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Quest Training

Off-Plan Sales & Escrow Governance Training Course

Covers governance of off-plan sales and escrow for developers and regulators: project approval, buyer funds, stage releases, delays, reporting and buyer protection.

RGC · Real Estate Governance & ComplianceAll Levels#3116ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Real Estate & Property ManagementCategories:Real Estate Governance & Compliance

Course Overview

The Off-Plan Sales & Escrow Governance Training Course equips developers, regulators, banks, and compliance teams with a practical understanding of how buyer money and off-plan sales should be governed from project launch to handover. Selling property before it is built has become an active supervisory topic across Gulf markets and raises the same questions in African markets, because buyers fund construction before they receive anything tangible. When controls are weak, the results include stalled projects, diverted funds, disputed handovers, and lost public confidence in the market. The course focuses on governance and management rather than any one country's current rules. Participants examine the common building blocks of an off-plan regime: developer and project registration as a regulatory concept, evidence of land rights and funding, sales authorization, marketing controls, buyer contracts, and the escrow account as the central mechanism for ring-fencing buyer funds. They follow the movement of money in detail, from receipts and account structure to disbursement against independently verified construction progress, retention, reconciliation, and the handling of surplus funds. Participants also study what happens when projects go wrong and how each party should be held to account. The program covers the roles of developer, escrow agent, consultant, auditor, regulator, and buyer; early warning indicators; delay and cost-to-complete assessment; project cancellation, step-in, and replacement of a developer as policy options; and complaint handling. Related topics include anti-money laundering controls on buyer payments, under the FATF Recommendations; revenue recognition under IFRS 15; handover and defects; and reporting to boards and supervisors. The course is delivered through case studies of troubled projects, escrow flow mapping, disbursement review exercises, and a final governance workshop. Participants leave with an escrow control matrix, a disbursement review checklist, a project early warning dashboard, and an off-plan governance framework they can adapt to their own organizations.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain why off-plan sales need specific governance and what risks buyers, lenders, and the market carry.
  • Describe the common components of an off-plan regulatory framework without relying on one jurisdiction.
  • Define the responsibilities of developer, escrow agent, consultant, auditor, regulator, and buyer.
  • Design escrow account structures that ring-fence buyer funds from other developer activity.
  • Establish disbursement controls linked to independently verified construction progress.
  • Review marketing, sales authorization, and buyer contracts for fairness and disclosure.
  • Apply reconciliation, retention, and reporting practices to project escrow accounts.
  • Identify early warning signs of delay, funding shortfall, or diversion of funds.
  • Evaluate policy and contractual responses to stalled and cancelled projects.
  • Implement anti-money laundering checks on buyers, payments, and resales.
  • Develop board and supervisory reporting that gives a reliable view of each project.
  • Assess revenue recognition under IFRS 15 and how it relates to escrow balances and project reporting.
  • Plan handover, defects handling, and the final release of retained funds in a controlled sequence.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for real estate developers' senior managers, project finance managers, sales and customer relations leaders, compliance officers, legal counsel, and internal auditors who are responsible for off-plan projects and the handling of buyer funds. It is equally relevant for officials in real estate regulators, housing ministries, land departments, municipalities, and consumer protection bodies who approve, supervise, or investigate off-plan activity and who shape market policy. Professionals in banks acting as escrow agents, real estate finance providers, project consultants, cost managers, audit firms, and government-related developers across the Gulf and Africa will find the course directly applicable. It is particularly valuable for authorities considering or strengthening an off-plan framework, for developers entering markets where buyer funds are closely supervised, and for internal audit and finance teams reviewing escrow controls and project reporting for the first time.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain the risks of off-plan sales for buyers and markets and the purpose of each governance control.
  • Allocate responsibilities clearly among developer, escrow agent, consultant, auditor, regulator, and buyer.
  • Assess whether a project is ready for launch and sale from a governance perspective.
  • Review marketing materials and sale contracts for clear disclosure and fair terms.
  • Design an escrow structure with defined permitted uses and signatory controls.
  • Review disbursement requests against independently verified construction progress.
  • Reconcile escrow activity and identify irregular payments or diverted funds.
  • Read early warning signs and estimate whether remaining funds can complete a project.
  • Compare the available responses to a stalled project and recommend a course of action.
  • Apply anti-money laundering checks to off-plan buyers, payments, and resales.
  • Build a governance framework and early warning dashboard for off-plan portfolios and individual projects.

Course Outline

Course Outline:

Day 1

Off-Plan Markets and the Case for Governance

  • How off-plan sales work and why developers and buyers use them
  • The risk profile: construction, funding, title, conduct, and market confidence
  • Lessons from stalled projects and off-plan market downturns
  • Common building blocks of off-plan regulation in Gulf and African markets
  • Institutional roles: regulator, land registry, municipality, bank, and consumer protection body
  • Developer and project registration as a regulatory concept and a governance tool
  • Practical application: participants map the risks and stakeholders of a proposed off-plan tower
Day 2

Project Launch, Marketing, and Buyer Contracts

  • Pre-launch controls: land rights, permits, design status, and funding evidence
  • Feasibility, financial capacity, and a developer's total exposure across projects
  • Sales authorization, advertising claims, brochures, and agent conduct
  • Disclosure to buyers: specifications, areas, milestones, service charges, and risks
  • The sale contract: payment plans, delay, variation, cancellation, and buyer remedies
  • Registration of buyer interests and control over assignments and resales
  • Practical application: participants review a sample off-plan marketing pack and sale contract
Day 3

Escrow Architecture and the Control of Buyer Funds

  • The purpose of escrow: ring-fencing buyer money for the project it was paid for
  • Account structure, escrow agreement, signatories, and the role of the escrow agent
  • Control of receipts: payment channels, buyer matching, and unidentified funds
  • Permitted and prohibited uses of funds, including marketing and related-party payments
  • Disbursement against independently verified progress and retention arrangements
  • Reconciliation, audit trail, and controls over surplus funds
  • Practical application: participants design an escrow flow and review a disbursement request
Day 4

Monitoring, Troubled Projects, and Buyer Protection

  • Progress monitoring: consultant reports, site visits, and independent verification
  • Early warning indicators: slowing sales, funding gaps, contractor claims, and site inactivity
  • Assessing delay and cost to complete and comparing them with remaining funds
  • Responses to distress: remedial plans, step-in, replacement of the developer, and cancellation
  • Compensation and refunds as policy questions, and communication with buyers
  • Complaint handling, mediation, and the route to formal dispute resolution
  • Practical application: participants manage a stalled project scenario from first warning to decision
Day 5

Compliance, Reporting, and the Governance Framework

  • FATF Recommendations: anti-money laundering checks on buyers, payments, and resales
  • Revenue recognition under IFRS 15 and its relationship to escrow reporting
  • Handover, defects, and final release of retained funds
  • Board oversight, project dashboards, and internal audit of escrow processes
  • Supervisory data, inspections, and public transparency on registered projects
  • Final workshop: participants build an off-plan and escrow governance framework for a developer or an authority

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Doha · 13 – 17 Jun 2027 · Classroom

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ParisScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,700—
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Sharm El-SheikhScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€4,300—
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SingaporeScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€6,700—
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AbujaScheduled
23 – 27 Nov 2026€5,100€4,590until 2 Nov
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AccraScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€5,100€4,590until 9 Nov
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AmmanScheduled
6 – 10 Dec 2026€3,100€2,790until 16 Nov
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AmsterdamScheduled
7 – 11 Dec 2026€5,400€4,860until 16 Nov
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BakuScheduled
14 – 18 Dec 2026€4,800€4,320until 23 Nov
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BeirutScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,000€3,600until 30 Nov
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BarcelonaScheduled
21 – 25 Dec 2026€5,400€4,860until 30 Nov
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BerlinScheduled
28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027€5,800€5,220until 7 Dec
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CairoScheduled
3 – 7 Jan 2027€3,300€2,970until 14 Dec
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Cape TownScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€5,100€4,590until 14 Dec
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CasablancaScheduled
11 – 15 Jan 2027€4,300€3,870until 21 Dec
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DammamScheduled
17 – 21 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 28 Dec
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DohaScheduled
24 – 28 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 4 Jan
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DubaiScheduled
24 – 28 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 4 Jan
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ErbilScheduled
31 Jan – 4 Feb 2027€3,100€2,790until 11 Jan
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IstanbulScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,700€4,230until 11 Jan
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JeddahScheduled
7 – 11 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 18 Jan
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KigaliScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€5,100€4,590until 25 Jan
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Kuala LumpurScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€4,400€3,960until 1 Feb
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LisbonScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,400€4,860until 1 Feb
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LondonScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€5,600€5,040until 8 Feb
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MadinahScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€4,200€3,780until 15 Feb
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MadridScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 15 Feb
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MakkahScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€4,200€3,780until 22 Feb
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ManamaScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€4,700€4,230until 1 Mar
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MuscatScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,300€4,770until 1 Mar
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OnlineScheduled
28 Mar – 1 Apr 2027€1,700€1,530until 8 Mar
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DohaScheduled
13 – 17 Jun 2027€4,400€3,960until 24 May
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Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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