A developer missed its handover date by two years. We brought the buyers together and recovered their deposits. Sample case study.
Practice
Real Estate
Forum
Dubai Land Department
Duration
7 months
Team
Youssef Farid, Rania Haddad
Outcome
Deposits returned
The challenge
Twenty-three buyers had paid deposits on apartments due for handover in 2023. Construction had stopped, and the developer was offering vouchers instead of refunds.
Most buyers lived abroad and none could justify paying for a case on their own.
Our approach
We acted for the buyers as one group, so the cost was shared and the pressure was not.
01
Organise the buyers
One engagement letter, one fixed fee split between the buyers and one WhatsApp group for updates.
02
Check the escrow
We reviewed the escrow account and the project registration to show the regulator the developer was in breach.
03
Negotiate the refunds
With a complaint filed, the developer agreed to refund every deposit in three instalments.
Every deposit returned, at a shared fixed fee.
2.1
AED m
Returned to buyers
23
buyers
Represented as one group
7
months
From first meeting to final refund
In the client’s words
“I live in London and could never have done this alone. One fee, one lawyer, and the money came back.”
Buyer · Sample testimonial
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