A Dubai buyer can owe service charges before collecting the keys. The answer depends on the property’s status, the purchase documents and the reason handover has not happened. Moving in is not the only date that matters.
If an invoice arrives before handover, ask for the start date, calculation and basis in writing. That gives you something concrete to check against the project’s completion records and your own payment history.
What did the Rental Disputes Center clarify?
In its 2 October 2025 announcement, RDC addressed completed units bought through instalments where final registration or delivery remained outstanding. It described buyers recorded in the preliminary register as liable from project completion or the point of payment default, even before final ownership transfer.
The announcement particularly concerns handover delays attributed to buyers, including outstanding payments. It is a reason to take completion notices seriously. It does not, by itself, settle who caused a disputed delay in your purchase, or whether a particular invoice is correct.
What are service charges paying for?
These charges fund the management, operation, maintenance and repair of jointly owned property. They support shared services such as cleaning, security and common-area maintenance.
Under Article 25 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019, developers pay charges for unsold units and for sold units where their sale or reservation agreement commits them to pay on the buyer’s behalf. Article 27 requires RERA approval before a management entity levies or collects the relevant charges.
Check any service-charge waiver in your agreement: which charges it covers, how long it lasts and who pays after it ends. A launch promotion should not be treated as an indefinite exemption.
Five checks for a pre-handover invoice
- The dates: request the completion evidence, handover notice and the exact period being billed. Keep copies of when notices reached you.
- Your contract: locate the service-charge clause, payment obligations and any written waiver or amendment.
- The outstanding steps: list what each party still needs to do. Separate disputed amounts from payments or documents you have already supplied.
- The calculation: ask for the approved rate, budget year, billable area and any adjustment for part of a year. Check that the invoice identifies the correct unit.
- The recipient: verify the management entity and payment instructions through its established official channel before transferring funds.
DLD’s Service Charge Index lets users look up approved charges by project, use and year. Use the matching period; a neighbouring building’s rate is not evidence for your invoice.
What if you disagree with the charge?
Send a specific written query identifying the amount or period you dispute and attach the relevant records. Request a written response. If responsibility remains contested, have a qualified Dubai property lawyer review the agreement, notices and timeline before deciding how to respond.
The law contains both payment obligations and protections against improper collection methods. Articles 28 and 29 address these separately; a dispute should not be reduced to an assumption that either withholding all payment or withholding access is automatically permitted.
Our practical view: budget for service charges before handover and keep the paperwork organised. For the registration documents, read our Oqood, SPA and title deed guide. For a property shortlist that takes ownership costs into account, speak with Seven Stones.
This guide provides general information. The documents and facts of an individual dispute need professional review.
