Using the RERA Service Charge Index from the US: a step-by-step playbook

The index answers one narrow question: what RERA approved for your building, for a given use and year.

How do you use the RERA service charge index from the US?

You search the DLD Service Charge Index by project, choose the use (for example residential) and the budget year, and read the approved rate in AED per square foot. The DLD says results appear immediately on its website through Mollak and in the Dubai REST app.

1. Prepare your details

   Collect your unit's area, building name and budget year.

2. Set up access

   Use the DLD website, or the Dubai REST app with UAE PASS.

3. Run the search

   Search by project, use and year.

4. Convert to dollars

   Rate times area, divided by 3.6725.

5. Save the evidence

   Screenshot and date the result.

Step 1: Gather what the search needs

Have three items ready: the registered project name, your unit's area in square feet and the budget year you want. Area matters because Article 25(a) of Law No. 6 of 2019 splits the annual charge by unit area, so the approved rate is only half of the calculation.

The area appears on your SPA (sale and purchase agreement) and handover papers. If figures differ, see our pre-handover checklist for US buyers.

Step 2: Choose the DLD website or the Dubai REST app

The DLD lists two routes to the Service Charge Index: its website, through Mollak, and the Dubai REST app. Mollak is the DLD's e-system, run through RERA, that regulates jointly owned property and monitors service-charge payments.

Dubai is 8 hours ahead of New York during US daylight saving time and 9 in winter, so Dubai's working morning is your late evening.

Step 3: Run the Mollak service charge check for your building

Search by project, then filter by use and year. A Mollak service charge check from America works the same way as one from Dubai: the index is public, and the DLD describes results as immediate.

Launched

Oct 15, 2014

Source: RERA / DLD

Unit of measure

AED per sq ft

Search filters

Project, use, year

Where

DLD website, Dubai REST

Peg

AED 3.6725 = $1

u.ae, since Feb 2002

If your building does not appear, ask the management company for the name its budget is registered under.

Step 4: Convert the approved rate into a US-dollar budget

Multiply the approved rate by your area to get the yearly charge in dirhams, then divide by 3.6725.

Example: a hypothetical 750 sq ft apartment with an approved rate of AED 16 per sq ft carries AED 12,000 a year, or roughly $3,268.

Step 5: Keep a dated record and use it

Save a screenshot of every result with the date, the year filter and the use type visible. Article 27(b) of Law No. 6 of 2019 says RERA cannot approve a budget without a RERA-recognized auditor's sign-off, so the index figure is the reference point for any later question.

If the invoice and the index disagree, our playbook on a service charge higher than expected covers the written challenge. The DLD's FAQ says owners do not have to pay common service charges RERA has not approved, while Article 28 bars owners from refusing approved ones.

General information only: a UAE bank account used to pay these charges may count toward the IRS FBAR threshold, which applies when foreign accounts total more than $10,000 at any time in the year. More context sits in the global guide to the index and our hub for American owners, or you can look up a building's registry data first.

How to check approved service charges in Dubai: questions from US investors

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws and procedures change; check the official source before acting. Published 12 October 2026, last updated 12 October 2026.