A waiver in Dubai property is one of three things: a real incentive, a negotiated concession, or a marketing phrase dressed up as a benefit. The three look identical in the brochure.
A waiver is a formal exemption granted by a developer or counterparty that eliminates or reduces a fee or obligation that would otherwise apply. Most common is the 4% DLD registration waiver, which is real money off the buyer’s closing cost. Others include service charge waivers (usually 1-3 years post-handover), Oqood fee waivers, and SPA amendment fee waivers. The test of a waiver is always the same: is it written into the reservation form and the SPA, or is it a verbal promise on the sales floor?
A client in early 2024 was promised a “two-year service charge waiver” during a Dubai Hills launch meeting. The SPA did not contain the clause. By the time we noticed, the reservation cheque had cleared. Recovery took four weeks and a direct appeal to the developer’s commercial director.
No waiver exists unless it is in writing in a document you have signed. Verbal waivers do not survive handover.
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