Question 1

What real estate work does Noura Almaazmi handle in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

We act on the full lifecycle of UAE real estate — land acquisition, master-community planning and registration, off-plan sale and purchase agreements (SPAs), strata title and JOP frameworks, commercial leasing (retail, office, industrial, F&B), hotel management agreements, residential and commercial mortgage documentation, master-developer disputes, RERA filings and disputes, and the regulatory dimension of REITs and real-estate funds. We act for sovereign and government developers, master and sub-developers, REITs and real-estate funds, hotel operators and owners, lenders, and HNW investors.

Question 2

What is the role of RERA, the DLD and the Rental Disputes Centre?

Accepted Answer

The Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) is the regulator of Dubai's real-estate sector and operates as part of the Dubai Land Department (DLD). RERA approves projects, regulates developers and brokers, oversees escrow accounts, registers master-community declarations, and supervises owners' associations. The DLD is the registry of legal title, mortgages and master leases. The Rental Disputes Centre (RDC) is the specialised tribunal that handles landlord-tenant disputes — its jurisdiction is exclusive for most rental matters in Dubai. Abu Dhabi has equivalent regulators and registries (DMT/DARI and the Abu Dhabi Rent Disputes Settlement Committee).

Question 3

How is strata title structured in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

Dubai's strata regime is governed by Law No. 6 of 2019 and the supporting Directions, which replaced the earlier Law No. 27 of 2007. Strata establishes a Jointly Owned Property (JOP) with a master-community declaration, a building management statement, and a Jointly Owned Property Owners Association (JOPOA) responsible for common-area maintenance. Service charges are levied on owners under DLD-approved budgets. We advise developers on the JOP architecture (which bears materially on long-term saleability), and we represent owners' associations and individual unit owners in disputes over service charges, governance and common-area maintenance.

Question 4

Do you advise on hotel management agreements?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We negotiate hotel management agreements (HMAs) on both the owner side and the operator side, across the full range of international and regional flags. The most-negotiated terms are: term length and renewal mechanics; performance tests and the consequence of failure (financial cure, operator removal); chain-services charges; centralised reservation system economics; FF&E and capex reserves; non-disturbance and SNDA provisions for the lender; and the dispute-resolution architecture. We also advise on franchise agreements, hotel residences (mixed-use developments), and the regulatory layer (tourism licensing, food-safety, alcohol licensing where applicable).

Question 5

Can foreigners buy property in the UAE?

Accepted Answer

Yes — foreigners can buy freehold property in designated areas of Dubai (under Law No. 7 of 2006 and subsequent amendments), Abu Dhabi (in designated investment zones under Law No. 19 of 2005, as amended), and other emirates within their respective frameworks. The right to buy is structured around 'freehold,' 'usufruct' (long-term use rights) and 'musataha' (right to develop and use). The actual ownership routes — direct registration, holding through a UAE/free-zone or DIFC/ADGM entity, or holding through an offshore SPV — affect succession, tax and onward saleability. We advise on the right structure for each buyer based on long-term objectives.

Question 6

What disputes commonly arise in UAE real estate?

Accepted Answer

The most common disputes we handle are: off-plan delivery delays and refund claims (governed by Law No. 13 of 2008 in Dubai and the related cancellation framework); service-charge enforcement against unit owners; common-area defect claims by JOPOAs against developers and contractors; landlord-tenant disputes before the RDC including handover disputes, refund claims and ejari registrations; master-developer disputes between phases; and disputes between hotel owners and operators. Most resolve at the RDC or specialist real-estate Court of Cassation level rather than escalating into general commercial proceedings.

Counsel for the UAE's most ambitious developments — and the disputes they sometimes generate.

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