---
title: "Master developer"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/master-developer
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/master-developer.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A master developer plans and builds the infrastructure of a whole community, then develops plots itself or sells them to other developers to build on."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Master developer

> A master developer plans and builds the infrastructure of a whole community, then develops plots itself or sells them to other developers to build on.

Also known as: Master-developer, Community developer.

## What Master developer means for a buyer

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](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/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](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/master-community) fee for shared infrastructure, separate from your building's [service charges](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charges).
- Its consent, by [NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/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.

## Related terms

- [Master community](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/master-community): A master community is a large district planned and built as a whole by one master developer, containing many separate buildings, phases and shared amenities.
- [Developer](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/developer): The developer is the company that acquires land, obtains approvals, builds a project and sells its homes; off-plan buyers contract with it directly.
- [Service charges](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/service-charges): Service charges are the annual fees every owner pays, per square foot, towards running, maintaining and insuring the shared parts of a building or community.
- [NOC](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/noc): A No Objection Certificate is the developer's written confirmation that it does not object to a property being sold, usually because all charges on it are paid.


---

Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/master-developer. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.