Discovery Gardens homeowner Lorenza Gazzola listens to Jeevan D'Mello, the executive director of Emaar community management, at a seminar at the Dubai Real Estate Institue this week. Jeff Topping / The National DUBAI // Some 150 owners associations have been approved by authorities, but they still face complex technical hurdles before any can legally take action. The figure was revealed by Marwan bin Ghalaita, the chief executive of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, at a talk Wednesday night. The number far exceeds previous estimates that have been publicised since a law mandating the associations took effect last October. Under the strata law, the associations are supposed to take over control of building maintenance and fees from the building.

Authority aims to educate investors on rights Dubai: A total of 150 home owners associations (IOAs) have been registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera), Marwan Bin Galaita, CEO of Rera, said at a recent Dubai School of Government seminar. Charles Neil, CEO of Landmark Group, told members at a recent Dubai Property Society that 2,000 homeowners associations would have to be formed based on the number of developments. "We tell every single investor based here or abroad that there is a regulated market in Dubai. "Based on the last study I've seen in 2006 and 2007 the number one priority for investors was huge returns; today the number one is regulation. What's most important for me now is the cost of owner association," said Bin Galaita. According to him, the.

Rera talks tough with homeowners Mohammad Khalifa Bin Hammad Image Credit: Supplied Dubai: Days after XPRESS reported on the poor response to the formation of interim owners associations (IOAs) under the Strata Law, Mohammad Khalifa Bin Hammad, Head of Real Estate Relations Management, RERA, revealed that 107 IOAs have so far been registered in freehold Dubai. Hitting out at lackadaisical homeowners, he said, "The grace period is over … there is no excuse for the delay." He regretted that developers and owners are still debating what constitutes the jointly-owned areas and clarified that recovery of service charges is not a matter for RERA, but the responsibility of the associations themselves. Excerpts from an interview: What is the status of IOAs? RERA has.