Defective Owner-supplied Building Materials: Contractor Duties in the UAE

When the employer supplies materials, the contractor must exercise the legally required care and follow technical standards. The contractor’s liability depends on the cause of damage, loss or unfitness and any negligence attributable to it.

Keep receipt and inspection records, storage photographs, test certificates and instructions. Promptly notify the employer of defects discovered during performance or obstacles affecting proper execution, and preserve evidence of that notice.

Supplying the materials does not release the contractor from professional duties or make it automatically liable for every pre-existing hidden defect. The cause, discovery date and response must be examined.

Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 entered into force on 1 June 2026. Check the dates, applicable special legislation and temporal rules for the particular case.