By Parag Deulgaonkar www.business24-7.ae
Even though some developers in Dubai have moved the Dubai court to get property owners pay their outstanding service charges, Emaar Properties is seeking to publish names of defaulters on public notice boards in their respective communities.
The developer has posted notices in certain communities, including the Greens, saying they will publish the names of non-payers on notice boards. According to Emaar’s community service pack for Arabian Ranches, collection of community service fee has fallen from 100 per cent in 2006 to 88 per cent by end of 2009.
An Emaar spokesperson said: “Informing owners about the service charges is a routine community management procedure in line with the regulations by Real Estate Regulatory Agency and other concerned authorities,” an Emaar spokesperson told Emirates Business.
In June, Harbor Real Estate said service charges in Dubai had not declined in 2010 compared to last year, thus impacting the gross rental yields. In a report, exclusively given to Emirates Business, the consultancy, which undertook a comprehensive study of 77 apartment buildings, found the largest increases in service charges in the Views and Greens with an average increase of Dh1.15 per square feet.
This newspaper reported in March that Emaar had raised service fees for its communities in Arabian Ranches, The Meadows and Hattan by between 18 and 46 per cent in 2010 compared to the last year.
Service fees in Arabian Ranches were hiked by 18 per cent to Dh1.78 per square foot of plot area in 2010 compared to Dh1.51 in 2009. During the same period, service charges in Hattan went up by 46 per cent to Dh1.81 per square foot from Dh1.24 per square foot.
