Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA)

The Sale and Purchase Agreement is the master contract between buyer and seller — or buyer and developer in off-plan deals — recording the price, payment schedule, completion or transfer date, the exact property specification, and each party's obligations and remedies. In UAE off-plan purchases the SPA is where the real risk allocation lives: handover deadlines and grace periods, compensation for delay, permitted variations in unit size, the defect liability period, fees on resale or assignment, and termination consequences if either side defaults. In secondary-market deals, the SPA (often built on the standard Contract F form in Dubai) governs the period between agreement and the transfer appointment at the trustee office, including deposit forfeiture rules and finance conditions. Because SPAs are drafted by developers or brokers and signed quickly under sales pressure, having the document reviewed before signing is one of the highest-value moments for legal advice in any UAE property purchase.