A UAE resident files a RERA complaint through a lawyer authorised by a power of attorney or vakalatnama signed at the Indian mission or attested through MOFA. The complaint goes to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority of the state where the project sits, and most authorities hear matters online. You can claim interest for delay, a refund with interest, or compensation through the adjudicating officer, depending on what you want from the project.
- Document route
- UAE notary, MOFA attestation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation
- Time difference
- IST is 1h30 ahead of UAE time all year (no daylight saving)
- Law
- Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016
- Main remedy
- Section 18: refund or delay interest
Builder Delay & RERA from the UAE: how it works
We collect your allotment letter, builder-buyer agreement, payment receipts and bank statements showing the dirham remittances, plus the email trail with the builder. We check the project's registration on the state RERA portal and its declared completion date. You sign a vakalatnama and, if needed, a limited authority for a relative to appear, either at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate in Dubai, or through a UAE notary with MOFA and mission attestation. Scans are enough to draft and file; originals follow by courier.
The authority usually issues notice to the promoter and lists the matter for hearing, often by video. Decide early whether you want to stay in the project and receive interest for each month of delay, or withdraw and take a refund with interest; the remedies differ. Orders for refund are executed through the recovery mechanism under the state RERA rules, and appeals go to the Appellate Tribunal. Keep paying any instalments due under the agreement unless we advise otherwise, so the builder cannot accuse you of default.
What clients in the UAE should know
- Many Gulf buyers booked through channel partners at exhibitions held in Dubai or Sharjah; brochures and assurances given there are useful evidence of what was promised.
- Interest awarded by RERA is taxable income in India, and a refund paid to you may be credited to your NRO account with tax deducted.
- Remittance records showing that payments came from the UAE help establish your NRI status and the dates of each instalment for the interest calculation.
Step by step from the UAE
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits the UAE, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in the UAE
UAE notary, MOFA attestation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in the UAE where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in the UAE. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on Builder Delay & RERA, or see all services for clients in the UAE and the NRI Property Law practice area.
Questions from clients in the UAE
Do I need to be in India for the RERA hearing?
No. Most state authorities allow online hearings and appearance through your lawyer. Your personal attendance is rarely required.
The builder is in Maharashtra but I live in Abu Dhabi. Where do I file?
Before MahaRERA, because the authority of the state where the project is located has jurisdiction, regardless of where the buyer lives.
Can several Gulf buyers in one project complain together?
Each allottee files a complaint, but buyers in the same project can coordinate, share evidence and have the matters heard together, which often helps.