Two laws in pipeline to protect investors, end users in Dubai property market

the first law says property developers must own the land and have completed at least 20 per cent of construction before they can request consent from the real estate regulatory authority (rera) and are allowed to sell off-plan. the second law says the payment plan must be linked to construction milestones and a maximum of 20 per cent of the property price can be taken up front.

both are in draft form at the moment but expected to be implemented soon, according to lisa dale, partner in law firm al tamimi and company. a law already in place says that developers will be cancelled from the real estate register if they do not start construction of the project within six months of the date when approval was granted to sell off-plan.