Harbor Real Estate Partners with Prestige Advocates & Legal Consultants

Dubai, December 27, 2009 – Harbor Real Estate, an integrated Real Estate service provider in Dubai, announced the signing of a professional services agreement with Prestige Advocates & Legal Consultants, a leading global law firm, to provide counselling to all Harbor clients and representation in all legal matters concerning real estate in Dubai.

The profound perception of the industry and the daily interface with real estate clientele has resulted in the espousal of a fresh innovative legal counselling scheme. According to a recent study conducted by Harbor research division, the majority of people perceive legal counselling as an exorbitant service which leaves them with no alternative other than staying unaided and frustrated. For that reason, the innovative legal solution introduced by Harbor & Prestige is viewed as a results-driven method; customers who seek legal counselling will incur minimal fees and no extra charges will be required in case of not winning the case.

Mohanad Alwadiya, Managing Director of Harbor Real Estate commented: “Lawyers at Prestige are second to none in terms of knowledge and experience, both locally and internationally. The combined real estate experience of Harbor and Prestige and the comprehensive understanding of the wide array of Real Estate issues in the UAE enable us to provide clear candid counsel and guidance to clients at all times to ensure that their rights are always protected”

“The legal services introduction is vital as the real estate market matures through the current economic crisis to become a more structured and regulated market,” Said Dr, Ali Al Jarman, Legal Partner of Harbor and founder of Prestige. “One of the objectives we aim to achieve through this partnership is to increase the public’s understanding of the law’s procedures and implications which will eventually help reduce the number of cases filed and will boost the overall confidence in the market.”

According to sources from RERA, the number of cases filed in Q1 2009 has increased by 55% compared to Q4 of 2008. The drastic increase in the number of disputes is a result of many reasons ranging from investors not fulfilling their obligations, Sale & Purchase agreements containing provisions that contradict the law about developers not delivering projects on time, and many more.

Harbor Real Estate services have evolved from traditional real estate brokerage of merely bringing buyers and sellers together to innovative world class end-to-end real estate services. The company services include, Real Estate Tailored Research Services, Integrated Marketing Services, Sales, Leasing & Conversion Management Services, Real Estate Investment Portfolio Management Services and, Holistic Real Estate Legal Services.
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About Harbor Real Estate

Harbor Real Estate Brokerage is a fully integrated real estate service provider based in Dubai and part of an established world class group of real estate companies since 2001. With a strong reputation and a veteran team with over 15 years of experience in the industry, Harbor Real Estate provides Real Estate Research Services, Integrated Sales & Marketing Services, Sales and Lead Conversion Management Services and Real Estate Investment Portfolio Management Services.

Having served over 5,000 satisfied customers, Harbor has an extensive clientele base that consists of public and private entities, major developers, private and institutional investors and owner-occupiers..
Harbor Real Estate brokerage has a dedicated team of realtors and consultants who are renowned for their expertise, high level of professionalism and insight into local and international markets. The company is committed to providing its customers world class service and innovative real estate solutions.

In 2009, Harbor Real Estate Brokerage established a quarterly real estate report “The Harbor Report”. This candid report covers the latest news, developments and trends in the real estate industry with an in-depth analysis of the latest topics and current affairs.

The Harbor Services include:
REAL ESTATE RESEARCH SERVICES: Harbor believes that fact-based analysis generated from insights emanating from market research is the prerequisite to recommendations and tailor-made solutions that provide optimum results for its clients. Harbor’s market knowledge, experience, industry research and research auditing expertise are proven.

INTEGRATED SALES & MARKETING SERVICES: Developers will benefit from Harbor’s innovative marketing, communication and consulting services. Developed by Harbor’s dedicated experienced marketing & sales professionals, tailor made strategies are formulated to allow developers to fully capitalize on whatever opportunities exist in the marketplace and drive above benchmark results.

SALES AND LEAD CONVERSION MANAGEMENT SERVICES: Harbor’s Sales and Lead Conversion Management process transforms the normally lengthy and complicated transactional procedure into a systematic and disciplined solution. This unique ground-breaking approach fuels greater returns for our clients.

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SERVICES: The Harbor Team consists of highly experienced and culturally diverse Realtors and consultants. The team prides itself in providing world class consultation services to investors of land, commercial and residential Real Estate in the UAE.

HOLISTIC REAL ESTATE LEGAL SERVICES: The Harbor professionally managed and certified legal arm offers the most experienced property legal services in the region. Its main offices are located in Dubai with associate offices in the GCC and Europe.

For further information, please contact:
Mohanad Alwadiya
Managing Director – Harbor Real Estate
Email: mohanad@harbordubai.com

Shatha Al Khatib
PR Account Manager – Harbor Communications
Mobile: +971 50 2908921
Phone: +971 4 325 1616
Email: shatha@harbordubai.com

or visit:

www.harbordubai.com

حرق أسعار» في إيجارات دبي والشارقة

تراجعت أسعار الإيجارات في دبي والشارقة بمعدل يصل إلى 5٪ خلال الربع الأخير من العام الجاري مقارنة بالربع الثالث، كما بلغ حجم التراجع في دبي أكثر من 47٪ وفي الشارق

ة أكثر من 55٪ منذ العام الماضي، بحسب مسؤولين في شركات عقارية في الإمارتين.

وقال عقاريون إن السوق العقارية في دبي والشارقة تشهد تنامي ظواهر عدة، أهمها ظاهرة «حرق الأسعار» التي باتت تهدد سوق الإيجارات بمزيد من التراجع خلال العام المقبل، مدعومة بزيادة العرض من الوحدات السكنية وتسليم مشروعات عقارية جديدة مع ثبات في الطلب.

تراجع الإيجارات

وتفصيلاً، قال المسؤول في «كوليرز انترناشيونال» سعدالله العابد، إن «قيمة الإيجارات في دبي انخفضت بنسبة كبيرة تصل في بعض المناطق لـ49٪ خلال العام الجاري».

وتوقع أن يصل حجم العرض المتوافر من الوحدات السكنية بنهاية العام الجاري إلى 340.5 ألفاً في دبي وحدها بزيادة مقدارها 24.7 ألف وحدة عن 2008.

وأوضح العابد لـ«الإمارات اليوم» «نتوقع أن تستمر أسعار الإيجارات في دبي بالانخفاض خلال الربع الأول من العام المقبل»، واستطرد «بنينا توقعاتنا على أساس مبدأ العرض والطلب، وهناك زيادة كبيرة في المعروض من الشقق السكنية مقابل عدم كفاية في الطلب». وأردف قائلاً «لا نستطيع تحديد حجم العائد على العقار للملاك من التأجير في السوق حالياً، وذلك بسبب تغير أسعار البيع والإيجارات من شهر إلى شهر، وبالتالي تغير العائد بشكل دائم، ما يجعل تحديد العائد عملية صعبة»، لافتاً إلى أن العائد العادل يختلف من بلد إلى آخر ومن مستثمر إلى آخر.

وأكد أن «الملاك وشركات إدارة العقارات لا يلتزمون حالياً بالمؤشر السعري الذي سبق أن وضعته مؤسسة التنظيم العقاري «ريرا» لتحديد مستوى الزيادة في الإيجارات، وذلك بسبب انخفاض أسعار الإيجارات، وبالتالي لجأ الملاك إلى تحديد الأسعار وفقاً لقدراتهم وبناء على الطلب على وحداتهم العقارية».

و لم يتسن الحصول على رد من مؤسسة التنظيم العقاري بهذا الخصوص.

وقال العابد إن «حرق الأسعار بين ملاك العقارات اتسع ليشكل ظاهرة في دبي والشارقة»، واستطرد «انتشرت تلك الظاهرة فلا يوجد شيء يمكن فعله، لأننا في اقتصاد حر يخضع لشروط العرض والطلب».
مرحلة استقرار

من جانبه، قال المدير العام لشركة «هاربور العقارية» مهند الوادية، إنه «على الرغم من عدم توافر البيانات الكافية عن سوق العقارات في الشارقة، فإنه يمكننا الافتراض، أن تأثر السوق العقارية في الشارقة مماثل لدبي».

وأضاف «انخفضت معدلات الإيجار بشكل حاد في دبي والشارقة بسبب الأزمة الاقتصادية العالمية، فمعدل الانخفاض في الربع الأخير من العام الماضي يقدر بنحو 47٪، وفي مناطق أخرى شهدت انخفاضاً حاداً جداً وصل إلى 65٪».

ولفت إلى أن «أسعار الإيجارات تمر حالياً بمرحلة الاستقرار، وذلك لسببين، أوّلهما تحسن الجو والوضع العام في السوق، وثانيهما اعتقاد أصحاب المصالح المعنيين بأن الأسعار في هذه الفترة وصلت إلى مستويات واقعية».

واستطرد قائلا ان «انخفاض أسعار الإيجارات في دبي ولّد موجة طلب جديدة من الإمارات المجاورة على الوحدات السكنية».

وأكد أنه «على الرغم من صدور تقارير مختلفة توقعت أن نحو 36 ألف وحدة عقارية سيتم تسليمها بحلول نهاية 2009 ،فإننا نتوقع أن 30٪ فقط من تلك الوحدات سيتم تسليمها، بسبب نقص السيولة لدعم برامج تطوير المشروعات، وتراجع أو انعدام مبيعات العقارات على الخريطة».

ولاحظ الوادية انتشار ظاهرة حرق الأسعار بين الملاك الأفراد، وقال إن «تلك الظاهرة تؤثر في تراجع الأسعار، وإن كان الملاك يستطيعون التنافس في ما بينهم بمنح المستأجرين اختيارات وقيماً مضافة مع الاستئجار، من دون الدخول في سباق خفض الأسعار، مثل منح اشتراكات مجانية في المسابح أو صالات الرياضة أو فرش مطبخ الشقة، وأحياناً إطالة مدة الشيكات ومنح شهر مجاني».

زيادة المعروض

ولفت الوادية إلى أن «العرض الفائض على الوحدات السكنية والمساحات المكتبية سيكون أكثر الموضوعات سخونة في عام 2010 ،بغض النظر عن توقيت عملية الانتعاش، حيث يقدر وصول عدد الوحدات السكنية التي سيتم تسليمها إلى 60 ألف وحدة، بينما ستصل المساحات المكتبية المتوافرة إلى نحو 30 مليون قدم مربعة بحلول نهاية 2011».

وبحسب بحث أجرته «هاربور»، فإنه «خلال العامين المقبلين سيتم تسليم نحو 10 آلاف و200 وحدة في مشروعي أبراج بحيرات جميرا، ومرسى دبي، كما يتوقع زيادة العرض أيضاً عند تسليم المزيد من الوحدات في مناطق أخرى مثل «دبي سبورتس سيتي»، و«موتور سيتي»، وقرية جميرا الجنوبية، ونخلة جميرا، والخليج التجاري، فضلاً عن انتهاء برج دبي في الفصل الأول لعام ،2010 الذي يعد أبرز وأكثر المشروعات العقارية التي طال انتظارها».

وبيّن البحث أن «السوق العقارية ستواجه تحديات كبيرة في جميع قطاعاتها بسبب العرض الفائض، فمعدل الوحدات الشاغرة يصل إلى 20٪ في الوقت الراهن».

وقال الوادية إن «الربع الثالث من عام 2009 كان واعداً أكثر من الربعين الأولين، لكننا نتوقع أن تشهد معدلات الإيجار في مناطق معينة في دبي المزيد من الانخفاض التدريجي بنحو 10 إلى 15٪ حتى نهاية العام الجاري وبداية العام المقبل».

وأضاف «يتوقع أن يكون لهذا الانخفاض أثر أكبر في المناطق التي تتوافق أسعارها مع ميزانيات الأفراد ذوي الدخل المتوسط مثل حدائق ديسكفري، وإنترناشيونال سيتي، وموتور سيتي، وأبراج بحيرات جميرا، وواحة دبي للسيليكون». وبيّن أنه «يجب أن يزيد معدل النمو السكاني في دبي من أجل تلبية العرض المتوقع وملء العقارات الشاغرة التي سلمت خلال الأشهر الـ12 الماضية»، مشيراً إلى أن «المحرك الرئيس لأداء معدلات التأجير العقاري هو النمو السكاني الذي يتولد عن نشاط صحي في القطاعات التجارية المختلفة».

ولفت إلى أن «الحكومة قامت والجهات المختصة بتنفيذ عدد من المبادرات البناءة أثبتت أن دبي لاتزال الموقع المثالي لعقد الصفقات والأعمال».

وأفاد بأنه «على الرغم من تراجع عوائد الإيجار الحالية للملاك بين سبعة و8٪ في قطاع العقارات ذات الأسعار المتوسطة، وبين 4 إلى 6٪ في قطاع العقارات الفخمة فإن دبي لاتزال توفر عوائد إيجار أعلى في المتوسط للملاك والمستثمرين مقارنة بالمتوسط العالمي الذي يتراوح بين أربعة و5٪».

وضع طبيعي

قال المدير التنفيذي لشركة تايغر العقارية طه محمد، إن «أسعار الإيجارات في الشارقة تراجعت أكثر من 25٪ منذ بداية العام الجاري»، وضرب مثلاً بالقول إن سعر إيجار بعض الشقق ذات الغرف الثلاث كان يبلغ 105 آلاف لكنها تراجعت لتصل إلى 70 ألفاً».

ولفت إلى انتشار ظاهرة حرق الأسعار في الشارقة «بشكل بسيط»، وهو ما وصفه بـ«الوضع الطبيعي جراء التنافس الحاصل بين الملاك، كما أن المستأجر يسعى أحياناً إلى البحث عن الفرص المتاحة في السوق».

ورأى أنه «على الرغم من التراجع الذي شهدته السوق خلال العام الجاري إلا أن هناك بوادر تعاف لبعض الأسعار، حيث ارتدت أسعار بعض المناطق في دبي والشارقة، لكن ذلك لا يمنع الملاك من منح بعض التسهيلات والمزايا لجذب المستأجرين، مثل زيادة عدد الشيكات، أو خفض الأسعار لمستوى السوق لبعض المستأجرين عند تجديد العقود».

وبيّن أن «السوق العقارية تحكمها عوامل عدة، منها جاهزية المشروعات، وجودة الخدمات، ومواقع العقارات».

خدمات مضافة

من جهته، قال المسؤول في شركة ند الشبا العقارية خالد البحطيطي، إن «السوق العقارية في دبي والشارقة تشهد ظواهر عدة من أهمها قيام الملاك الأفراد بحرق الأسعار لاجتذاب أكبر عدد ممكن من المستأجرين».

وبين أن «من أهم تلك الظواهر تقارب أسعار إيجارات الشقق مع أسعار إيجارات الشقق الفندقية المفروشة تماماً، والتي تمنح خدمات فندقية إلى جانب السكن».

وأضاف «ملاك بعض البنايات أصبحوا يتجنبون التأجير للعزاب، حتى لا ينزعج المستأجرون أصحاب العائلات الذين لا يفضلون السكن إلى جوار العزاب»، واستطرد «هناك ظاهرة أخرى تتجلى في أن بعض الملاك باتوا يؤجرون الشقق مضافاً إليها أدوات المطبخ والستائر وميزات أخرى مثل زيادة عدد الشيكات إلى 12 شيكاً، أو منح شهر مجاني عن كل سنة، وتغيير الحارس العادي برجال أمن تابعين لشركات، وتحمل تكلفة التكييف، فضلاً عن إعطاء النزلاء مواقف سيارات مجانية».

وأضاف «أغلب الملاك يفضلون خفض السعر عن ترك البناية شاغرة، خصوصاً الملتزمين منهم بسداد أقساط بنكية، والذين هم في أمسّ الحاجة إلى السيولة».

وقال البحطيطي «تراجعت أسعار العقارات في الشارقة نحو 55 إلى 60٪ حتى الآن منذ العام الماضي، فيما تراجعت في دبي نحو 50٪، لكننا نلاحظ زيادة في الطلب على دبي من الإمارات المتاخمة لها، فهناك عائلات تنتقل من الشارقة ومن أبوظبي للسكن في دبي»، متوقعاً أن تتراجع الأسعار بنحو 5٪ خلال الربع الأول من العام المقبل مع الزيادة الملحوظة في حجم العرض من الوحدات السكنية والبنايات في دبي والشارقة».

بلدية الشارقة

إلى ذلك، قدّر مدير عام بلدية الشارقة، سلطان المعلا، تراجع أسعار إيجارات الوحدات العقارية بشكل عام خلال الفترة الماضية بنحو 20٪ تتركز أغلبها بشكل كبير في وحدات المساكن العمالية، التي قدر التراجع في أسعارها ما بين 20 و30٪».

لكنه أوضح أن «أسعار الوحدات السكنية شهدت تحسناً بنسب تبلغ نحو 5٪ خلال الشهرين الأخيرين مقارنة بحجم تراجعها خلال الفترات الماضية، وذلك في ظل بداية ظهور حالة من الاستقرار النسبي في العرض والطلب في أسواق الشارقة».

وأشار إلى أن «هناك تراجعاً محدوداً في حجم العقود الإيجارية الجديدة في الإمارة يتراوح بين خمسة و10٪ بالنسبة لعقود الوحدات السكنية، بينما يقدر التراجع بنحو 20 إلى 25٪ بالنسبة للمساكن العمالية، وذلك مقارنة بحجم العقود الإيجارية الجديدة المسجلة خلال العام الماضي».

وأضاف أن «حجم المنازعات الإيجارية في الإمارة مستقر عند معدلاته خلال الفترة الحالية، ويتركز معظمها في خلافات فسخ العقود وفي قضايا المساكن العمالية»، موضحاً أن «تدني القيمة الإيجارية في مناطق عدة أسهم في إنعاش حركة الانتقال من الوحدات السكنية القديمة إلى الجديدة في مختلف مناطق الإمارة، فضلاً عن دخول العديد من البنايات الجديدة السوق بشكل مهّد لاستقرار حجم تسجيل العقود الإيجارية الجديدة التي يتم رصدها».

Realty prices projected to stabilise in 2010

Residential real estate prices are likely to stabilise in 2010, with buyers investing for the long term, according to real estate agents.

At the same time rents in Dubai’s commercial sector have stabilised over the past three months. While office rents in the emirate had been falling since late last year, the rentals have stabilised of late, revealed Better Homes data, shared exclusively with Emirates Business.

“Prices across villas and apartments will stabilise in 2010. Moreover, buyers investing in residences in Dubai will enter on a long-term basis, indicating a less speculative interest in the emirate for next year,” said Mohanad Alwadiya, Managing Director, Harbor Real Estate.

Just ahead of the new year, Emirates Business picked 12 residential projects in Dubai that received interest from potential property owners and tenants in the past 12 months.

Some of these projects saw increased sales and rental transactions, while some projects, such as Burj Dubai by Emaar Properties and the Villa Project in Dubailand by Al Mazaya Real Estate, are gathering a lot of interest just ahead of their handover.

Analysts attributed the stabilisation of rents to an improved economic environment, which has led to a slowdown in the restructuring exercises of local companies.

“The pace at which companies were restructuring and consolidating their plans to cut down their staff and give away additional space during the first half of the year have reduced over the past few months keeping the vacancy level of the office space stable to 25 per cent in the region,” said Porush Jhunjhunwala, Manager, Commercial Leasing at Better Homes.

Residential prices to stabilise on long-term buying

Residential real estate prices are likely to stabilise in 2010, with buyers investing for the long term, according to property agents.

“Prices across villas and apartments will stabilise in 2010. Moreover, buyers investing in residences in Dubai will enter on a long-term basis, indicating a less speculative interest in the emirate,” said Mohanad Alwadiya, Managing Director of Harbor Real Estate.

However, challenges to the real estate sector continue to remain. Alwadiya said: “While mortgage financing is easing, it is still limited in availability. Banks are lending but only to people with certain fixed profiles and according to rigid criteria. For example, people working in the real estate sector find it hard to source funding because of the risk associated to their job. Also, infrastructure in many developments needs to keep pace with the progress of the development.”

Vineet Kumar, Head of Sales at Asteco, said: “The buying trend has been towards ready properties, and mortgage finance is available for most projects from leading mortgage providers. Interest rates are in the range of 6.5 per cent to 10 per cent. Occupancy levels in developments handed over are generally in excess of 70 per cent. Locations such as Dubai Marina and Downtown Burj Dubai are being preferred by young families, while larger families have a preference for large villas in locations such as Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Islands.”

Just ahead of the new year, Emirates Business picked 12 residential projects in Dubai that received interest from potential property owners and tenants in the past 12 months. Some of these projects saw increased sales and rental transactions while some projects, such as Burj Dubai by Emaar Properties and the Villa Project in Dubailand by Al Mazaya Real Estate, are gathering a lot of interest just ahead of their handover.

Other major factors noted have been population shifts from other emirates and other developments in Dubai’s Discovery Gardens and International City projects.

“The reason for this is the attractive rental prices within these developments. In fact, recently, large corporates have looked to lease multiple units for their mid-level staff in International City,” said Alwadiya.

“The Motor City development, too, has witnessed an increase in occupancy rates from end-users and tenants seeking affordable and value-for-money residential units. Influx of people from neighbouring emirates, such as Sharjah, Ajman and Abu Dhabi, has further fuelled growth in occupancy rates within the development.”

دبي: النمو السكاني المحرك الرئيسي للإيجار

تباينت توقعات المراقبين في السوق العقاري في السوق المحلي بدبي حول حركة منحنى أسعار إيجارات الوحدات السكنية بناء على الموقع وتميز

الخدمات، حيث توقعوا أن تشهد أسعار إيجارات الوحدات السكنية الجاهزة للمشاريع المطورة التي تتميز من ناحية الموقع والخدمات، استقراراً نسبياً يعقبه نمو هامشي مع نهاية العام الحالي وبداية العام المقبل . كما توقعوا أن تشهد معدلات الإيجار في مناطق أخرى في دبي المزيد من الانخفاض التدريجي بنحو 10-15% لنهاية العام الحالي وبداية العام المقبل. وهذا الانخفاض متوقع أن يكون ذا أثر أكبر في المناطق التي تتوافق أسعارها مع ميزانيات الأفراد ذوي الدخل المتوسط.

أشار المراقبون إلى أن الربع الثالث من العام 2009 كان واعدا أكثر من الربعين الأول والثاني من العام نفسه، مؤكدين أن المحرك الرئيسي لأداء معدلات التأجير العقاري هو النمو السكاني الذي يتولد عن نشاط صحي في القطاعات التجارية المختلفة، وقامت الحكومة والجهات المختصة بتنفيذ عدد من المبادرات البناءة لتثبت أن دبي لاتزال الموقع المثالي لعقد الصفقات والأعمال .

ولا يزال قطاع إيجارات المساكن يترقب انتهاء مرحلة التنقلات والهجرة الداخلية بين مناطق الامارة نفسها ومن الامارات الأخرى القريبة اليها لصياغة معادلة السوق الجديد وتحديد نقطة الاستقرار وما ترتكز عليه من حيث القيمة السعرية والمناطق الأكثر اقبالاً .

وفي الوقت ذاته، عولت مصادر عقارية على عامل التأخر في تسليم الوحدات السكنية في كثير من الشركات لاستقرار السوق وتماسك الأسعار، الا أن ظواهر السوق تؤكد حجم الفجوة بين طرفي العرض والطلب خاصة في مناطق التملك الحر بدبي، وهذا سيلجم أي قفزات سعرية غير مبررة لفترة زمنية معقولة .

وشهد السوق خلال الفترة التصحيحية التي بدأت منذ أكثر من عام، تغيرا جذريا في توجه الكثير من المستأجرين خاصة في ظل المستويات السعرية المشجعة على الشراء الذين باتوا يفضلونه ويعطونه الأولوية على حساب الاستئجار تحسبا لأي مفاجآت في هذا المجال مستقبلا .

وأوضح مهند الوادية، المدير الإداري لشركة “هاربور” للوساطة العقارية، أن حركة أسعار الإيجارات للفترة المقبلة حتى نهاية العام وبداية العام المقبل ستشهد تبايناً بين المناطق بناء على أمرين أساسيين هما الموقع والخدمات، حيث يتوقع أن تشهد أسعار إيجارات الوحدات السكنية الجاهزة للمشاريع المطورة التي تتميز من ناحية الموقع والخدمات استقراراً نسبياً يعقبه نمو هامشي مع نهاية العام الحالي وبداية العام المقبل، مثل مشروع مرسى دبي، ونخلة الجميرا، ووسط مدينة برج دبي، وتلال الإمارات .

وأوضح الوادية أن المحرك الرئيسي لأداء معدلات التأجير العقاري هو النمو السكاني الذي يتولد عن نشاط صحي في القطاعات التجارية المختلفة . وقد قامت الحكومة والجهات المختصة بتنفذ عدد من المبادرات البناءة لتثبت أن دبي لاتزال الموقع المثالي لعقد الصفقات والأعمال .

وأكد المدير الإداري في “هاربور” للوساطة العقارية أهمية عامل معدل النمو السكاني في دبي من أجل تلبية العرض المتوقع وملء العقارات الشاغرة التي سلمت خلال الأشهر ال 12 الماضية . وقد قدرت مصادر مختلفة أن انخفاض عدد السكان بسبب الركود الاقتصادي سيصل إلى نسبة تتراوح بين 8% أو 20% بين سنة 2009 و2010 .

وكانت غرفة دبي للتجارة قد قامت بالمبادرة الثانية، بحيث طرحت فكرة إلغاء النظام الحالي بضرورة وجود كفيل للشركات الأجنبية الراغبة في إقامة شركات في دبي . وإذا وافق المجلس التنفيذي على هذه الرؤية الطموحة فإن مكانة دبي وثقة المستثمرين ستتعززان .

وقالت شركة لاندمارك الاستشارية إنها لاحظت ظهور مؤشرات مبكرة على استقرار سوق الإيجارات في بعض المناطق في دبي في حين تستمر الإيجارات بالارتفاع في مناطق أخرى .

وتصف لاندمارك هذه الزيادة الهامشية في أسعار الإيجارات وهي ناجمة عن العدد الكبير من العقود المنتهية بالزيادة ب”غير المستدامة”، إذ إن هذا الكم الكبير من عقود الإيجارات المنتهية خلال الفترة الماضية سيؤدي إلى اضطراب وتشويه مؤقت في المعروض بعد فترة من الطلب القوي .

وكانت الإيجارات في دبي قد انخفضت بشكل كبير على مر الأشهر الخمسة الماضية، إلا أنه وعلى الرغم من ذلك، كان هناك بعض الاستثناءات لهذا التوجه، إذ تشهد بعض أنواع الوحدات العقارية في المشاريع العقارية المميزة والمفضلة أداء جيداً .

وازدادت أسعار الإيجار الخاصة بالشقق ذات النوعية الجيدة في منطقة دبي مارينا (مرسى دبي) بنسبة 11% للشقق المؤلفة من غرفة النوم الواحدة، وبنسبة 6 في المائة للشقق المؤلفة من غرفتي نوم، في حين عادت أسعار الإيجار الخاصة بالفلل ذات الثلاث وأربع غرف في منطقة المرابع العربية والفلل المؤلفة من ثلاثة غرف نوم في نخلة الجميرا لأسعار شهر مارس ،2009 أو ازدادت بشكل هامشي في بعض الحالات .

وتتوقع “لاندمارك” أن تشهد كافة المناطق السكنية في دبي المزيد من التقلبات، خصوصاً مع زيادة المعروض من الوحدات السكنية على مر الأشهر ال 12 إلى ال24 شهراً القادمة .

وقالت إنه في حال انخفضت الإيجارات أكثر في هذه المناطق فإنه يتوقع المزيد من الطلب على الانتقال من مناطق إلى مناطق أخرى بهدف التحديث بالإضافة إلى اعتماد الملاك لاستراتيجيات تسعير جديدة . وبالطبع فإن هذا الطلب على الانتقال سيساعد في التخفيف من حدة أية انخفاضات إضافية في الإيجارات .

العرض المتوفر بنهاية 2009

توقعت شركة “هاربور” للوساطة العقارية، أن يدخل السوق العقاري في دبي نحو 30% من أصل حوالي 000 .36 وحدة كان متوقعا أن يتم تسليمها بحلول نهاية عام ،2009 وذلك بدافع الظروف الاقتصادية الحالية التي أدت إلى نقص في السيولة لدعم برامج تطوير المشاريع وإلى مبيعات أقل، أو شبه معدومة، عندما يتعلق الأمر ببيع العقارات عن الخارطة .

كما يتوقع أن يكون العرض الفائض على الوحدات السكنية والمساحات المكتبية أكثر المواضيع سخونة في عام ،2010 بغض النظر عن توقيت عملية الانتعاش؛ حيث يقدر وصول عدد الوحدات السكنية إلى 60،000 وحدة، بحلول نهاية 2011 .

ويشير البحث الذي أجرته شركة “هاربور” للوساطة العقارية إلى أنه خلال العامين القادمين سيتم تسليم حوالي 10،200 وحدة في مشروعي أبراج بحيرات جميرا “جميرا ليك تاورز” ومرسى دبي “دبي مارينا” .

ويتوقع زيادة العرض أيضا عند تسليم المزيد من الوحدات في مناطق أخرى “مدينة دبي الرياضية”، و”موتور سيتي”، و”جميرا فيليج ساوث”، و”النخلة جميرا”، و”الخليج التجاري” بالإضافة إلى انتهاء برج دبي في الفصل الأول لعام 2010 .

How mergers could save the property and financial sectors

Mohanad Al Wadiya, Managing Director of Harbor Real Estate Brokerage, shares his thoughts on upcoming mergers

For many players in the local market, mergers and acquisitions appear to be a logical solution to stay afloat during the global financial crisis. Opinion is divided as to whether these mergers and acquisitions will have a positive or negative impact in the short and medium terms, and it is too early at this stage to predict success or failure. Nevertheless, it seems clear that without these actions, the result would be a freeze in financing facilities and diminishing activity in the property sector, which would have an adverse effect on the overall economy.

Within the financial sector, these kinds of mergers really started as early as last year. It all began when Amlak and Tamweel announced a merger to create Emirates Development Bank in November 2008. The new bank will have access to federal funds and hopes to strengthen the UAE’s home finance sector. The merger news gained considerable media attention and created veryhigh expectations.

In terms of property development, we have seen similar mergers within the last year. Dubai World, the major property and ports conglomerate, recently consolidated its management and property operations of Leisurecorp, Dubai Maritime City, and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, all of which it owns. The property divisions of these companies will now be run by Nakheel, another property arm of Dubai World.

There is also continued discussion of a merger between Deyaar Development and Union Properties, with news about the latter having liquidity problems and losing its long-time chief executive recently.

While these developments are important for the sector, the most significant merger in the region is currently being discussed between Dubai Holdings’ ‘Big 3’ companies and Emaar, a most popular developer in the Middle East. Dubai Properties, Tatweer, and Sama Dubai—collectively known as ‘The Big 3’—are fully-owned subsidiariesof Dubai Holding Commercial Operations, a holding company of Dubai Holding Group with total assets of Dh126bn at the end of 2008, as quotes by Emaar.

There is a growing consensus among the officials involved that allowing healthy businesses to acquire companies in jeopardy of failing could stabilise the economy by bolstering confidence in both the financial and property sectors. For some of these companies, merging with a partner that has a strong balance sheet is a pressing and essential step in preventing dissolution. Other benefits include leveraging economies of scale and having stronger negotiation positions with regard to suppliers and contractors. The mergers will allow companies to work together to achieve long-term, strategic benefits by uniting complementary businesses into a single, sufficient and more successful operation. For the property sector, these mergers will also allow consolidated companies to have better control of the overall supply introduced into the marketplace and the quality of the products and services offered. This will definitely have a positive impact on the market in the long run.

On the other hand, there are concerns that these mergers will place heavy burdens on the stronger companies
involved. These partners are not just taking over assets, but may also be inheriting large liabilities and debts. Furthermore, these mergers are likely to generate a lot of uncertainty among the investors and shareholders involved. Investors might have to accept further delays until these mergers are finalised, and will then have to evaluate the impact of the mergers on their investment.

Whatever the impact, the number of mergers involving financial and property organisations is increasing. For these new companies, the ability to provide prompt, transparent, and practical information that guide all stakeholders through the merger process and expected outcomes could make the difference between success and failure from the public’s point of view.

Meadows, Jumeirah Islands top sales transactions

Villlas in The Meadows, Jumeirah Islands and Arabian Ranches have seen increased sales transactions in the past one month. Among apartment buildings, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Downtown Burj Dubai and Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT) have recorded the maximum number of sales transactions.

“Among villas, Meadows, Jumeirah Islands, Arabian ranches recorded the highest transactions, while from an apartment perspective, Dubai Marina, JBR, Downtown Burj Dubai and JLT have recorded the highest transaction,” Peter Penhall, Chief Executive, Gowealthy.

Gowealthy recorded 20 per cent incremental growth in transactions for November, from October figures.

Vineet Kumar, Head of Sales, Asteco Property Management, said: “The top three residential areas, which have witnessed the most transactional activity in the month of November for apartments sales, have been The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Downtown Burj Dubai areas. “The locations which witnessed the most transactional activity in the month of November for villa sales are The Emirates Living Area, Arabian Ranches and The Green Community.”

Kumar said the total number of transactions Asteco supported in the month of November was 48 individual sales. However, some of these transactions were single investors purchasing multiple units so the overall unit numbers were higher than this.”

Liz O’Connor, Director-Residential Sales and Leasing, said: “From a sales perspective, among the villas, Springs/Meadows, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Islands stood apart and in the apartments category, it were Downtown Burj Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Dubai Marina.

“From a rental perspective, Emirates Living [Springs, Meadows, JLT, Discovery Gardens, Jumeirah Village], Marina [JBR, Marina], Dubai Land [Arabian Ranches, Motor City, Sports City] have recorded high number of transactions.”

The sales were about 40 and leases are about 250, according to Better Homes.

According to Mohanad Alwadiya, Managing Director, Harbor Real Estate, Emirates Hills Third and Palm Jumeirah are the areas that have recorded maximum transactions.

According to Penhall, predominantly South Asian (Indians, followed by Pakistanis) have invested into these areas. The GCC nationals form the next largest set, followed by South East Asians/Chinese. “Most of them were end users and finance buyers,” he added.

According to Kumar, the buyer profile has been predominantly the end user. However, there were a few buyers based overseas who have bought properties for rental income purposes with a view to holding their real estate assets for the mid-term (5-7 years). “The buyers on these projects were mixture of individuals from the GCC countries, Russia, India, Pakistan and Western Europe,” he said.

O’Connor said these areas have mostly seen end-users, pre-qualified for a mortgage but those who have access to additional funds to cover the difference if the evaluation of the property was less. We deal with many cash buyers who are looking for the best priced properties in today’s market.”

With respect to price floor in these areas, Penhall said that for a higher trading areas such as well-located villas in Meadows and apartments in certain towers at Marina, expectations are being met to a large extent due to the relatively higher availability and demand parameters. “The selling prices are neither too far out of present reach-market getting more matured, buyers and sellers are getting quite pragmatic on their price expectation factors.”

He added that however, the point to be noted here is that currently, price factors are an indication of distress levels of individual sellers and should not necessarily be construed as a market price index for a particular type of property in a particular community.

Kumar said the sales activity on these projects have tended to revolve around the owners and sellers of properties who have purchased them in the years prior 2008. “Typically these properties can be sold in today’s market with some expectation of premium,” said Kumar.

Alwadiya said mixed nationalities of end-users and investors have invested into these areas. “In general, buyers are more demanding and careful nowadays compared to last year and the previous years and hence they do enough due diligence before purchasing any properties.”

According to Better Homes, the buyer is always looking for the best priced property/value for money.

“We have not seen major prices changes sine the last three month – prices have stabilized in certain areas and you can always find very well priced properties in all areas of Dubai,” she said.

Investors hunt for bargains

Investors hunt for bargains after debt scare

Property sales enquiries have picked up, despite Dubai World’s request to creditors for an extension of debt repayments for its subsidiaries, Nakheel and Limitless, say real estate agents.

Mohanad Alwadiya, managing director of Harbor Real Estate, believes the hike in interest is a result of the debt crisis. “Since the Dubai World announcement, we have recorded a noticeable increase in the number of queries from private and institutional investors who are interested in taking advantage of the impact that the announcement may have on the overall prices of property in Dubai and in Nakheel developments in specific.”

Aditya Awtani, of Fine and Country UAE, has also witnessed a surge in investor interest. “We have already noticed in the last few days that vulture investors are pooling together, forming informal/quasi funds, in order to take advantage of the so-called distress situation.”

Although the Dubai World request caused global markets to plunge and attracted criticism in the international press, Alwadiya feels the situation has been overblown. However, he feels the incident has affected investor confidence. “Since the beginning of the economic crisis, consumers and investors have been extremely cautious. Whether we like it or not, they are fragile. The old adage of ‘once bitten twice shy’ will never be as apt as in the next few months. It is as much understandable as it is unavoidable. Simply put, many people have been hurt by the Dubai real estate crash and they don’t want to be hurt again. In effect, they have lost confidence and trust in the industry and have developed a risk aversion which will take some time to overcome. The recent request by Dubai World for an extension on debt repayment timings, resulting in speculative press coverage around the world regarding Dubai’s ability to avoid defaulting on its debts, will further erode confidence in the emirate. We definitely feel that the international media is blowing this news out of proportion but unfortunately, perception is reality and a major effort will be required to reverse world opinion.”

Aditya says investors with the means should shop around, “It’s a great time if you are a cash buyer, because banks are anticipated to get more tight-fisted, as they will come under pressure in a bid to keep a safety net due to their exposure to Dubai World.”

Myles Bush, managing director, PowerHouse Properties, thinks the debt issue is unlikely to stop the market from rebounding. “I believe in Dubai and am very confident about its property market in the long term.”

Secret Agents

Fania Telyaeva
Company: Asteco Property Management
First job: An accountant at a contracting company
Number of years in real estate: Three
First sale: A two bedroom flat in the Ajman 1 project.
Most difficult sale: During the crisis when everything was working against us.
Hottest property in the UAE: Palm Jumeirah and Downtown Burj Dubai.
Key to success: Positive attitude, persistence and learning from past mistakes.

Mohanad Alwadiya
Company: Harbor Real Estate
First job: Communications director at Leo Burnett
Number of years in real estate: Five
First sale: A two bedroom with study unit at The Greens in 2005.
Most difficult sale: Selling 41 units to an institutional investor during August-September 2009, the peak of the global financial storm
Hottest property in the UAE: The Address Hotel in Downtown Burj Dubai
Key to your success: A passion for perfection.

Andrew Covill
Company: LLJ Property
First job: Doing sales and rentals at a UK real estate company
Number of years in real estate: 20
First sale: A client in the UK turned up at the last minute and loved the property so much we agreed on a deal instantly.
Most difficult sale: A substantial bulk development purchase in London which took me all across the country before finalising the deal with the client.
Hottest property in the UAE: Marina Square, Sky Tower, Al Bandar, Al Muneera and Al Reef Villas, all in Abu Dhabi.
Key to your success: An open approach, professionalism, a determination to see deals through and a desire to have satisfied clients

Livia Anzaldo
Company: Fine & Country
First job: Sales director
Number of years in real estate: Almost three
First sale: October 2008, Jumeirah Village South apartment during Cityscape. Although it was a very small sale, during the downturn and I had been in the city for only one month.
Most difficult sale: A commercial unit in JLT. It was my first commercial sale and I was unaware of the rules attached to a sale of this kind.
Hottest property in the UAE: Victory Heights
Key to your success: A genuine passion for real estate, matching clients’ requirements, getting positive feedback from sellers and buyers, being able to listen to clients’ needs and creating trust.

Dawn Draper
Company: The Oryx Corporation
First job: With my father’s property development company
Number of years in real estate: 30
First sale: An off-plan apartment near Canary Wharf. I’d gone to meet the client to talk about a new design of a staircase. But he liked the area so much he decided to buy.
Most difficult sale: A property in the UK where the solicitor failed to spot a dispute between the developer and the council. It took over a year to get the sale through.
Hottest property in the UAE: Victory Heights villas and Emirates Hills
Key to your success: Build trust with your clients and never forget it’s their money you are spending.

Julie Morgan
Company: Ocean View Real Estate
First job: Leasing consultant for a UK-based company
Number of years in real estate: Four
First sale: A signature villa on Palm Jumeirah for Dh22 million in April 2008
Most difficult sale: I had a difficult time selling a Shoreline Apartment this year due to both the buyer and seller being in and out of Dubai on business.
Hottest property in the UAE: Arabian Ranches, Victory Heights and Palm Jumeirah.
Key to your success: Strong communication with my clients.

Sam Hussain
Company: Sherwoods Independent Property Consultants
First job: At Wind Property Developers
Number of years in real estate: Three
First sale: 38 units in the Mogul cluster in Discovery Gardens.
Most difficult sale: Selling the 51st floor in Lilac Tower at Al Qudra. I eventually sold it for Dh26 million.
Hottest property in the UAE: The one-bedroom units at Burj Views, and the apartments in Marina Quays.
Key to your success: Hard work, determination and mentorship from my managing director
Iseeb Rehman.

Susan Brand
Company: Better Homes
First job: Lecturer in physical education, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Number of years in real estate: Four
First sale: A studio in International City
Most difficult sale: While standing in for another agent a deal on a Green Community villa
was linked with a chain of three transactions. After much stress, we finally closed what had become the most stressful sale in the history of my career.
Hottest property in the UAE: Palm Jumeirah.
Key to your success: Work seven days a week, 24 hours a day. I want my clients to feel they have been given the best service and deal of their lives

Hesham El Far
Company: Coldwell Banker UAE
First job: At Nile Investments, now known as Naeem Holding
Number of years in real estate: Eight
First sale: A three bedroom apartment in Nasr City, Cairo.
Most difficult sale: Selling the hotel in the Onyx development in Dubai.
Hottest property in the UAE: Emaar towers in Dubai Marina.
Key to your success: Willpower

Claire Collier
Company: In Style Real Estate
First job: Junior reporter for a UK newspaper
Number of years in real estate:Ten
First sale: A one bedroom apartment in Hampstead, London, for £350,000 (Dh2.1million).
Most difficult sale: It once took me over a year to agree, exchange and complete on a repossessed studio apartment in Primrose Hill, North London.
Hottest property in the UAE: Tiara Residence on Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Dubai.
Key to success: Honesty, integrity, transparency, having a good network in the UAE and having experienced and seasoned directors as mentors are all invaluable

Making owners pay service charges a major challenge

A lack of transparency over the cost of maintaining a building, low quality standards and services and confusion over what is covered by service charges have angered owners and led to many refusing to pay the charges, say industry sources.

Adrian Quinn, Chairman of Dubai-based strata management firm Essential Community Management, said that if a building has service fee arrears of 40 per cent, it would not be possible to continue maintaining it internally or externally.

The available funds would have to be used to make payments to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, insurance companies, master developers and district cooling suppliers.

Essential Community provide strata management services to more than 40 developers in Dubai and has worked with master developers Emaar and Nakheel.

Quinn said the major challenge for the strata sector in Dubai is making owners pay the building service fees.

“The delay in the enforcement of the strata law is allowing many owners to avoid paying their strata service fees,” he added. “This is due to many developers not wanting to – or not knowing how to – recover the outstanding service fees via the terms and conditions of their contracts of sale.

“Most contracts allow for the developer to sell the apartment or villa in the event of non-payment and also recover all the legal costs and penalties.”

According to a recent survey by Dubai-based real estate broker Harbor Real Estate, the average annual service charges for buildings across Dubai are Dh16 per square foot.

“The highest service charges recorded were in and around Downtown Burj Dubai at about Dh22 per sq ft, while the lowest were in the Greens at Dh11 per sq ft,” said Harbor Managing Director, Mohanad Alwadiya.

“Consumers are no longer able to ignore the pinch of the economic downturn and investors and owner-occupiers alike are starting to evaluate very carefully the impact of service charges on the financial performance of their property and their own personal wealth.”

The survey, shared exclusively with Emirate Business, reveals that the overall average charge for villa communities is Dh2.5 per sq ft calculated on the overall plot size. Charges for villas are highest on The Palm Jumeirah, where the highest are between Dh4 and Dh5 per sq ft. “The lowest price is about Dh1.16 per sq ft for some of the villas in the Meadows community. This is broken down into Dh1.03 per sq ft for the general fund, Dh0.05 per sq ft for the capital reserve fund and Dh0.08 per sq ft for the master community levy,” said Alwadiya.

He said many developers who sold off-plan properties had not calculated the service charges at the time of sale, leaving many investors not knowing what the fees would be until the buildings were handed over.

“This makes it difficult for investors to determine the yield estimates on potential investments and adds a further element of uncertainty in an already uncertain environment. When buyers are considering purchasing properties, a unit that is complete with fees already apparent is more appealing than an off-plan transaction,” said Alwadiya.

“The majority of developers of projects that are still under construction do not provide service charge figures until the building is completed. On the other hand, most buyers and sellers, and even brokers, will not mention this important subject until the final stages of the negotiation process.”

Walid Jaafar, a partner at the Dubai-based Fichte & Co Legal Consultancy, said the official gazette announcement of Law No27 of 2007 on Ownership of Jointly Owned Properties in Dubai – the strata law – was published on December 31, 2007. Article 33 of the law says the legislation will come into effect within three months of the date of publication – ie on April 1, 2008.

“However, the law has still to be implemented,” said Jaafar. “The law does not address the issue of tenants. The law is intended to regularise the relationship between the owners of units in a specific development.

“This matter is usually left to the owner and the tenant to agree on. However, in practice, unless agreed otherwise between the parties in a tenancy agreement, the service fees should be covered by the owner.”

Fichte & Co has not yet seen any cases involving disputes over unpaid service fees, but does not exclude the possibility that a few are being reviewed by courts.

“In the absence of a regulatory law and the absence of any owners’ associations, the only possibility to file such cases lies in the hands of the master-developers or the sub-developers,” said Jaafar. “The claims in such a case would be based on the sale and purchase agreements and the master declarations attached to them.”

Quinn said that, once implemented, the strata law would create more transparency within owners’ associations. “If a building does not use all the budgeted funds in a year, the owners at the annual general assembly would have the right to decrease the next year’s budget or transfer the funds into the sinking fund,” he added.

The law makes it mandatory for every strata to have a 10-year sinking fund to ensure that money is set aside to pay for long-term capital expenditure.

“We at Essential Community automatically create a 20- or 25-year sinking fund to ensure all major plant and equipment are properly budgeted for on normal lifecycle cost structures.”

A strata general manager is appointed by the landlords of the building to create a draft budget, which is then reviewed by a board.

“After it has been approved by the board it is sent to all owners before the annual general assembly and is then approved there,” said Quinn. “After the meeting has approved all the agenda items it is then up to the strata general manager to enact all the motions and ensure they are carried out.”

Quinn said the most important duties of a strata manager are to oversee the facilities management companies to ensure they and their sub-contractors carry out the jobs they are contracted to do.

“There is a major conflict of interest if a strata management company has its own facilities management company,” he added.

Landlords will control what the owners’ association does and how it spends funds through the elected board.

“This means that the individual landlords will have some power in what the service fees will be and be able to rectify things. The enforcement of the strata law will make it possible to split buildings into multiple cost structures,” said Quinn.

“The first is the master cost structure, which would pay the master community service fees, buildings insurance, essential service costs, the managers’ fees, the facilities managers’ fees, district cooling charges, etc.

“The second cost structure would be the residential component of the building, so it would pay all the costs for the specifically residential component, for example lifts, foyers, gyms, pools and car parks. The third cost structure could be then the commercial portion of the building and cover all the commercial areas.”

Jaafar said: “When the owners have control of their buildings they will, through their board, review complaints of tenants and issues to ensure a good relationship is maintained.

“At present a tenant may have problems and issues with the building he is in, but the developer does not want to know about it or does not understand what they need to do to rectify them. There are some developers that are doing a good job in running their buildings, but everyone still has problems with conflicts of interest issues on maintenance items.”

Jaafar said according to Article 25 (2) of the strata law, if a unit owner fails to pay the service fees, the manager of the owner’s association would take action against the owner three months after notifying him through the notary public, enforceable by the execution judge in any competent court.

“However, the unit owner may object to this decision within the three-month period. In such a case, the execution shall be withheld until a decision in the subject of the objection has been reached.” Meanwhile, analysts called for the strata law to be enforced as soon as possible.

Nicole Betts, Senior Manager of Asteco Association Management, said that while Dubai awaited the regulations that supported the jointly-owned property law, Asteco had been working for several years with a number of high-profile clients well ahead of the implementation of the law.

“We have been helping companies establish informal owner associations, set up service charge and budgeting models, set community rules as well as facility management and service provider selection procedures based on best international practices,” she said.

“Some companies are actively encouraging owners to take control for themselves – albeit at this stage this has to be done under the developer’s name.

“A good example is the MAG Group which is dedicated to transparency. We have worked with them from conception of their MAG 214 Jumeirah Lakes Towers project through to delivering onsite management services to an informal owners’ association. Our team works closely with the owners’ management board to assist them to preserve, maintain and enhance the tower.”

Mohammed Nimer, Chief Executive Officer of MAG Group Property Development, said: “We have always operated in an environment of transparency, so it was natural for our company to introduce best practice in property management to enable owners to truly run their own buildings.”

Asteco has also been working with another developer for the V3 Tower, also located at Jumeirah Lakes, where handover to owners commenced recently.

“Our role is to administer day-to-day operations and assist in the formation of an informal owners’ association and a management board,” added Betts.