06/04/2017
Located close to Al and , the community comprises 2,376 villas and 1,818 apartments and houses over 16,000 residents.
In January, developer Manazel Real Estate sent emails to owners announcing a hike in service and district cooling fees. This was after raising the transfer charges last year in the case of a property sale. “The hike is ridiculous. It is almost 50 per cent,” said Lebanese expat owner of a one-bedroom apartment, who has been charged Dh14,317 towards annual service fees. He paid Dh9,792 last year.
Penalties “We have not been given sufficient warning or justification for the increase. Additionally, in the email, the developer warned owners that a penalty of 12 per cent would be applicable to those who fail to settle the dues within a month of the invoice date.” Adding to his woes is a steep hike in the annual district cooling capacity charge which has risen from Dh546 to Dh2,000.
A western expat owner of a three-bedroom apartment said his service fees went up from Dh21,058 to Dh30,791, and the capacity charge from Dh1,269 to Dh4,930. “This is way to high” he lamented.
Another issue have with the is that is not been registered with as per No. 3 of 2015 regulating the real estate sector in the capital. “Without registration we are unable to form an owners’ association which would have allowed us to take charge of the development,” said a resident. “The law also stipulates that there should be an escrow account for every residential development. Should this happen at , the owners will know where their money is being spent. The developer has not shared with us any report or financial statement of the development,” he said. The petition also includes issues related to lack of facilities in the development.
claim a plot of land earmarked a four-star hotel has now been converted into a paid parking lot. They also claim several free parking spots are regularly used by non-residents. “A new sports facility that is being built is expected to draw hundreds of non-residents. Why should our premises be given for others to use?” quizzed another resident
