The approved budget comes before the unit bill.
DLD says RERA approves the service or usage-charge budget after an approved auditor completes its review. The owner's contribution is then linked to the property's area and share. The fee is therefore not a flat Dubai-wide tax and not a reliable area-wide average: two buildings with different shared facilities and operating budgets can produce different recurring costs.
For a household, that amount belongs beside mortgage payments, utilities and private repairs. For a landlord, it comes out of rental income before a net return can be discussed. A larger pool, lift system or landscaped estate may add everyday value, but the relevant comparison is what the particular home's annual charge buys.
Match the project, usage and budget year in the index.
Open DLD's Service Charge Index or Dubai REST. Select the exact project, its usage and the required year; Mollak also offers a title-deed route. Save the result with the budget period and project identity visible. A residential charge and an office charge, or a previous budget year and the current one, are not interchangeable results.
Reconcile the displayed rate and the area used on the unit's invoice. Where the calculation separates area categories or other components, keep those components separate; do not apply one rate indiscriminately to every square foot in a listing. The example below assumes a single chargeable area only, so its arithmetic is intentionally simpler than a bill with several components.
Reconcile the invoice before carrying the cost into a purchase.
The Mollak index explicitly excludes arrears. A current-year charge of AED 20,000 and an unpaid balance of AED 6,000 are two different entries, not a new annual rate of AED 26,000. In a resale, set out the budget charge, payments already made, credits and outstanding balance with their periods; then record the allocation agreed for transfer.
Mollak's payment page points owners to the account shown on the invoice and to approved payment channels. Keep the invoice and payment reference together, and notify the management company where required. A seller's bank details or an old screenshot should not replace the unit's current invoice record.
Worked example: from a rate to an annual ownership cost
Illustration only, not a quote for any building: assume one chargeable area of 1,000 sq ft, an AED 18 per sq ft annual operating rate and an AED 2 per sq ft reserve contribution. Both assumed components use the same area; neither is an observed market rate.
Assumed inputs and arithmetic, not a real building's approved charges| Component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|
| Operating contribution | 1,000 sq ft × AED 18 / sq ft / year | AED 18,000 / year |
|---|
| Reserve contribution | 1,000 sq ft × AED 2 / sq ft / year | AED 2,000 / year |
|---|
| Combined annual charge | AED 18,000 + AED 2,000 | AED 20,000 / year |
|---|
| Monthly budget equivalent | AED 20,000 ÷ 12 | AED 1,666.67 / month |
|---|
The monthly equivalent helps household budgeting; it does not change the invoice's actual due dates. If a verified total rate already includes the reserve, do not add it again. Private repairs, utilities, financing and any arrears remain separate from this example.
