Snagging in Dubai
The property inspection that finds defects before you accept handover — what it covers, what it costs, and why your mortgage timeline should include it.
Snagging at a glance
Costs are typical market quotes for apartments and townhouses; large villas run higher. The inspection is independent of the bank's valuation — you need both, and they check different things.
What is snagging?
Snagging is a detailed inspection of a new property to catch defects ("snags") before you accept handover from the developer. A professional snagging company works through every room with checklists and instruments — paint and tiling finish, doors and windows, plumbing, drainage, electrical points, AC performance, waterproofing — and issues a photographic report, often listing hundreds of items even in a well-built unit. Most are minor; occasionally the list catches something expensive (failed waterproofing, faulty AC) that would have become your problem after move-in.
When does snagging happen in Dubai?
The window is when the developer issues your handover notice on an off-plan purchase: you inspect before signing the handover acceptance and taking keys. The developer then rectifies the reported snags — and a de-snagging re-inspection confirms the fixes. Under standard Dubai developer sale agreements you also get a defect liability period of around one year after handover for non-structural defects (and considerably longer for structural ones), so a second inspection near the end of that first year is common practice for catching issues that only show up in use.
What snagging costs — and what it saves
Professional snagging in Dubai typically runs AED 1,000–3,000 depending on unit size (large villas more). Against that, inspectors routinely flag rectification work worth tens of thousands of dirhams that the developer — not you — must fix while the unit is still theirs to correct. On a AED 1.5M+ purchase, it's among the cheapest insurance you'll buy.
Snagging and your mortgage
If you're financing an off-plan purchase at handover, the mortgage and the snag list run in parallel: the bank's valuation (AED 2,625–3,150) establishes what the unit is worth, while snagging establishes what condition it's in — the valuer will not check workmanship. Time the snagging inspection as soon as the handover notice lands, so rectification doesn't squeeze your financing deadline: final loan disbursement usually needs to align with the developer's handover completion date. We coordinate this sequencing for buyers on Aldar and other project handovers routinely.
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