Snagging a new villa in Dubai: what to check before handover

Key points

Snag the systems first (waterproofing, AC, drainage, pool, electrics), because cosmetic defects are cheap to fix and system defects are not.
Test things under load: run every AC unit, fill every bath, flush every drain and leave the pool circulating before you sign anything.
Do not accept handover without the completion certificate, as-built drawings, warranties and O&M manuals in hand or on a dated list.
Retention and the final payment are your leverage; once they are released, snag lists tend to stall.
A good snag list is specific, located, photographed and numbered, so nobody can argue about what was meant.

Snagging a new villa in Dubai means testing every system under real conditions and inspecting every finish before you accept the keys, then holding enough leverage to get the defects fixed. Start with waterproofing, air conditioning, drainage, the pool and electrics, because those are expensive to put right later. Collect the completion certificate, as-built drawings, warranties and operation and maintenance manuals before you sign off.

Below is the checklist we use, followed by the documents to collect and the contractor's view of how snag lists get closed or stalled.

When should you snag a new villa?

Snagging comes at the end of construction, after the authority's completion inspection and before you formally accept the villa. In Dubai, the residential permit process ends with a joint completion inspection involving Building Control and other bodies, followed by a completion certificate and service connection (Dubai Municipality). A completion certificate tells you the building meets the authority's requirements. It does not tell you the grout is clean, the shower drains or the AC holds temperature in August.

Published guidance allows around one to two months for snagging (Real Estate Club Dubai). In our experience, the realistic sequence is:

Contractor declares the works complete.
Pre-handover inspection by the owner's side, with a written, numbered snag list.
Contractor closes items.
Re-inspection, item by item.
Handover, with any minor outstanding items listed and agreed in writing.

The Lookout, Mylor, Cornwall. Built by P Chapman Construction.

Systems checklist: test before you look

Waterproofing and roofs

Flood test wet areas and roof terraces where the contract allows, or ask for records of tests carried out before tiling.
Check roof falls: water should run to outlets, not sit in puddles after washing down.
Look for staining on ceilings below bathrooms, terraces and planters.
Check upstands and terminations at door thresholds to terraces. This is where water most often gets in.
Inspect planter boxes and green roofs for drainage and root barriers.

Air conditioning and ventilation

Run every indoor unit at once, on cooling, for several hours. Check each room reaches and holds its set temperature.
Ask for the commissioning records: airflow, refrigerant pressures, chilled water flow where relevant.
Check condensate drains on every unit. Blocked or badly falling condensate lines are a common cause of ceiling leaks months later.
Listen for noise and vibration from outdoor units, especially near bedrooms and neighbours.
Check fresh air and extract fans in bathrooms and kitchens actually move air, and that ducts terminate outside, not into a ceiling void.
Confirm access panels exist for every fan coil unit and valve.

Electrical and low current

Test every socket, switch and light circuit. Label check: does the distribution board schedule match reality?
Test earth leakage protection.
Check external lighting, timers and sensors.
Test data points, Wi-Fi coverage, CCTV, intercom, gate and garage door controls.
If there is home automation, have the integrator demonstrate every scene and hand over admin access and passwords.

Plumbing and drainage

Run every tap hot and cold. Check hot water reaches temperature in reasonable time at the furthest outlet.
Fill every bath and basin to overflow level and let it drain. Watch for slow drainage and gurgling.
Flush every WC repeatedly.
Lift manhole and gully covers; check they are clean, benched and free of construction debris.
Check water pressure across floors, and test the booster pump and water tank.
Look for leaks under every sink and vanity, and at the water heater.

Pool

Leave filtration running for at least a day before inspection. Check water clarity and level stability: a falling level suggests a leak.
Inspect tiles, copings and expansion joints.
Test lights, heater or chiller, cover, and any water features.
Check the plant room: labelling, valves, access, ventilation and drainage.
Ask for the pool's pressure test records and the equipment warranties.

Façade and glazing

Open, close and lock every window and sliding door. Large sliding panels should run smoothly without force.
Check seals and gaskets for gaps, and look for daylight around frames.
Inspect glass for scratches, chips and any marks indicating the wrong specification.
Check external cladding, render and stone for cracks, staining, open joints and colour variation.
After rain or a hose test, check inside for water at sills and corners.
Confirm shading devices and motorised blinds work.

External works

Check paving falls away from the house.
Inspect boundary walls, gates and joints.
Run irrigation zones and check for leaks and coverage.
Look at landscaping drainage: water from the garden should not run towards thresholds.

Room-by-room finishes checklist

Inspect in daylight and again with artificial light at a low angle, which shows up uneven plaster and paint.

Area	What to check
Floors	Lippage between tiles, hollow tiles (tap them), grout consistency, stone sealing, chips, scratches on timber, gaps at skirtings
Walls and ceilings	Cracks, uneven plaster, paint coverage and runs, straight shadow gaps and cornices, clean junctions with joinery
Doors	Swing, closing, gaps, ironmongery fixed and working, door stops fitted, no binding
Joinery and wardrobes	Alignment, soft-close, internal finishes, edge banding, fixings into walls
Kitchen	Appliances installed and tested, worktop joints, sealant, extract ducting, under-cabinet lighting
Bathrooms	Silicone joints, shower screen seals, tile falls to drains, mirror and accessory fixing, no hollow tiles in wet areas
Staircases and balustrades	Fixings solid, glass secure, handrails continuous, finishes undamaged
Basement (if any)	Damp patches, sump pumps tested, ventilation, waterproofing at construction joints

Photograph each item, give it a number and location, and describe the remedy expected. "Paint poor in bedroom" will get a dab of paint. "Bedroom 2, north wall, paint coverage patchy across full wall, repaint wall to match" gets the wall repainted.

What documents should you collect at handover?

Do not accept the keys without these, or at least a dated list of what is outstanding and when it will be delivered.

Completion certificate from the relevant authority (Dubai Municipality, Trakhees or the Dubai Development Authority, depending on where your plot sits), plus any master developer completion or no-objection letters.
As-built drawings for architecture, structure and all MEP services, showing what was actually built, including concealed pipe and cable routes.
Warranties and guarantees: waterproofing, AC equipment, pool, glazing and façade systems, roofing, appliances, pumps, and any structural guarantees. Check whose name they are in and when they start.
Operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals for every system, with maintenance schedules and supplier contacts.
Test and commissioning certificates: electrical, plumbing pressure tests, AC commissioning, fire and life safety where applicable.
Utility account details and confirmation of connections.
Keys, access cards, remotes and passwords, with a signed schedule.
Spare materials: tiles, stone and paint from the same batch, for future repairs.

Under UAE law, the main contractor and the engineer carry a ten-year liability for serious structural defects from handover, now set out in Articles 821 to 824 of the new Civil Code (Charles Russell Speechlys). That covers structural matters, not leaking showers. The handover documents are what let you enforce the rest. Take advice from a UAE-qualified lawyer on how liability applies to your project.

Defects liability period and retention

Most villa contracts include a defects liability period after handover, during which the contractor must come back and fix defects that appear. The length and the mechanics are set by your contract, so read it before handover, not after.

Retention is money held back from payments and released in stages, often part at handover and the rest at the end of the defects period. Together with the final payment, it is your main leverage. Our general rule of thumb: do not release more than the contract requires until the agreed snags are closed and the handover documents are delivered. Check your contract and take legal advice before withholding sums the contractor considers due.

How snag lists get closed out, and how they stall

We spent two decades on the contractor's side of handovers. Here is what we know about how they go.

What gets snags closed

A clean, numbered list. A contractor's site manager can allocate a numbered list to trades in an hour. A vague list becomes an argument.
One list, one owner. When the owner, the family, the interior designer and the consultant all send separate lists, items get duplicated, contradicted and lost.
Money still on the table. On the contractor's side, the jobs we closed out fastest were the ones where a meaningful sum was still to be paid on completion.
Joint walkrounds. Walking the list together, item by item, and signing off what is closed stops the same items being reopened.

What stalls them

Early release of money. Once the final payment and retention have gone, the snag list competes with every other job for the contractor's attention. It usually loses.
Trades demobilised. Subcontractors leave site once their package is paid. Getting a tiler back for three tiles is hard for the main contractor too.
Snags mixed with changes. If the list includes things you have changed your mind about, the contractor will treat the whole list as a variation request. Separate defects from new requests.
Moving in too early. Once furniture and family are in, it becomes difficult to prove who caused a scratch or a chip. Inspect and record before occupation.
No deadline. Agree a date for closing items, in writing, as part of handover.

How Eastbridge can help

We act for the owner at the end of the build, working alongside your registered consultant and contractor. We carry out independent client-side inspections, prepare a clear, numbered snag list, track the close-out, check the handover documents against what the contract requires, and advise on how retention and final payments should be handled commercially. Our snagging and handover service sets out how we work. If your villa is nearing completion, contact us.

Philip Chapman, Founding PartnerFounded and ran P Chapman Construction, a £17m UK builder of award-winning homes, for 21 years. Now represents villa owners in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. About Philip

Questions

When should I snag a new villa in Dubai?

Inspect once the contractor says the work is complete and before you accept handover or release further payment. Ideally do a pre-handover inspection, let the contractor close items, then re-inspect. Published guidance allows around one to two months for snagging.

What is the defects liability period on a Dubai villa?

It is whatever your contract says. Many contracts set a period, often a year, during which the contractor must return to fix defects. Check your contract and take advice from a UAE-qualified lawyer if the wording is unclear.

Should I pay the final instalment before the snags are fixed?

In our experience, no. Hold the final payment and any retention in line with your contract until agreed snags are closed and the handover documents are delivered. Check what the contract allows before withholding anything.

Do I need a professional to snag my villa?

You can do a first pass yourself with this checklist, but system testing, moisture readings and thermal checks benefit from experienced eyes and the right equipment.

Sources

This article is general information, not advice for your specific project. Figures are from the sources cited and change over time.