Dubai: Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) owners are crying foul after they were told they still owed money on their 2008-2009 service fee.
Residents who were slapped with the ‘arrears’ last month said it was unfair for developer Dubai Properties Group (DPG) to bill them after five years.
A resident who did not wish to be named said: “Out of the blue I have been asked to pay Dh3,000 extra above my regular service fee for my three-bedroom apartment.
“Five years is a long time and property ownership would have changed many hands during this time. It is unfair to bill people, especially those who bought apartments in JBR after 2009.”
Another resident said he first heard about the ‘arrears’ when he went to pay his service fee in February.
There was no immediate comment from DPG, but Taziz which manages the community said the service fee dues were determined following an audit of the service fee budget. “The previous project manager had not aligned the commencement date of September 1, 2008 for RERA approved service charge rate of Dh15.32 per square foot on all units and towers.
"In line with Taziz’s drive towards greater transparency and accurate budgeting the deficit amount could only be finalised upon the outcome of the financial audits for the previous years to correctly identify the units against which said deficits are due,” said a Taziz executive.
