Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) has introduced a new RERA owners committee governance framework that spells out exactly how an owners committee should be formed, run and held accountable. Circular No. RERASC 26C03, dated 1 July 2026, sets out a full Articles of Association for owners committees across every jointly owned property in the emirate. As part of our owners’ association management work, we sit across the table from these committees every week, so here is what actually changes.
What the New RERA Circular Actually Changes
Owners’ committees in Dubai already existed under Law No. 6 of 2019, the Jointly Owned Property Law, which replaced the older Law No. 27 of 2007 and gave every jointly owned property in the emirate a RERA-appointed committee working alongside the management company. Circular RERASC 26C03 does not replace that law. It codifies how a committee formed under it has to operate day to day, running to 19 articles covering formation, membership, conduct, meetings, voting, budget review, and how a committee can request a change of management company.
Before this circular, most of what members knew about the role came from a shorter Declaration and guidance passed on by RERA. The new Articles build on Dubai Land Department’s own guidance on owners committees, which frames these committees as central to strengthening governance and sustainability across Dubai’s residential communities.
Who Can Serve on an Owners Committee
The core structure has not changed. A committee still has no more than nine members, including the chair and vice chair, a cap that has applied since Law No. 6 of 2019 first introduced the owners committee model, and RERA still approves every candidacy. What has changed is how detailed the eligibility list now is.
| Requirement | What the Circular Requires |
| Age | 21 to 65 years old on the date of candidacy |
| Residency | Must own and reside in the jointly owned property |
| Conduct | No prior criminal conviction touching honour or trustworthiness, unless legally rehabilitated |
| Service charge standing | All service and usage charges settled within 3 months of invoice |
| Legal capacity | Must be legally competent to act |
| Concurrent memberships | Cannot sit on another owner’s committee during the same term |
| Conflicts of interest | No financial or commercial interest that conflicts with committee duties |
| Qualifications | Priority to university graduates, then high school certificate holders, weighed against relevant experience |
For communities spread across several buildings, the circular also asks RERA to balance representation fairly across those buildings, rather than letting one block of owners dominate a shared committee.
How Long a Term Lasts, and When a Seat Becomes Vacant
A seat becomes vacant through resignation, death, removal, or loss of any eligibility requirement. RERA fills it from the pool of qualified candidates, and the vacancy alone does not invalidate the committee’s other decisions or meetings.
RERA can remove a member for reasons that now include missing two consecutive meetings without an accepted excuse, falling behind on service charges for more than three months, interfering in the management company’s work, or exploiting the position for personal gain, including undisclosed conflicts of interest or gifts from contractors. A removed member can reapply after two years, but under the new Articles, they can never be elected chair or vice chair again. RERA also keeps the right to dissolve and reconstitute a whole committee at its own discretion, most often when it is not performing its duties, is not cooperating with the management company, or when the property is being redeveloped or expanded into new phases.
Oversight, Not Operations: What the Committee Can and Cannot Do
This is the part worth committing to memory, because the principle has not changed; it is just spelled out in more detail now. An owner’s committee’s role is supervisory and advisory. It reviews the management company’s performance, reads the annual budget and audit reports, and raises recommendations. It does not run the building, and our governance and compliance work exists to keep that boundary clear for the committees we support. The Articles confirm a committee:
- Cannot interfere in the management company’s day-to-day operations
- Has no role in appointing auditors or giving final approval to the financial budget; that authority sits with RERA
- Must raise unresolved concerns with the management company first, escalating to RERA only if there is no response
- Cannot share jointly owned property data with a third party outside approved channels
- Cannot film, record or publish meeting content through media or unapproved social platforms
Members also carry personal obligations under a new Professional Commitments article: they must disclose any conflict of interest touching themselves or relatives up to the fourth degree and step back from related votes, and keep community information confidential. The committee itself still has no independent legal identity, so any contractual or financial commitment in the community’s name has to go through the management company.
Meeting Rules and the Mollak Documentation Requirement
Meetings now come with firm timing rules attached, plus a documentation requirement that changes what actually counts as a valid decision.
- The first committee meeting must happen within 30 days of the committee being formed
- Committees must meet at least once a quarter, four times a year
- Members get at least 7 days’ notice of the agenda, financial statements, and supporting documents before a regular meeting
- An emergency meeting can be called by the chair, and the management company then has 3 working days to arrange it
- Each member gets exactly one vote, regardless of how many units they own, and decisions pass by majority of those present
- Proxy voting, voting by written correspondence, and voting on another member’s behalf are all explicitly ruled out
- If votes tie, the chair’s vote decides
Every part of this now has to run through Mollak, RERA’s established digital platform for jointly owned properties, which Dubai Land Department has continued to expand into new areas of committee governance. Invitations, agendas, attendance, votes and minutes all need to be logged there. A meeting held outside the system, or a vote taken outside it, is not valid, and RERA can cancel the effects of any decision that comes out of it.
Requesting a Change of Management Company
One of the more practical additions is a clear, staged process for what happens when a committee wants a management company replaced. It is not a vote and a phone call; it is a structured escalation:
- The committee, coordinating with RERA, formally notifies the management company of specific observations and violations, giving it up to 14 days to correct them.
- If the issues are not fixed in that window, RERA can step in directly, including assigning independent technical or financial specialists to assess the property and the management company’s performance.
- If those reports confirm shortcomings, RERA issues a formal warning with its own deadline, and the management company must commit to a written remediation plan with regular progress reports.
- If financial reports or an audit uncover serious irregularities, such as funds collected outside approved accounts, RERA can act immediately, including replacing the management company on the spot.
- At every stage, the final decision sits with RERA. A committee’s request alone does not automatically remove a management company.
This gives committees a genuine escalation path, and it rewards management companies that document maintenance work and communications properly from the start.
What This Means for Owners and Committees Today
For most committees, the immediate task is straightforward: confirm meetings are being logged in Mollak correctly, check every current member still meets the age, residency, and conflict of interest requirements, and make sure the annual budget review follows the new three working day window.
For developers and new communities, a committee’s governance record effectively starts from its first meeting, so getting the structure right during the handover from developer control matters more than it used to. We build that into our property handover services in Dubai, setting up committee documentation and Mollak processes correctly from day one. The same discipline carries over into communities governed under a different jointly owned property framework, including free zone developments. Our body corporate management services apply the same governance and documentation standards, adapted to whichever framework actually applies to that property.
Getting Your Committee Ready for the New Framework
We already manage committee meetings, budget reviews and Mollak documentation across our Dubai portfolio, so this circular changes process for us, not principle. If your committee needs help auditing its membership against the new rules, our owners committee support and meetings team can walk through it with you. Get in touch, and we will take it from there.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Governance Framework for Owners’ Committees
Q: Can an owners committee vote by proxy?
No. The new Articles of Association rule out proxy voting, voting by written correspondence, and voting on another member’s behalf. Only members present, in person or remotely, at a properly logged meeting can vote.
Q: Can an owners committee replace the management company on its own?
No. A committee can raise formal observations and request a change, but RERA reviews and decides on any replacement. The circular sets out a staged process rather than giving committees direct authority to remove a management company.
Q: What happens if a committee meeting isn’t logged in Mollak?
It isn’t considered valid. Every resolution, vote, and set of minutes has to be documented through the Mollak system, and RERA can cancel the effects of any decision that came out of an improperly recorded meeting.
