Dubai off-plan problems for Canadian buyers: find your stage, then your guide

Which stage of Dubai off-plan problems for Canadian buyers are you at?

Start from what has happened.

Before handover: stages 1 to 4

Most money gets stuck before keys change hands, from a first reservation to selling an unfinished unit.

Stage 1: EOI, booking deposit or cash

Dubai has no published regulator rule for Expressions of Interest; each developer writes its own EOI terms. Get refund terms in writing before paying.

• Reading an EOI offer as a buyer in Canada
• Chasing an unrefunded EOI from Canada
• Getting a reservation deposit back
• Cash paid at a Dubai sales office: what to document

Stage 2: installments and escrow

Under Dubai Law No. 8 of 2007, off-plan buyer payments go into an escrow account in the project's name, shown in the DLD's Dubai REST app.

• Escrow account checks for Canadian payers
• A payment that landed outside escrow
• A progress check before each cheque or wire
• Behind on an installment: the DLD's 30-day notice

Stage 3: delays and cancelled projects

Late handover does not trigger automatic compensation in Dubai. A RERA cancellation does require a full refund, though how much comes back turns on the escrow balance.

• A late Dubai project, owned from Canada
• Reading a revised completion date
• Is a late handover compensable?
• Refund steps after a RERA cancellation
• Following a project through liquidation

Stage 4: leaving the contract or reselling

Under Article 11 of Law No. 13 of 2008, as amended by Law No. 19 of 2020, a developer terminating for buyer default may keep up to 25% of the unit value below 60% whole-project completion and up to 40% from 60%.

• Exit options for an off-plan contract, side by side
• The 25% / 40% retention rules for Canadian buyers
• Assigning a unit before completion from Canada
• A developer that will not sign off on resale

After handover: stages 5 and 6

Near handover, issues shift to defects, area differences, service charges and, if talks fail, formal disputes.

• Snagging and paperwork before accepting the keys
• A service charge invoice bigger than expected
• Checking your building on the RERA index
• No reply from the developer: next moves
• Taking a dispute to the DLD, the courts or arbitration

What can be done from Canada when a Dubai property went wrong?

Canadian authorities can take a fraud report and list lawyers, but cannot intervene in a Dubai dispute.

Toronto is eight hours behind the UAE during daylight time and nine in winter; Vancouver is 11 hours behind year-round since BC adopted permanent Pacific time in 2026. Form T1135 applies where the total cost of specified foreign property exceeds $100,000 (a general pointer only; speak to a tax adviser).

Still buying off-plan in Dubai from Canada? See the global guides on booking deposit refunds and cancelled-project refunds, and run a Property Check before the first transfer.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures change; check the official source before acting. Published 12 October 2026, last updated 12 October 2026.