Service Charge Calculator: Dubai

Annual service charge = approved rate (AED per sq ft) × unit area (sq ft)

In a jointly owned building, each owner pays a share of the annual budget for managing, running, maintaining and repairing the common parts. Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 bases that share on the area of your unit, as recorded in the Real Property Register, compared with the total area of the property (Article 25).

The management company can't charge owners anything for the common parts without RERA's approval, and RERA only approves a budget once a certified audit firm has approved it (Article 27). If a rate is disputed, RERA-approved invoices are the reference.

If your rate and area use different units, pick each unit in the calculator and it converts them (1 square metre = 10.7639 square feet).

1. Open the Service Charge Index on the Dubai Land Department website, the Mollak portal or the Dubai REST app.
2. Choose the project (building) from the list, then the usage (for example, residential or office).
3. Choose the year. Budgets are approved each year, so rates can change from one year to the next.
4. Enter the rate shown, with your unit's area, in the calculator above.

You can also look up a specific unit by its title deed certificate number, or pick the building on a map (the index's "Select on Map" option). DLD notes that the index excludes arrears, and that invoices issued after 2019 count balcony area differently from the main unit, so your invoice may not exactly equal rate × total area.

Illustrative figures only. AED 15 per sq ft is a round number to show the arithmetic, not the rate for any real building. Look up your own in the index.

• Master community charges. Master developers can collect separate usage charges for community-wide facilities (Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 26). Add them in the optional field if you pay them.
• Your own utilities. Electricity, water, cooling and internet for your unit are usually billed separately. DLD notes that cooling for the common areas is part of the charges.
• Arrears, fines and one-off levies. Only the annual charge is shown.
• Billing schedule. Quarterly and monthly figures are the annual charge divided evenly; check your invoice for when payments fall due.

Service charges come off your rent in a net yield: see the rental yield calculator. For a wider explainer, read understanding service charges in UAE properties.