Owners' association

In many countries the owners of flats in a building collectively control its management through an association. Dubai's original 2007 law adopted that model, and the term owners' association is still used in the market. The law changed in 2019, and the reality is now different.

Under Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned property, day-to-day management belongs to a management company: the developer or its appointee in large master-planned projects, a hotel operator in hotel projects, and a specialist company selected by RERA in other buildings. Owners are represented by an owners' committee of up to nine members, chosen by RERA, which can be formed once enough units are registered in owners' names.

The committee's role is supervisory and advisory. It reviews the annual maintenance budget, monitors how the management company performs, and passes owners' complaints to RERA if they are not resolved. In ordinary buildings it can ask RERA to replace the management company. It does not hold the building's money or set the service charges; budgets are approved by RERA and collected through Mollak.

For a buyer, the consequence is that owners have less direct control than a British leaseholder with a share of freehold might expect, but more regulatory oversight. In a resale, ask whether a committee exists and how active it is. Abu Dhabi's rules are separate and overseen by ADREC.