Understanding Service Charges Before You Buy in Dubai

Every property in Dubai comes with an annual service charge, billed per square foot and set by the building's owners association. These fees fund maintenance, security, shared facilities and insurance, and they can vary significantly between buildings even in the same neighbourhood. Before buying, ask for the last two years of service charge statements, not just the current rate, since a low first-year fee is sometimes a developer incentive that increases later. A building with a well-run owners association and healthy reserve fund is usually a safer long-term hold, even if its service charge looks slightly higher on paper.