Welcome back to the dispute.ae podcast. I'm Paul.

In the last episode, we explained how the Dubai Land Department (DLD) determines a project's completion percentage. That percentage is critical because it decides how much a developer may retain if an off-plan Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) is terminated.

Here are the key retention tiers under Dubai's off-plan rules:

• More than 80% complete: The developer may pursue the outstanding balance, request a DLD auction, or terminate the SPA and retain up to 40% of the purchase price.
• 60%–80% complete: The developer may terminate and retain up to 40% of the purchase price.
• Construction started but below 60%: Th ...