What happens if an off-plan project is delayed or cancelled?
By Dubainary Research · Updated 2026-09-05 · Buying off-plan
If an off-plan project in the UAE is delayed, your rights are defined by the sale and purchase agreement and land department rules. If it is officially cancelled, remaining buyer funds must be refunded from the project's escrow account after a regulated liquidation process.
Delays
Most sale agreements allow the developer a grace period (commonly 6 to 12 months) beyond the stated handover date before remedies apply. After that, the agreement typically entitles the buyer to compensation or, in serious cases, termination with refund. Read the delay clauses before signing; they differ per developer.
Official cancellation
A project is only 'cancelled' when the land department declares it so. At that point the escrow account is frozen and a liquidation process distributes remaining funds to buyers. Where construction is partly complete, the process can take considerable time.
Your practical protections
Buy only into projects with a registered escrow account, registered contract (Oqood in Dubai), and a developer with delivered projects you can verify. This directory lists each developer's active pipeline so you can see how much they are juggling at once.
What this directory tracks
Project pages show the announced handover quarter and any construction-progress figure released by the developer. A project whose announced dates keep moving is visible here over time.