Apartment management in Dubai

What is different about managing an apartment

In an apartment you own the unit and a share of the common property. The owners' association, usually through an appointed management company, runs everything outside your front door: lifts, lobbies, pools, gyms, parking, façade, fire systems and often the cooling plant. Service charges for this are governed by Law No. 6 of 2019 and administered through Mollak. Your tenant lives under those building rules, so managing an apartment well means working smoothly with building management, not only with the tenant.

Move-in and move-out permits

Most buildings require a permit before a tenant moves in or out, often with a deposit or a booked service-lift slot. They usually ask for the Ejari, the tenant's documents and confirmation that the owner's service charges are up to date. Without the permit, movers can be turned away at the door. We apply for permits in advance, book slots and make sure the tenant knows the building's rules on timings and access. Rules differ between buildings, so we confirm each one with building management.

Access, parking and amenities

Access cards, parking stickers and amenity registrations are usually issued by building management to registered occupants. We transfer or reissue them at each change of tenant and keep a record of what was handed over in the move-in inspection. Lost cards are a common cost, so the contract should say who pays for replacements.

Who fixes what in a building

• Inside the unit: fittings, appliances, the unit's AC components and internal plumbing — landlord or tenant, depending on the contract.
• Shared systems: lifts, risers, common pipework, façade and central cooling — building management, funded through service charges.
• Grey areas: leaks from the unit above or water through a window seal. We find the source, involve building management and the neighbouring owner, and document everything.

Our maintenance coordination page explains how individual repairs are handled.

Chiller and utility arrangements

Some buildings use district cooling billed separately from DEWA; others include cooling in service charges. Who pays the cooling provider should be clear in the tenancy contract before the tenant signs. Our chiller fees guide explains the common set-ups.

What you provide and what you receive

You provide: Mollak account status, building management contacts, any owners' association notices and the unit's access items.

You receive: confirmation of permits for each move, records of access items issued, updates on building issues affecting the unit, and notice of any owners' association decisions that affect letting, such as new rules on short-term lets or renovations.