Master developer

Large parts of the UAE's residential market are built as planned communities, and each has a master developer behind it. That company acquires the land, draws up the master plan, builds the roads, utilities, parks and often the schools and retail, and controls what is built on every plot. Emaar is the master developer of Downtown Dubai, Nakheel of Palm Jumeirah, Aldar of much of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and Marjan of Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah.

Within the community, individual buildings may be developed by the master developer itself or by other companies, usually called sub-developers, that have bought plots. The company you sign your SPA with is the developer of your building; the master developer stands behind the wider setting.

The master developer affects an owner in several ways:

• It sets and enforces design and use rules for the whole community.
• It levies a master community fee for shared infrastructure, separate from your building's service charges.
• Its consent, by NOC, may be needed for sales or alterations.
• Its pace decides when promised amenities, roads and later phases arrive.

The last point is the one to investigate. A sub-developer can finish a tower on time while the surrounding community remains a building site for years. Ask what the master developer has delivered so far, and what is merely planned. On this site a community's master developer is shown on its area page.