13th October 2010 is a critical compliance date following the release of the Directions by the Dubai Lands Department that set out regulations allowing for the registration of jointly-owned Property and Owner's Associations, the company, Strata Global, sister company to Better Homes, is poised to take the lead in guiding both commercial and private sectors of the market in the right direction, ensuring compliance with all Strata ownership rules and regulations at every level by all types of property owners and developers within the emirate. Strata is a term used to describe 'jointlyowned property' and relates to ownership of property in a location where a unit has been divided into several units used for private ownership and common areas (owned in common by all unit owners in.

While Dubai is still awaiting legislation to apply its strata laws, its neighbour Oman is already a step ahead, with an owners' association being recently formed in one of the country's mega projects, The Wave in Muscat. Strata management firm Strata Global helped set up owners' associations for the first ten blocks of townhouses in the waterfront development. Kent A O'Brien, CEO and managing director of the company says that this is only the first step for the community. "A forum for each of the 14 sectors of the master community will also be established shortly. The owners' associations may meet as often as requested and may formulate amendments to rules and by laws and also the budgets." Oman has had strata law in place for over 20 years as per the first Sultani Decree in.