The lobby AC is broken and your tenant is messaging you. Who fixes it — the building people you pay service charges to, or the manager you pay a fee to?

Quick answer: In Dubai, the owners association (OA) — the unit owners collectively, under Law No. 6 of 2019, acting through an appointed management entity — runs the building: common areas, facades, lifts, shared systems, funded by service charges through Mollak. A property manager works for you individually: your unit, your tenancy, your rent, paid by your management fee. Corridor problems go to the OA; inside-your-front-door problems go to your property manager. The two are different bodies, paid separately, and neither does the other's job.

The responsibility split

Two payments, two directions

The confusion usually starts with money, so here's the map. As an owner you pay service charges (AED per sq ft, set under the Mollak system's approved budget) to the OA — that's the building's money, owed whether your unit is rented or empty. Separately, you pay a management fee (typically 5–8% of annual rent) to your property manager — that's your unit's money, for running your tenancy. Tenants, meanwhile, pay rent to the landlord's side and utilities to providers — tenants never pay service charges directly in Dubai; if a landlord wants them covered, it's priced into rent.

The classic confusion scenarios, settled

Water leaking from the apartment above: Starts as a between-owners matter — your property manager contacts the upstairs owner (often via the OA's management, who know everyone). If the source is a shared riser rather than the neighbour's pipework, it becomes the OA's repair. The evidence your manager documents decides who pays.

The chiller/AC question: Central cooling plant and its charges: building-side. The fan coil units and thermostats inside your apartment: unit-side — your manager's contractor, your cost (or your tenant's, per the contract).

Pest control: Common areas: OA. Inside the unit: unit-side, and Dubai contracts commonly make in-unit pest control the tenant's routine responsibility after move-in — check the clause.

"The gym has been closed for months:" Pure OA territory — and your route as an owner isn't your property manager (they have no power there) but the OA's channels: raise it with the management entity, and use your owner's voice in the service-charge process — you're literally paying for that gym.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. Can the same company be my property manager and the building's OA manager?
It happens — some firms do both businesses — but the roles remain legally distinct, with separate money flows and duties. If one firm wears both hats in your building, expect clean separation in reporting; it's a fair thing to ask about directly.

Q2. Do I have a say in the owners association?
Yes — the OA is the owners, collectively. Law No. 6 of 2019 structures how owners participate through committees and how the management entity answers to them. Your service charges buy you standing, not just services.

Q3. My tenant keeps calling me about building issues — whose job is that?
Route them through your property manager, who triages: unit issues they fix, building issues they log with the OA's management on your behalf. A good manager is precisely the switchboard that stops building problems becoming your 11 p.m. phone calls.

The bottom line

One building, two regimes: the OA runs everything you share, your property manager runs everything that's yours. Pay both, hold both accountable in their own lane — and when something breaks, the only question that matters is which side of your front door it's on.

This article is for general information. Jointly owned property in Dubai is governed by Law No. 6 of 2019, administered through the DLD and the Mollak system — see dubailand.gov.ae and the Dubai Legislation portal. Confirm specifics with your building's management and your contract.