Every listing quotes gross. You live on net.
Service charges, the 4% transfer fee, commission, trustee fees and one empty month between tenants. Enter a unit and watch what's left of that 7% headline.
Service charges vary more between communities than rents do.
From the title deed or the listing. Service charge is billed per sqft.
The agreed price, before any fees.
What the listing or a comparable unit achieves in a year.
Self-managing saves roughly 5% of rent and costs you your weekends.
- Fill in the unit and the annual costs will itemise here.
Get this as a one-page underwriting sheet
Every line item, the service charge range for your specific building rather than the community average, and three comparable units underwritten the same way.
One email with the sheet. No call unless you ask.
On its way — check your inbox.
Two identical units, ten thousand dirhams apart
Service charge is set per building, not per community, and RERA approves each budget separately. In JVC alone the spread runs from roughly AED 8 to AED 20 per square foot — so two apartments on the same street can differ by AED 10,000 a year on this line alone. It is the single most under-checked number in Dubai buying.
| Community | Service charge, AED/sqft/yr | On a 900 sqft unit |
|---|---|---|
| International City | 3 – 10 | 2,700 – 9,000 |
| Dubai South | 8 – 12 | 7,200 – 10,800 |
| JVC | 8 – 18 | 7,200 – 16,200 |
| JLT | 12 – 18 | 10,800 – 16,200 |
| Business Bay | 14 – 22 | 12,600 – 19,800 |
| Dubai Marina | 15 – 22 | 13,500 – 19,800 |
| Downtown Dubai | 18 – 30 | 16,200 – 27,000 |
| Palm Jumeirah | 20 – 35 | 18,000 – 31,500 |
| DIFC | 25 – 40 | 22,500 – 36,000 |
The Dubai-wide median sits near AED 17 per square foot across Mollak-registered buildings. Ask for the specific building's approved budget before you sign anything — it is a public figure and any honest agent will hand it over.