Can Dubai Building Management Fine You Over Children in Common Areas?

A Dubai freehold apartment owner was warned by building management that they could be fined AED 1,000 after their daughter sat drawing with friends just outside the family's front door. Whether that fine is allowed depends on the rules written into the building's own Building Management Regulations, a lawyer told Khaleej Times, and owners who think a fine is unfair have a route to challenge it.

The owner, who lives in the flat with their three children, said the children were not loud or causing a disturbance. The day after, building management emailed the owner a photo of the children with the warning, without making contact first or hearing the owner's side.

What Dubai law says about common areas

Ashish Mehta, founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates, told Khaleej Times that Dubai's Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned real property (known as the JOPD Law) applies.

Under that law, every jointly owned building in Dubai must have Building Management Regulations. These are prepared by the developer and approved by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) of the Dubai Land Department (DLD). Their main job is to set out rules for using the common parts of the building.

Article 2 of the law defines common parts as the areas shown on the site plan for shared use by owners and occupants.

Do owners and tenants have to follow building rules?

Yes. Mehta pointed to two articles of the JOPD Law:

• Article 6(b): occupants are obliged to follow the Building Management Regulations, as far as they apply to them.
• Article 16(a): an owner can lease out the unit, but both the owner and the tenant remain bound by the regulations.

So the rules cover tenants as well as owners. If you rent, the same restrictions on common parts apply to you and your family. For more on what renters can and cannot do, see Can a Tenant Let a Relative Stay in Their Dubai Apartment?.

Can the management company issue a fine?

Under Article 18 of the JOPD Law, managing the common areas can be handed to a management company recognised by RERA. That company must run the building strictly according to the Building Management Regulations and other applicable rules.

Mehta said that if your building's regulations restrict certain activities in common parts or set penalties for them, the management company is obliged to send notices of non-compliance, with a warning of penalties for repeat violations.

The fine is only as strong as the regulations behind it. If the rules for your building do not cover the activity, or set no penalty for it, you have grounds to question the warning.

How to challenge a building fine in Dubai

If you receive a warning or a fine you think is wrong, Mehta's advice points to these steps:

1. Find your Building Management Regulations. Owners may have received them at handover. Check whether the rules actually restrict the activity and allow a fine.
2. Use the challenge process in the regulations. These usually lead to internal committees set up by the Owners' Association.
3. Escalate to the DLD. If the committee cannot resolve the dispute, you can file a complaint electronically on the DLD portal or through the Dubai REST smartphone app.

Keep a written record of every email and notice. Khaleej Times notes the answer is general guidance, not legal advice. For another way owners push back on building costs, see Dubai Property: How Villa Owners Can Contest Service Charge Increases.

Key takeaway

Dubai building management can only fine owners for children using common areas if the building's RERA-approved Building Management Regulations restrict that activity and set a penalty. Check your regulations first, challenge through the Owners' Association committee, and take it to the DLD if that fails.

FAQ

Can building management fine me in Dubai?

Only within the Building Management Regulations for your building. If those rules restrict an activity in common parts and set penalties, the management company must issue notices and can warn of penalties for repeat violations.

Where can I find my building's rules?

Owners may have received the Building Management Regulations at handover. The regulations are prepared by the developer and approved by RERA.

Do Dubai building rules apply to tenants?

Yes. Under Article 16(a) of the JOPD Law, an owner who leases out a unit and the tenant both remain bound by the Building Management Regulations.

How do I dispute a building fine in Dubai?

Follow the challenge process in the regulations, which usually goes to an Owners' Association committee. If that fails, file a complaint with the DLD online or through the Dubai REST app.

Further reading

• Freehold Property in Dubai: Complete Ownership Guide 2025 | JobXDubai
• Dubai’s New Building Law: Quality and Safety Certificates Now Mandatory for All Properties
• Dubai Property: How Villa Owners Can Contest Service Charge Increases | JobXDubai
• Can a Tenant Let a Relative Stay in Their Dubai Apartment?