Mollak
Mollak is the Dubai Land Department's system for approving, invoicing and collecting service charges in jointly owned buildings and communities.
What Mollak means for a buyer
Mollak, Arabic for "owners", is the platform through which service charges in Dubai are controlled. It links the Dubai Land Department, RERA, the management companies that run buildings and the banks that hold each building's funds.
The process works in a set order. The management company, which must itself be registered in Mollak, submits a yearly budget for the building. RERA has it audited and approves it. Mollak then generates an invoice for each owner based on the approved rate and the unit's area. Owners pay into a dedicated account for that building, and the management company draws on it only for approved expenditure.
The practical rule for an owner is that a service charge demand is valid only if it is a Mollak invoice. Each carries a reference and can be viewed and paid through Dubai REST or the management company's portal. Do not pay service charges against a spreadsheet, an email request or to a personal account, and query any charge that has not come through the system.
Mollak also gives buyers information. Because approved budgets pass through it, the rates feed the DLD's service charge index, which lets you check what a building really costs before you buy. On a resale, ask the seller for the latest Mollak statement showing the account is clear; arrears must be settled before the developer will issue the NOC.
Guides that use this term
Where Mollak comes up in practice, with the costs, rules and steps around it.
Questions about the buying process?
An adviser can explain how this applies to the property you're considering.
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