Who is responsible for building defects found after handover in Dubai?

Responsibility depends on the type of defect, and the law is firmly on your side for the serious ones. Under the UAE Civil Code, the contractor and the supervising architect carry liability for ten years from handover for structural defects and anything threatening the stability or safety of the building — wall cracking and roof leaks of the kind you describe often fall within or close to that category, and in practice the developer who sold you the unit is the party you pursue. Non-structural snags are usually covered by a shorter defect-liability period in your purchase contract, so check what it promises. Logging tickets is not enough: send the developer a formal written notice listing every defect with photos and a deadline to repair, and keep the full ticket history as evidence of delay. If nothing moves, escalate with a complaint to the Dubai Land Department and RERA, and consider an independent engineer's report — in court, cases like this are usually decided by an expert's findings, so a credible report early carries real weight. An experienced property or construction lawyer can frame the claim and manage the expert stage for you.