How do condominium / service charges work in the UAE in 2026?

Under Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned real property, each owner pays a share of annual service charges based on unit area relative to the whole property. Developers still pay for unsold units. A management entity (developer-appointed facility manager or owners association manager) prepares the budget; RERA reviews and approves it before collection. Approved charges then flow through Mollak, DLD's system for jointly owned property invoices and governance.

Check the live Service Charge Index on DLD or Mollak for the project and budget year before you treat a WhatsApp "AED per sq ft" claim as law. Unapproved demands are challengeable; approved Mollak invoices carry real collection teeth, including written 30-day notices and execution routes at the rental dispute machinery when owners default. Unpaid charges can block a title transfer when you sell.

If you are still deciding whether ownership fits at all, start with whether foreigners can buy property in the UAE. Closing cash (transfer fees, trustee, agency) sits on the purchase-cost sibling; service charges are the recurring line that survives after handover.

Buyers: model service charges as a fixed AED annual cost per square foot of your unit type, then add chiller and DEWA summer spikes. Premium Downtown or Palm towers with large amenities often sit above simpler JVC or Discovery Gardens stock for the same bedroom count. Ask for the latest RERA-approved schedule and any master-community fees layered on top of the tower OA (owners association) budget.

Renters: the legal default is that the owner pays service and usage charges unless the written lease clearly shifts reimbursement to the tenant. Read that clause before you celebrate a "cheap" Marina ask. Even when the landlord pays service charges, you still face DEWA, internet and often separate chiller. Compare the true monthly envelope in how much rent costs in Dubai and utilities, internet and transport.

Abu Dhabi communities on Saadiyat, Yas or Al Reem use DMT / ADREC community management rules and Tawtheeq for tenancies. Do not paste a Dubai Mollak figure onto an Abu Dhabi offer without checking that project's own schedule.