Law No. 6 of 2019chapter by chapter

Article 4Jointly Owned Real Property Register

The DLD maintains a special Jointly Owned Real Property Register recording land plot/Unit/Owner details, Owners Committee members, Building Management Regulations, Plans, Management Entities, management contracts, Common Parts area ratios, and Developer-owned Areas; interested parties may access the register and obtain certificates/deeds.

Article 6(b)Jointly Owned Real Property Title Deeds

An Occupant is obligated towards the Developer, Owner, other Occupants, and the Owners Committee to comply with the Master Community Declaration, Statute, and Building Management Regulation to the extent applicable.

Article 6(c)-(e)Jointly Owned Real Property Title Deeds

A Developer must file the Plans, Master Community Declaration, Statute, and Building Management Regulation with the DLD within 60 days of obtaining the completion certificate (extendable by 30 days for valid reasons); failure allows the DLD to appoint another entity to file/maintain these documents at the Developer's expense.

Article 16Leasing out Units

An Owner may lease out a Unit, but remains liable for Service Charges and Usage Charges even if the tenant fails to pay, unless the lease agreement states otherwise.

Article 17Disposition of Common Parts and Common Facilities

Common Parts may not be converted to private property, subdivided, or disposed of independently from their Units without prior DLD and Competent Authority approval; Common Facilities may not be disposed of, altered, redesigned, or shut down in a manner restricting Owner use without such prior approval.

Article 18Management of Common Parts

Jointly Owned Real Property is classified into 3 categories with distinct management regimes: Category 1 (Major Projects) - Developer self-manages with an RERA-selected Owners Committee; Category 2 (Hotel Projects) - management outsourced to a Hotel Project Management Company; Category 3 (other projects) - management undertaken by a RERA-selected specialised Management Company. A Developer may outsource Category 1 duties to a Management Company with RERA approval.

Article 19Management of Common Facilities

A Master Developer must outsource management/maintenance of Common Facilities in a Master Project to a Management Company under a written agreement approved in advance by RERA.

Article 20Building Management Regulations

A Developer must issue Building Management Regulations for its Major Projects and Hotel Projects, RERA-approved before any legal disposition of Units; RERA issues these regulations for other Jointly Owned Real Property lacking one; phased developments require a Building Management Regulation for each developed phase.

Article 21Master Community Declarations

A Master Developer must issue a RERA-approved Master Community Declaration before any legal disposition of land, buildings, or Units in a Master Project; amendments affecting purchaser rights require prior RERA approval.

Article 22Owners Committees

An Owners Committee (Category 1/3) comprises up to 9 RERA-appointed members, constituted once 10% of Units are registered; members must have full legal capacity, reside in the property, be of good character, pay Service/Usage Charges, and actively participate; a Developer may serve only if it owns unsold Units; RERA replaces non-compliant members and may reconstitute the Committee.

Article 23Meetings of Owners Committees

An Owners Committee must convene quarterly (4 times/year), with its first meeting within 30 days of constitution; the Management Entity must designate a meeting venue and appoint a rapporteur to prepare reports/minutes.

Article 24Duties of Owners Committees

The Owners Committee must verify Management Entity compliance, review maintenance budgets, escalate unresolved complaints to RERA within 14 days of Management Entity inaction, notify urgent structural/Common Parts defects, and coordinate on safety/environmental matters.

Article 25Service Charges

Owners pay their share of annual Service Charges (calculated by Unit area ratio) to the Management Entity; a Developer pays Service Charges for unsold Units and for sold Units where it has contractually undertaken to pay on the purchaser's behalf.

Article 27Approval of Service Charges and Usage Charges

A Management Entity must not charge or collect Service/Usage Charges without prior RERA approval, based on the Master Community Declaration and Director General criteria; RERA may not approve a budget unless certified by a RERA-recognised audit firm (a temporary budget may be approved in the interim).

Article 28Non-payment of Service Charges or Usage Charges

An Owner or Sub-developer may not refrain from paying RERA-approved Service/Usage Charges, and may not waive their Common Parts interest to avoid payment.

Article 29Preventing Owners from Using Units

A Developer or Management Entity must not take action to prevent an Owner from taking possession of or using a Unit, Common Parts, or Common Facilities as a means of forcing Service Charges/Utility Services payment outside the Law's stipulated procedures.

Article 30Deposit and Disposition of Service Charges

A Management Entity must open a dedicated Service Charges account with a RERA-recognised bank per Jointly Owned Real Property, deposit collected charges within 7 working days of collection, and use the funds only for the 10 prescribed purposes (cleaning, security, maintenance, insurance, audit fees, Management Company fees, Developer admin expenses, emergency cash reserve, RERA inspection fees, and other RERA-approved Master Community Declaration costs); funds are immune from Management Entity c

Article 31Deposit and Disposition of Usage Charges

A Master Developer must open a dedicated Usage Charges account per Major Project with a RERA-recognised bank, deposit collected charges within 7 working days, and deposit a RERA-determined percentage of net profits from commercial Common Facilities use within 10 days of collection; funds are restricted to Article 30(e) purposes and immune from Master Developer creditor attachment.

Article 32Collection of Service Charges and Usage Charges

The Management Entity has a lien on each Unit for unpaid Service Charges (barring disposition until paid); non-payment triggers a 30-day RERA-approved written notice, after which the claim is enforceable via the RDSC execution judge, potentially including public auction of the Unit; the defaulting Owner bears resulting court/legal fees.

Article 34Conclusion of Contracts and Agreements

A Management Entity must conclude the necessary maintenance/security/cleaning/insurance contracts to perform its duties, and must provide RERA a periodic report every 6 months on management and maintenance works performed.

Article 35Repair and Maintenance Works

Where RERA finds Common Parts/Facilities inadequately maintained, it may serve a written notice specifying required works and completion dates; failure allows RERA to appoint another entity and debit costs to the Service/Usage Charges account.

Article 36Security Deposit for Repair of Common Parts and Common Facilities

A Management Entity must provide a DLD-favour bank guarantee (amount as determined) as security for Common Parts/Facilities damage caused by its omission or negligence; RERA may order remedy within a set time limit, failing which RERA may appoint another entity and deduct costs from the guarantee.

Article 39Alterations to Jointly Owned Real Property

An Occupant may make substantial alterations to a Unit or the Jointly Owned Real Property only with Master Developer, DLD, and Competent Authority approval; unauthorised alterations make the Occupant liable for remedy costs, with RERA/Master Developer able to appoint a remedying entity and recover costs from the Occupant.

Article 40Liability of Developers

A Developer remains liable for 10 years from the completion certificate date to remedy structural defects, and for 1 year from Unit handover (or completion certificate date if the Owner delays possession) to repair/replace defective MEP and similar installations; any post-Law agreement contradicting this is null and void.

Article 41Insurance of Jointly Owned Real Property

A Management Entity must insure Jointly Owned Real Property for maintenance/reconstruction (fire, damage, destruction) with itself as beneficiary, and must insure against liability for damage/bodily injury to Occupants or third parties; premiums are passed through Service Charges.

Article 44Sanctions and Administrative Penalties

A fine of not less than AED 1,000,000 (doubled on repetition within 1 year, capped at AED 2,000,000) applies to violations of this Law and its implementing resolutions; the specific violation-fine schedule is set by a separate Executive Council resolution.

Article 46Grievances

An affected party may submit a written grievance to the Director General against a decision/measure under this Law within 30 days of notification; the grievance is determined within 30 days by a Director-General-appointed committee, without prejudice to recourse to the RDSC.

Article 48Compliance

All Developers, Management Entities, and Owners Associations were required to comply with this Law within 6 months of its effective date (extendable); the Law applies without prejudice to pre-existing contracts and RERA-filed Master Community Declarations, except for Owners Association constitution exemptions.

Article 49Succession of Owners Associations by Management Entities

All rights and obligations of Owners Associations arising before this Law's effective date were transferred to Management Entities.