Following Article 880 of Federal Law No. 5 of 1985 (UAE Civil
Code), contractors, architects and designers are collectively and
solely liable to the employer for any total or partial structural
collapse of buildings, and any deficiency that threatens the
security and stability of a structure, for a limit of ten years
from the date of handing over works to the concerned individuals.
This liability is known as "decennial liability".
An important fact about this liability is that it imposes a
strict burden, which is, proof of negligence is not required. The
only possible way to avoid decennial liability is if the failure is
because of an external cause which involves a third party.
Decennial liability makes significant cost consequences for
those architects and contractors who are strictly liable for
faults. Decennial liability insurance (DLI) covers for these cost
consequences. In the UAE, DLI is available either as a standalone
policy or as an extension to
