Off-Plan Assignment (Resale)

An off-plan assignment is the resale of a property that is still under construction: the original buyer transfers their rights and obligations under the SPA to a new buyer before handover and before any title deed exists. In Dubai the transaction runs through the developer and the Oqood interim register — the developer's consent and NOC are required, developers commonly impose conditions such as a minimum percentage of the purchase price already paid before they will permit assignment, and an administrative or NOC fee applies. The price is typically the amount the seller has paid to date plus an agreed premium (or minus a discount in soft markets), with the new buyer stepping into the remaining payment plan. Legal risk concentrates in sequencing: the new buyer should pay against the developer's confirmation and registration of the transfer, not on a private agreement alone, since rights exist only as recorded in the interim register.