the developer in instalments over the following years."
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."
---

# Post-handover payment plan

> A post-handover payment plan lets an off-plan buyer take the keys and pay part of the price to the developer in instalments over the following years.

Also known as: PHPP, Post-handover plan, Deferred payment plan, Post-completion payment plan.

## What Post-handover payment plan means for a buyer

Under a post-handover plan the developer defers a share of the price, often 20% to 50%, beyond completion. You pay the rest during construction and at [handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/handover), move in or let the property, and settle the deferred part in monthly or quarterly instalments over a period that usually runs from one to five years. A plan described as 50/50 over three years means half by handover and half across the three years after it. Instalments are normally interest-free.

The appeal is clear: you can occupy or earn rent while still paying, without a bank's affordability test, which suits buyers who would struggle to obtain a non-resident mortgage.

The trade-offs deserve equal attention:

- **Price.** The developer is lending you money. The cost is built into the price, so compare with similar units sold on standard terms.
- **Title.** In Dubai a unit moves from the interim register to the main register once it is fully paid. Until the last instalment clears you will generally not hold a clean [title deed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/title-deed), or the developer will keep a charge over the unit.
- **Selling and refinancing.** A sale before the plan ends needs the developer's [NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/noc), usually on settlement of the balance, and banks are reluctant to lend against a unit that still owes its developer.
- **Default.** Missing payments after you have moved in can still lead to termination and loss of sums paid.
- **Visas.** Eligibility for property-linked residency can depend on how much you have paid.

See [payment plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/payment-plan) for how the stages before handover work.

## Related terms

- [Payment plan](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/payment-plan): A payment plan is the developer's schedule of instalments for an off-plan home, usually a deposit, stage payments during construction and a balance at handover.
- [Handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/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.
- [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.
- [NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/noc): A No Objection Certificate is the developer's written confirmation that it does not object to a property being sold, usually because all charges on it are paid.

## In depth

- [Off-plan payment plans explained: 80/20, 60/40, 1% monthly and post-handover](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/off-plan-payment-plans-explained)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/post-handover-payment-plan. 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.