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DIFC: Proposed Changes to Real Property Law and Regulations

The DIFC has announced a consultation on proposed changes to the DIFC Real Property Law (DIFC Law No. 10/2018) and the DIFC Real Property Regulations 2020.

The consultation is of interest to those purchasing or intending to purchase Off Plan Lots within the DIFC, those purchasing a property with a Mortgage, or entering into Leases of property within the DIFC.

Key proposed changes include increasing the period to Register an Off Plan Sale in the Off Plan Register from 30 days to 60 days. The could also be a clarification of the timeline of when an Off Plan Sales Agreement can be terminated by a Prospective Owner should a Developer fail to provide a Disclosure Statement after the parties have entered into an Off Plan Sales Agreement.

Article 156(4) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 currently requires a Developer to lodge for Registration each Off Plan Sale in the Off Plan Register no later than 30 days after the entering into of an Off Plan Sales Agreement with the Prospective Owner. Any type of reservation form or similar (which is often used at the launch of Off Plan Sales to secure interest in a Lot) where a sum of AED 5,000 or more is received by a Developer is caught within the definition of an Off Plan Sales Agreement. Therefore, the current 30-day period for Registration runs from the effective date of such a form or agreement. However, in practice it may take longer than 30 days for a Prospective Owner to sign the final Sale and Purchase Agreement, once received from the Developer which is why there has been a proposal to extend the time period for registration of an Off Plan Sale to 60 days to cater for this.

Article 160(1) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 requires Developers to provides Prospective Owners with a Disclosure Statement before the parties enter into an Off Plan Sales Agreement. This generally outlines details of the Off Plan Development including community amenities, service charge details and finishes of Lots. Article 160(6) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 permits a Prospective Owner to terminate an Off Plan Sales Agreement at any time prior to the date of handover of the Lot being purchased, if a Developer has failed to provide a Disclosure Statement. .However, the DIFCA believes the period within which this right of termination can be actioned is currently too long, and could potentially lead to Prospective Owners terminating the agreement at the last minute for reasons which were unrelated to the receipt of a Disclosure Statement. The DIFCA still feels it is important for these Disclosure Statements, to be provided but also believe it is necessary to strike the correct balance between the rights of Prospective Owners and Developers and the need to avoid unequitable results created by an arbitrary termination of Off Plan Sales Agreements.

If a Developer does provide a Prospective Owner with a Disclosure Statement after the parties have entered into an Off Plan Sales Agreement, a Prospective Owner will have a period of 60 days to review this from the date of receipt. During this period of 60 days and for a further 20 days after that period, Prospective Owners can elect to terminate an Off Plan Sales Agreement if they decide that the Disclosure Statement does not accurately reflect the Off Plan Development. Article 160(6) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 has been clarified to make it clear that such termination is only effective if exercised “within 20 days of the expiry of the 60-day review period.

Another proposed change is to introducing a Mortgage Registration Fee in the DIFC based on the Mortgage amount, in line with the fee that applies onshore in Dubai and charging a standard lodgement fee of $100 for all Mortgage Instruments which are being Registered in the DIFC (and $273 for Islamic Mortgages) . At present under onshore Dubai laws, a fee of 0.25% of the mortgage amount is levied by the Dubai Land Department to register a mortgage .

The DIFCA has proposed to introduce a Mortgage Registration Fee to the DIFC Real Property Regulations to match the onshore 0.25% of the mortgage amount. It is also proposed that the lodgement fee for both Islamic and non-Islamic Mortgage Instruments would be charged to a flat rate of $100. The DIFCA is not proposing to add a period within which a Mortgage must be registered as it will be in the interest of the Mortgagee to Register the Mortgage if they wish to protect its interest on the Register.

In addition, an increase in the period to Register a Lease with the RORP has also been from 20 days to 30 days has also been proposed (see Article 49(1) and 49(3) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 in order to ensure that Lessors have sufficient time to Register the Lease and pay the Lease Registration fee. Article 49(1) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 requires a Lessor to lodge for Registration a Lease registrable under Article 48(3) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018, within 20 days of the date on which the Lease was entered into by the Lessor and the Lessee. However, feedback has been received from Lessors and Lessees that 20 days is often too short a timeline to Register a Lease especially in cases where the Registered Owners that are overseas which is why this extension has been proposed.

The removal of the requirement for parties to Instruments to have an address for service of notices in the UAE, and there to be a statement a person’s address as shown in any Instrument in which that person first lodges for Registration is treated as the person’s address for service by the RORP has been proposals. Email would also be added as a valid mode of service of notices under Article 169 of DIFC Law No. 10/2018.

Article 169(3) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 sets out the modes of service which are permissible under DIFC Law No. 10/2018. However, the DIFCA now believes it is not necessary for parties to Instruments to provide a UAE address for service, given the number of foreign purchasers there area in the DIFC which is why it has been proposed to remove the requirement for parties to Instruments to have an address for service of notices in the UAE. It has also been proposed that Article 169(2) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 should be deleted and Article 127(1) of DIFC Law No. 10/2018 should be expanded to include that an address for service on the first Instrument Registered by a person is the valid address for service of notices until an application is made to amend the Register. This would ensure that parties to Instruments were aware that the insertion of a different address in a second or subsequent Instrument did not constitute a change in the valid address for service Registered with the RORP.

There has also been a proposed alteration to the definition of Prescribed fee DIFC Law No. 10/2018. DIFCA believes this definition was always supposed to mean the lodging fee for an Instrument with the RORP and that the current definition has created some anomalies in DIFC Law No. 10/2018. Therefore, they propose to amend the definition to mean only the lodging fee for an Instrument.

The consultation ends on 2 August 2024.

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