1. Separate the approved rate, invoice and account balance
DLD's Service Charge Index provides an enquiry into approved charges for jointly owned property. The live interface expressly states that service charges shown there exclude arrears. Mollak separately describes guidance on invoice components and amounts due.
DR therefore recommends starting with three records. Preserve the approved-rate result, the invoice being queried and a dated statement showing movements on the unit account. Give each document its own date and purpose rather than treating the latest amount displayed as an explanation of every earlier entry.
Before calculating, write the question in one sentence. For example: the current invoice uses a different rate, a payment is absent from the statement, or an opening balance has no supporting breakdown. Each question requires a different response.
| Record | Question to ask | Separate evidence still needed |
|---|---|---|
| Approved-rate result | Which property, use, year and rate does this identify? | The unit calculation and account history. |
| Invoice | Which charges and period are being billed? | Approval support and payment allocation. |
| Statement of account | How did the opening balance become the closing balance? | The invoices, credits and receipts supporting each movement. |
References: DLD — Service Charge Index · DLD — Live index warning that arrears are excluded · Mollak — Public invoice guidance
2. Match the property, use, budget year and approval
DLD's published lookup procedure selects the project, usage and year. Its separate approval service describes submission through Mollak, audit, an acceptance or rejection result, approval notification and display of the data. An application and an approval are different stages.
Record the exact building or project selected and the use attached to the result. Do not substitute a neighbouring tower, a similarly named phase or a different use because its rate is easier to find. Save the result and retrieval date together.
Keep the budget year, billed period, invoice issue date and payment due date in separate fields. A document issued during one year may ask a question about another period; the date printed at the top cannot settle that question alone.
Article 27 of Law No. 6 of 2019 allows RERA-approved temporary budgets. If a demand is described as provisional, ask for its approval basis rather than deciding its validity from that label.
References: DLD — Index selection procedure · DLD — Service and usage charge approval workflow · Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 — Article 27
3. Confirm the area and the scope of every rate
Article 25 connects the owner's charge share to the unit area recorded in the Real Property Register. For the practical calculation, request the exact area and applicable calculation method behind the invoice.
Copy the unit of measurement beside every number. A rate stated per square foot cannot be multiplied directly by an area recorded in square metres. If the invoice and property record differ, request a written explanation of the area used instead of choosing whichever produces the preferred result.
List the charge components before adding them. Distinguish a component from a subtotal so the same amount is not counted twice. Where a reserve contribution, additional charge or cooling item appears, ask whether it is already included in the total being compared and what its separate billing basis is.
This is a reconciliation method, not a universal area formula. Leave disputed balcony treatment or another allocation question unresolved until the responsible issuer supplies the applicable basis.
References: Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 — Article 25 · Mollak — Invoice components and calculation guidance
4. Build an eight-field reconciliation worksheet
Use the following DR worksheet to turn the query into a small set of answerable items. Record a document reference for every completed field. A blank is useful when it identifies exactly what management must explain.
Keep the original records unchanged. If a corrected invoice arrives, retain both versions and note which earlier entry was reversed or replaced. Otherwise, the correction itself can become another unexplained movement.
| Field | Record to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Property and account | Project, building, unit and account reference | Do all records concern the same property? |
| Approval | Approved-rate result and relevant approval information | Which approved basis supports this charge? |
| Rate and components | Invoice lines and supporting rate breakdown | Are components omitted or counted twice? |
| Area | Property record and invoice calculation | Which area and measurement unit were used? |
| Period | Budget year and billed start and end dates | Is the comparison annual or for a shorter period? |
| Opening balance | Prior closing statement and supporting entries | Which earlier items make up the balance? |
| Credits and payments | Credit notes, receipts and posting references | Has each item reached the correct account? |
| Closing balance | Statement as of a specified date | Does the arithmetic explain the requested total? |
References: DLD — Approval framework; worksheet is DR analysis
5. Worked example: AED3,600 of charges and an AED3,750 balance
Every input in this example is invented. Assume an applicable area of 800 square feet and an annual combined rate of AED18 per square foot. Assume this rate covers all components included in the example and that the approved billing arrangement divides the year into four equal instalments.
The illustrative annual charge is 800 × AED18 = AED14,400. One quarter is AED3,600. Now assume the account has an opening debit of AED1,250, a credit adjustment of AED200 and a payment of AED900 posted before the closing statement.
The resulting AED3,750 balance is not the quarterly charge. It combines the current charge with earlier account movements. Explaining the AED150 difference from AED3,600 requires the ledger, not an assumption that the rate rose.
These assumptions exclude separate charges, tax adjustments, ownership-period allocation and other movements. The example establishes arithmetic only; it does not establish that any real opening balance is payable or that equal quarterly billing applies to your property.
| Illustrative entry | Effect on balance, AED |
|---|---|
| Opening debit balance | +1,250 |
| Current quarter's charge | +3,600 |
| Credit adjustment | -200 |
| Payment posted | -900 |
| Closing debit balance | 3,750 |
References: DLD — Index excludes arrears; example and arithmetic are DR's
6. Compare annual rates separately from payment requests
For a year-to-year comparison, hold the property, use, area, period and component scope constant. Then compare the approved rates. Separately compare the account movements that explain why this year's payment request differs.
Continuing the invented example, suppose the equivalent earlier annual rate was AED17.50 and the later rate is AED18. The rate increases by AED0.50 per square foot, approximately 2.86%. At the same 800-square-foot area, the annual difference is AED400.
That calculation does not explain a carried balance, a newly posted credit or a payment received after the statement cutoff. Give each difference its own line. Ask for the budget explanation if the rate changed and the ledger explanation if the account balance changed.
If the components are not equivalent, stop the percentage comparison and describe the mismatch. A precise unresolved question is more informative than a percentage built from unlike totals.
References: DLD — Project, usage and year inputs; comparison method is DR analysis
7. Match payment evidence to the posted account entry
DLD's FAQ directs service-charge payments to RERA-approved accounts through the applicable Mollak channels. For a direct bank deposit, it says the owner should notify management and provide the payment slip.
DR recommends keeping the invoice reference, verified beneficiary, transfer date, amount and management acknowledgement together. Then identify the corresponding entry on the statement. A bank transfer confirmation and a posted account credit are separate checkpoints in this worksheet.
If the payment is missing, send a focused allocation request stating the unit reference, amount, date and transfer reference. Ask which account received it and which invoice or balance it was applied against. Avoid sending unrelated banking information.
Request a statement with a clear cutoff date after the matter is reconciled. An older statement should remain labelled as older; it should not be silently treated as the account's position after a later payment.
References: DLD — Jointly owned property payment guidance
8. Separate a calculation query from a service complaint
Identify whether the concern is missing approval information, a calculation difference, an unallocated payment or the quality of maintenance. Do not combine these into an allegation that the whole account is incorrect without examining the supporting records.
DLD's FAQ identifies Dubai REST's Real Estate Violations System as a route for complaints about low service and maintenance standards. Article 28 separately addresses the obligation to pay RERA-approved charges. This guide is not a basis for withholding payment.
For a calculation query, attach the relevant records and list each disputed entry, your calculation and the clarification requested. For a maintenance concern, describe the location, dates and observed condition separately. A reply to one question may leave the other unanswered.
Where a formal demand or disputed liability has legal consequences, obtain qualified UAE advice on the actual documents and deadlines. Do not assume a reconciliation request changes a deadline or produces a particular remedy.
References: DLD — Maintenance complaint route · Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 — Article 28
9. Carry the reconciled account into the wider property file
For a proposed sale, DR recommends agreeing how the parties will document the statement cutoff, outstanding questions, advance payments and any later adjustment. Keep that discussion alongside the transaction documents; this worksheet does not decide allocation between seller and buyer.
For a recently handed-over or previously delayed property, preserve the handover notices and the stated charge commencement period alongside the invoice. If those dates differ, ask for the basis of the calculation rather than assuming the date of key collection answers every billing question.
Your finished file should contain the approved-rate evidence, calculation, statement and matched receipts, with a short list of anything still unresolved. Development Resolution can help organise records where the issue forms part of a delayed or distressed project assessment. It does not approve charges, audit a management company, decide a debt dispute or guarantee recovery.
References: DLD — Approved-charge enquiry; file organisation is DR analysis
Questions about Dubai service-charge invoices
Why can my invoice balance exceed the approved rate multiplied by area?
First check that the period and component scope match. Then reconcile the opening balance, credits and posted payments. The public index excludes arrears, so it is not a complete statement of the unit account.
Does a missing index result mean no service charge is due?
No such conclusion follows from an unsuccessful lookup. Check the property, use and year, then request the relevant approval and calculation from management.
Does a larger payment request prove the annual rate increased?
No. Compare equivalent annual rates separately from account movements. A carried balance or payment-allocation difference can change the requested total.
What should I request if my payment is missing?
Provide the relevant transfer reference, amount and date through a verified channel. Request confirmation of its allocation and an updated statement with a clear cutoff date.
Does DR's worked example establish my liability?
No. Every input is hypothetical. It demonstrates reconciliation arithmetic and does not establish the validity or payment terms of a real charge.
Primary and official sources
Project status and procedures can change. When a decision depends on current information, verify the live primary source rather than relying only on a secondary summary.