Two identical two-beds, same price, can differ by AED 20,000 a year in running costs. Service charges are the least glamorous number in a property deal and one of the most consequential — they compound every year you own, they move your net yield by a full percentage point, and buyers increasingly check them before offering. Here's how they work on the Creek.
Service charges fund the shared life of the building and the masterplan: security, cleaning, landscaping, pool and gym maintenance, facade work, lifts, building insurance, and a reserve fund for future capital repairs. In Creek Harbour there's also the district layer — the parks, promenades and public realm that make the Creek feel the way it does. You're not paying a landlord; you're funding an owners' association, regulated by RERA.
| Building type | Typical rate (AED/sqft/yr) | On a 750 sqft 1-bed |
|---|---|---|
| Standard towers (Creek Gate, Harbour Gate) | 16–19 | ~AED 13,000 |
| Island flagships (Harbour Views, The Grand) | 16–20 | ~AED 13,500 |
| Creek Beach low-rise (Breeze, Summer, Grove) | 17–21 | ~AED 14,000 |
| Branded (Address Harbour Point, Vida) | 22–28 | ~AED 19,000 |
Indicative ranges from recent owner statements — the exact figure for any building is in Mollak, and I check it as part of every deal. For context, these undercut many older Downtown towers (25–35 AED/sqft) — one reason Creek net yields hold up so well.
Since 2019, every owners' association budget in Dubai runs through Mollak, a government system under RERA. Budgets are audited and approved before charges are set, invoices come through registered channels, and a seller cannot transfer without a clearance — that's what the NOC in a sale process confirms. Practical upshot: the service charge you're quoted is a regulated, verifiable number, not a developer estimate.
Creek Harbour is district-cooled. Air-conditioning is billed separately (consumption + capacity charge) and is NOT inside the service charge. Whether the landlord or tenant pays the capacity charge varies by building and contract — always ask. On a two-bed it can be AED 5–10K/year.
Every building, every confirmed rate. The full service charge directory lists all 52 projects across the six districts — the confirmed AED/sqft rate, the annual cost on a 750 sqft one-bed, and the gross yield it sits against. Reconfirmed July 2026 from Mollak filings, and printable as a four-page PDF.
I keep the current service charge for every Creek Harbour building in the buildings directory, and it's part of every valuation and shortlist I produce. Comparing two units? Send them to me — I'll give you the true cost-of-ownership picture, or start with the first-time buyer guide.
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