Dubai: In May 2002, Dubai issued a landmark decree allowing foreigners to buy property in the emirate. The freehold sector has since witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly with property prices skyrocketing in 2007-2008, only to plummet in 2009.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) along with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) have been working consistently to safeguard investors’ interests. The first big initiative from Rera came in March 2006 when a law was passed legalising freehold ownership in Dubai. Today, there are 271 Interim Owners Associations (IOAs) in Dubai, some registered with Rera as certified IOA bodies. On the occasion of the 11th anniversary of Dubai’s freehold sector, XPRESS turns the spotlight on eight men and women who devote their time, energy and effort to managing their communities as they juggle between their professional careers and personal lives.
SUSAN DINOR, 54
Chairman of Golden Mile 1 and board member for Golden Mile 2
A real estate consultant by profession, Susan Dinor knows how a community is run. “I am always told to manage just common areas. But in a new market, the role of the board member or an owner’s representative does not end there. We have to think out of the box. If you don’t configure your costs you could end up with unnecessary fee hikes.
Dinor devotes nearly half her day to managing Golden Mile 1 and 2. She tackles issues such as delays in handover of title-deeds and high service fees. Also on her agenda is the handover of two buildings in Golden Mile and the lack of retail outlets in the development. “Every other day I am in Rera waiting to hear something on the title deed – but nothing has happened so far. You need to be extremely determined to handle such issues
Size of development: 830 apartment units.
Key Concerns: Delay in handover of title-deeds, high service fees, long-pending handover of Golden Mile 5 and 6, lack of shops and facilities.
NADAR ALI ZADEH, 49
Board member/ex-chairman of building 3 and 4 - Shoreline Apts
Nadar Ali Zadeh runs his own company in Dubai Multi Commodities Company (DMCC) by day, but by evening he is a volunteer for Shoreline Apartments. “The property market is fairly new and the freehold concept brings in new areas of legislation. It can be difficult to move things forward, but patience and perseverance can go a long way,” he says
Size of development: Over 200 units in building 3 and 4.
Key concerns: Lack of transparency in master-community charges and non-adherence of RERA rules and regulations.
DR WADDAH SHIBIB, 60
Chairman of Sadaf 7, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR)
An orthopaedic consultant by profession, Dr Shibib spends at least three hours a day on building-related matters. “A lot of my time goes in coordinating JBR-related issues with Taziz (manager), Dubai Property Group (developer) and Rera. “In a massive community like JBR, one of our biggest challenges is to set a common goal amongst a diverse expat population,” said Dr Shibib, who is one of 125 board members of 25 residential towers in JBR.
Size of development: 25 towers with units owned by individual owners.
Key concerns: Lack of transparency on charges and expenses, high service charges.
MAHNAZ FAQUIH, 41
Board member, Terraced Apartments, Green Community in Motor City
Lack of transparency, high service charges and more owners’ involvement in building matters are some issues that Mahnaz Faquih deals with for owners in Terraced Apartments. She spends her time shuffling between her interior designing business and finding ways to improve her community that has
160 apartments.
“Initially when the buildings were handed over, I put in a lot of effort to get owners together and form the board. I personally went knocking on doors, getting phone numbers and email IDs and even formed a group. Yet we have not gotten far with our community efforts.”
Size of development: 160 residential apartments make up Terraced Apartments in MotorCity.
Key concerns: Lack of transparency, lack of owners’s involvement in the development of the community.
ROBERTO KAUFFMANN, 45
Chairman, Lakes Owners Association Interim Board
Kauffmann has a full-time job as a senior executive with a telecom provider. He has been chairman of Lakes Owners Association Interim Board for over two years and has initiated efforts to get owners of the community (996 villas and townhouses) to come under a single platform. He set up a exclusive forum for owners in 2011 and today there are around 450 active members. “Running a community has plenty of issues to deal with such as security, pool management, landscaping and other issues.”
Size of development – Around 996 villas and townhouses.
Key concerns – Service fees and need for more owners’ involvement in community management decisions.
GAUTAM PATEL, 60
Board member, Meadows 1 and 2
Gautam Patel runs his own business, but spends an hour each day getting acquainted with happenings around Meadows. “Apart from newsletters no other important data (like details of fellow owners etc.) is shared to board members which makes it difficult to get a consensus on how the community is running. Having said that, no credit should be taken away from Emaar Community Management for the way they handle their communities,” he said.
Size of development: Around 1,900 villas in nine Meadows communities.
Key concerns: Lack of communication between board members and developer.
VIK VITHLANI, 34
Lead member, Home Owners’ Representative Group (HORG), Green Community
Vithlani who works as a sales director for a chemical firm in Dubai, says: “In the past I spent a lot of time attending meetings with Rera and Dubai Land Department (DLD). In addition I get a lot of enquiries from residents seeking clarification on housing matters or service charge etc. I have meetings with district cooling supplier to resolve residents’ issues as well.
Size of development – Over 2000 villas make up the Green Community.
Key concerns - Inconsistent information from authorities on matters relating to the community and high service fees.
DR HAMID MIRLOHI, 46
Chairman, IOA, Al Shera Tower
IT professsional Dr Hamid Mirlohi runs his own business. Explaining how things work at Al Shera Tower, Dr Mirlohi said: “As a rule, if any payment or expenditure is to be made, we get multiple quotes from suppliers. Although the developer signs all our cheques, all the bills have to be authorised by the chairman of the IOA board and one other board member.” Service fee at Dh13.5 per square foot is one of the lowest in JLT. “As board members our objective is to protect what is perhaps our most valuable asset,” he said.
Size of development: 240 units
Key concerns: None
