What should you check when taking over a Dubai apartment? A room-by-room checklist, photographic defect log and repair follow-up for overseas buyers.
Quick answer: inspect, record defects and verify repairs
Before a Dubai apartment handover, arrange access, have the agreed specification checked and obtain a photographic defect log. In this guide, snagging means a systematic review of defects and incomplete items in the unit. The process ends with checking the repairs, rather than simply producing the first list.
The checklist is a practical buyer’s worksheet, not an official technical certification. It helps you prepare the site inspection and track open questions. Instrument-based, electrical and structural assessments should be performed by suitably qualified professionals. Clarify the legal effect of handover documents separately.
Before the visit: documents, appointment and access
Have the sale agreement, unit plan, specification, promised equipment list and handover notice ready. Confirm the appointment, access conditions for an independent inspector and the defect-reporting channel with the developer. Ask whether the utilities and systems required for testing will be operational.
You can check the project name or number through DLD’s Project Status Enquiry, which also directs users to Mashrooi in Dubai REST. Record the project status separately from the inspection result for your own unit. A project-level record does not establish whether every installation in a particular apartment works.
Room-by-room checklist: six inspection groups
1. Surfaces: walls, ceilings, finishes, visible cracks, damage and moisture marks. 2. Openings: doors, windows, locks, alignment and visible seals. 3. Fitted items: cabinets, worktops, fixings and appliances included in the agreement. Follow the same sequence in each room so that no area is overlooked.
4. Wet areas: taps, sanitary fittings, visible leakage and drainage function checks. 5. Cooling and ventilation: controls, airflow, unusual noise and measurements documented by the inspector. 6. Electrical and safety items: accessible switches, lighting and checks within the professional’s agreed inspection scope.
Identify items that could not be tested, for example because the water supply or cooling was unavailable. Do not convert not tested into passed. Agree inspection methods and any opening-up work in advance; do not remove finishes or open electrical distribution equipment yourself.
What makes a defect log useful?
Give each defect an identifier, exact location, short description, photograph and inspection date. Add the developer’s response, agreed action, agreed deadline and reinspection result. Include the unit number and the document’s version number.
A fictional example entry: F-03; bathroom, connection below basin; dripping during function check; close-up and room-identifying photographs; repair and repeat function check required. This states what needs examination and follow-up more clearly than bathroom is bad.
Three priorities for organising defects
In your tracking system, separate suspected safety issues, defects affecting use and cosmetic defects. A safety concern raised by an inspector, a cooling system that does not operate and a paint blemish should have separate entries. Ask the inspector to explain the classification rather than assigning it by guesswork.
This is an organisational sequence, not an official legal classification. Each priority should have a specific next step: professional assessment, repair, retesting or documentary clarification. The number of defects alone is insufficient; one significant functional problem may require more attention than many minor finish blemishes.
Repair follow-up when you are in Hungary or abroad
Submit the defect log through the agreed developer channel and request acknowledgement or a case reference. Keep repair responses in the same record. After an item is marked complete, request suitable evidence and a reinspection matching the original check.
If you are not travelling, establish who can access the unit, who will recheck defects and who is authorised to sign documents. A video call can supplement a site inspection but cannot replace a function check that was never performed. The inspector’s role and authority to act as your legal representative may require separate arrangements.
Deadlines: do not apply one period to every defect
Article 40 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned property distinguishes structural defects from defective installations. For installations such as mechanical, electrical and sanitary systems, it provides a one-year developer liability period from handover. If the owner refrains from taking possession, the provision starts that period from the project completion certificate. Confirm the legal treatment of your particular defect and transaction individually.
DLD’s FAQ also discusses a 5% retention in the project escrow account. This is a project-level rule; do not treat it as automatic permission to withhold part of your purchase price. Clarify how payments already due, handover and defect resolution interact under your agreement and legal advice.
Common questions before closing the handover
Is a photographic walkthrough enough? It helps record visible condition but does not prove that an unperformed function test passed. What does an inspection cost? Obtain an itemised quote for the specific unit, stating the inspection scope, report and reinspection charge.
What should you resolve before signing? Read what the document confirms, which defects remain open, how it refers to the defect log and what repair action comes next. Clarify open points in writing. Keep the handover documents, versions of the defect log and subsequent repair evidence together.