Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, proposes to enact amendments to the DIFC Real Property Law (RPL) and RPL Regulations (Regulations). The proposed amendments seek to provide greater clarity, fairness and flexibility within the RPL regime. Amendments to the Operating Regulations have been enacted to give effect to new powers for DIFC Authority to collect Authority Fees from hotels and other alcohol serving establishments within the Centre.
Jacques Visser, Chief Legal Officer at DIFC Authority said: “We are pleased to announce the launch of a public consultation on proposed amendments to the DIFC Real Property Law and Regulations. These changes are designed to provide greater clarity, fairness and flexibility, ensuring that our legal framework continues to meet the evolving needs of the DIFC community.”
Key amendments
The proposed amendments include:
• Introducing decennial liability for contractors to developers for construction defects in new buildings to mirror the provisions of Article 880 of the UAE Civil Code.
• Providing statutory powers to the RoRP to waive provisions of the RPL in circumstances where the application of the law could produce an unfair or unjust result.
• Increasing the registration period of a lease from 30 to 45 days.
• Increasing the date to pay Freehold Transfer Fees for Off Plan Sales from 30 to 60 days.
• Introducing a penalty fee for failure to register a lease and removing the fee for an application for lapsing a caveat.
Further details about the proposed amendments to the RPL and Regulations can be found in Consultation Paper No. 3 of 2025, available at link. The proposed regulations have been posted for a 30-day public consultation period with the deadline for providing comments ending on 30 November 2025.
-Operating Regulations
Pursuant to a Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee Resolution, DIFCA has been mandated to collect a 7% sales fee from hotels and alcohol serving establishments within the DIFC, rather than those establishments paying this fee to the Dubai Municipality. The Operating Regulations have been amended to provide the DIFC Authority with the power to collect these fees clarify this.
The updated Operating Law Regulations were enacted on 28 October 2025. Laws and Regulations can be accessed via DIFC’s legal database.
