Snagging in Qatar: handover, defects liability and decennial liability
Qatar's snagging practice looks a lot like Dubai's: a handover notice, an inspection, a photographed snag list, repairs and a re-inspection before you accept the property. The legal framework underneath has two layers.
Snags: the contract and its defects period
Ordinary snags — finishes, fittings, MEP faults — are dealt with under the contract. Most sale agreements and construction contracts set a defects liability period, commonly 12 months from handover, during which the developer or contractor must come back and fix what you report. Read your contract for the exact length and the notice it requires.
As everywhere, the time to raise snags is before you sign the handover. After that, your list is competing with every other buyer's.
Structural defects: decennial liability
Qatar's Civil Code (article 711 onwards) makes architects, engineers and contractors strictly liable for the total or partial collapse of a building, and for defects that threaten its stability or safety, for ten years. Fault does not have to be proved, the liability cannot be excluded by contract, and a claim can be brought for a period after the collapse or discovery — so exposure can run past ten years.
That is protection against serious failure, not cosmetic snags. A crack in a tile is a defects-period issue; a crack that threatens a structure is a decennial one.
Snagging a property in Doha
- Inspect after the handover notice and before signing acceptance.
- Pay attention to air conditioning, water leaks, balcony drainage and joinery.
- Number, photograph and locate every item — on a plan if you can.
- Re-inspect ("de-snag") before accepting, and again before the defects period ends.
This is a general guide, not legal advice. Periods and rules change, and your own contract can add to them — check it, and take professional advice before relying on a deadline.