When your developer sends the handover notice, your unit is ready and someone needs to attend an appointment to review and sign documents, collect keys and access cards, and register utilities. If you are not in Dubai, a notarized Power of Attorney is usually what lets someone else attend and sign on your behalf. The one thing to get in the right order: any inspection needs to happen before you sign the handover documents, not after, because signing off means you have accepted the unit as it is.
What the developer's handover notice means
The handover notice is the developer's formal signal that your unit is complete and ready for you to take possession. It sets out an appointment (or a window to book one) and usually a list of what to bring or have ready: identification, any outstanding payment confirmation, and in many cases proof of who is authorized to sign if it is not you personally.
What exactly is required, which documents, which forms, whether the utility registration happens at the same appointment or separately, differs from developer to developer. There is no single fixed process across Dubai. We confirm the specifics for your project and unit before your appointment so there are no surprises on the day.
What happens at the handover appointment
A handover appointment typically covers four things:
- Document review. Contracts, statements and any final paperwork are reviewed and explained before anything is signed. Nothing gets signed without you knowing what it means.
- Signing. You, or whoever is holding your Power of Attorney, signs the handover documents and any developer forms needed to close out the process.
- Keys, access cards and remotes. These are collected and logged at the appointment, unit by unit, card by card.
- Meter and utility setup. DEWA registration, and cooling registration with Empower or Emicool where the building has district cooling, so the unit has power, water and cooling active. Utility registration can also be booked as its own service if you need it handled separately from a full handover, for example when a tenant moves in later.
Why a Power of Attorney is usually what makes remote handover possible
Many developers will only accept a signature from the titleholder at handover, unless someone else has been formally authorized to sign on their behalf. That authorization is a notarized Power of Attorney. Without one, you are generally expected to attend in person.
With a POA scoped for handover attendance, we can attend the appointment, review and sign the documents, and collect your keys and access cards for you. The POA itself is handled in-house: appointing and instructing the notary, coordinating the notarized video call where the developer requires one, and carrying it through to the finalized document. You define the scope, which can cover handover attendance, registrations, utility setup or transactions, and you provide passport copies of every owner granting the POA.
Inspect before you sign, not after
This is the sequencing point that causes the most regret when it is missed. Once you sign the handover documents, you have accepted the unit in its current condition. Getting a defect fixed after that point becomes a matter of chasing the developer rather than a straightforward part of handover itself, and if it does need chasing later, that is what defect resolution management tracks and follows through on.
A snagging inspection done before you sign, ideally scheduled right before or at the same time as the appointment, checks finishes, plumbing, electrical, AC, paintwork, doors, windows and structural details against industry standards. It produces a detailed photo report, and if issues are found, that report goes to the developer for remediation while you still have full standing to ask for fixes as a condition of acceptance. You do not need to attend the inspection yourself, and it works for off-plan units right up to the point of handover.
What a complete handover pack should contain
Requirements differ by developer, but whatever process you go through, there is a set of items you should end up holding once handover is complete. Use this to check whether you actually received everything.
| Document / item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Signed handover documents | Your record of what you agreed to and the reference point if anything is disputed later |
| Keys, access cards and remotes | Physical access to the unit, logged against what was actually handed over |
| DEWA registration confirmation | Establishes the utility account in your name so power and water are active |
| Cooling registration confirmation (Empower or Emicool, where applicable) | Confirms district cooling is registered if your building requires it |
| Snagging report, if one was done | Documents the unit's condition independently of the developer's own sign-off paperwork |
| Complete digital handover pack | Every document, photo and receipt from the appointment, kept as one record |
Book the handover service
We attend the developer handover appointment on your behalf: document review and signing coordination with nothing signed without you, collection of keys, access cards and remotes, DEWA and cooling registration, and a complete digital handover pack in your dashboard once it is done. Many developers require a notarized POA before we can sign for you, and we handle that too if you do not have one in place yet.
The Handover Service is priced by bedroom count and property type, with a calculator on the service page, from AED 1,500.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be in Dubai for handover?
Not if you have a notarized Power of Attorney that covers handover attendance. With that in place, we can attend the appointment, review and sign on your behalf, and collect your keys and access cards.
Can I still get defects fixed if I already signed off?
It is harder once you have signed, since acceptance has already happened. It is not necessarily closed off entirely, but it means going through defect resolution management to chase the developer rather than raising it as part of handover itself. That is why a snagging inspection before you sign is worth scheduling.
What is included in utility setup at handover?
DEWA registration, and cooling registration with Empower or Emicool where the building has district cooling. It is included as part of the handover appointment, and utility registration is also available as a standalone service if you need it done outside of a full handover.
What if I do not have a Power of Attorney yet?
We can arrange it. A POA for handover is handled in-house, from instructing the notary to coordinating a notarized video call where the developer requires one, through to the finalized document.
What should I have in hand once handover is done?
Signed handover documents, your keys and access cards, confirmation of DEWA and cooling registration, and a complete digital handover pack with every document, photo and receipt in your dashboard. See the table above for what each item is for.
Does the process work the same at every developer?
No. The document list, whether utility registration happens at the same appointment, and what is required to sign on your behalf all differ by developer. We confirm the specifics for your project before your appointment.