Market note · · 1 min read
Service charges are the hidden tax on Dubai yields
Gross yield sells the apartment. Service charge, chiller and the sinking fund decide what you actually bank. Here is how to read the number.
By Erisha Investment Desk
Why the brochure number is never the real one
A brochure quotes gross yield because it is the largest number available and requires no assumptions.
What comes out before you bank anything
- Service charge, quoted per square foot and billed quarterly
- Chiller, which in some towers is separate and in others is not
- The sinking fund, which is not optional and is not small
If nobody will tell you the service charge in writing, that is the answer.
The number to ask for
Ask for the last two years of actual service-charge invoices, not the developer estimate.