Property Ownership And Joint Ownership Disputes In Dubai

Introduction

The UAE real estate sector is governed by a combination of federal laws and emirate-level property legislation. At the federal level, Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 on Civil Transactions provides the general legal framework for property rights, obligations and co-ownership. Each emirate also has its own laws and regulatory procedures dealing with property ownership, registration and real estate transactions.

Ownership and registration of property in Dubai are governed by certain local legislation, including Law No. 7 of 2006 Concerning Real Property Registration and Law No. 6 of 2019 Concerning Ownership of Jointly Owned Real Property. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the primary authority for registering property and transfer of ownership.

Title Deed Conclusiveness and Registration Conflicts

The UAE follows the principle that the rights in relation to immovable property are governed by the law of the place where it is situated. Under Article 18 of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 on Civil Transactions, possession of immovable property and ownership thereof and other real rights connected therewith shall be governed by the law of the country where the immovable property is located. Article 19(2) adds that contracts relating to immovable property are governed by the law of the place where the immovable property is situated.

Under Articles 6 and 7 of Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006, the Dubai Land Department has exclusive authority to register property rights and long-term lease contracts, and the Property Register is treated as absolute evidence unless affected by fraud or forgery. Article 9 of Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006, as amended, further provides that any action establishing, transferring, changing or extinguishing a property right has no legal effect unless registered in the Property Register.

Dubai Law No. 13 of 2008 on the Interim Real Estate Register also provides for the registration of off-plan properties. Article 3 provides for the registration in the Interim Real Estate Register of all dispositions relating to off-plan units. Any sale or other disposition transferring or restricting property rights shall be void if not registered.

Joint Ownership Governance and Strata Disputes in Dubai

Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 Concerning Ownership of Jointly Owned Real Property replaced the previous framework under Law No. 27 of 2007. It applies to the management of jointly owned developments, including large projects under the management of master developers, hotel projects under the management of hotel operators and other jointly owned properties under the management of licensed management companies.

Disputes in co-owned properties often concern the issue of what constitutes an inpidual unit and what constitutes Common Parts. Common Parts are defined in Article 7 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 as structural parts, roofs, corridors, entrances, emergency exits and utility systems that serve more than one unit. Article 11 provides that each owner has an unpided interest in the Common Parts, and Article 17 restricts their subpision or disposal independently of the units to which they relate.

Article 13 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019. It is prohibited to pide a unit owned by two or more persons in common into separate independent units unless the Main Complex System, approved by the Dubai Land Department, and supported by the necessary licences from the competent authority are obtained.

Disputes over service charges are common in joint ownership properties. Each owner shall pay to the Management Entity the appropriate proportion of the annual service charges for the management, operation, maintenance and repair of the Common Parts in accordance with Article 25 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019. Owners Committees are entitled to review and recommend budgets and service charge budgets and the invoicing is monitored via RERA’s Mollak system.

Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 32 provides that the Management Entity has a preferential right over a unit for unpaid service charges. If the owner does not pay within 30 days from the date of receipt of a written notice of payment approved by RERA, the financial claim becomes enforceable before the Execution Judge at the Rental Disputes Settlement Center. The judge can also order the sale of the unit by public auction to recover the outstanding amount.

Co-Owner Disagreements and Termination of Co-Ownership

Where two or more persons own unpided shares in the same property, Article 1052 of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 allows each co-owner to use, exploit and dispose of their share, provided that the rights of the other co-owners are not prejudiced.

The common owner who wants to terminate the common ownership may apply for partition by agreement or by court order according to Articles 1059 and 1065. Article 1067 permits a co-owner to sell his share to another co-owner or to demand a judicial sale if a physical pision is impossible, would cause damage or would substantially diminish the value of the property. If the share cannot be sold separately, the court may order the sale of the entire property and pide the proceeds among the owners in proportion to their respective shares.

If the property is a family business, the rules are different. Such ownership can be acquired by written agreement, under the provisions of articles 1084 to 1086. In general, while the arrangement is in force, partition cannot be asked for, nor can a share be transferred out of the family without the consent of all the co-owners. Article 1085 also allows a co-owner to exit the arrangement in some circumstances.

Procedural Pathways and Judicial Enforcement

Except for a dispute relating to an estate, applications for pision of property held in unpided shares must be referred to the Center for Amicable Settlement of Disputes. This is pursuant to Dubai Law No. 18 of 2021, amended by Dubai Law No. 9 of 2025 and Dubai Decision No. 4/2025. If a settlement is effected, the Conciliation Agreement may be approved and made equivalent to a writ of execution in the manner prescribed. If no agreement is reached, the case may be submitted to the competent judicial process.

Dubai Decision No. 16 of 2024 determines the competent First Instance circuit for real property claims before the Dubai Courts, according to the value and nature of the claim.

In the event that it is not possible to physically pide the property, or if doing so would be harmful or significantly reduce the value of the property, the co-owner has the right to request the sale of his share in accordance with Article 1067 of Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025. If this is impossible, the court may order the entire property to be sold and the proceeds to be pided among the co-owners in proportion to their respective shares.

Conclusion

Property in Dubai is registered formally and ownership is well documented. Under Dubai Law No. 7 of 2006, the Property Register is conclusive evidence, unless affected by fraud or forgery, and transactions affecting property rights are generally without legal effect unless registered.

Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 regulates jointly owned properties, including Common Parts, service charges and the limitation on the subpision of jointly owned units. Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025 permits co-owners to request partition in disputes concerning co-owners in general co-ownership, and in situations where partition is not feasible or reasonable, a court-ordered sale pursuant to Article 1067.

Inherited property disputes may also fall within the specialised framework under Dubai Decree No. 23 of 2020, as amended, and Dubai Decree No. 25 of 2023 Establishing the Estate Court in the Emirate of Dubai. Resolving property disputes therefore requires careful consideration of registration requirements, the nature of the ownership and the correct procedural forum.