GlossaryRight of First Refusal (ROFR)

Right of First Refusal (ROFR)

ROFR

A contractual right to match any offer before a property is sold to someone else.

Legal & Ownership

Right of First Refusal gives a named party — often a sitting tenant, co-owner, or the original developer — the right to purchase a property on the same terms before the seller can sell to a third party. In off-plan contexts, some master developers retain ROFR over resales within a community to manage who buys into the development.

Why It Matters

  • Check the SPA for any ROFR clause before assuming you have an unrestricted resale market for your unit.
  • ROFR can slow down a resale, since the rights-holder must be given a window to respond before a sale to another buyer can close.
  • More common in master-planned communities and joint-venture developments than in single-tower new launches.

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