Off-plan property cancellation grounds clarified under Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008

Dubai off-plan buyers may seek court termination of a purchase agreement under Article 20 of Executive Council Resolution No. 6 of 2010 on grounds including material specification changes, failure to link payments to RERA-approved construction milestones, and material construction defects rendering a unit unfit for use. A buyer may also pursue cancellation if the developer refuses to deliver the final sale agreement without acceptable reason, declines to link payments to construction milestones, or materially departs from agreed contract specifications. Project delay alone is not an automatic cancellation trigger; the agreed handover date, extension provisions, reason for delay, project progress, and breach seriousness must be assessed. Where RERA cancels a project by final reasoned decision, the developer must refund all purchaser payments according to escrow legislation. Buyers should review the sale and purchase agreement, check official project status via DLD's Project Status Enquiry, match instalment demands to the contract and receipts, and identify the legal ground for any cancellation claim before withholding payment or seeking court relief. General contract rules under Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 on Civil Transactions (effective 1 June 2026) may also apply.