Building management and community NOC

Many towers and villa communities in Dubai are jointly owned property. Each owner holds their own unit, while the structure, corridors, facades and shared services are common property managed for all owners. Under Dubai Land Department's regulation on jointly owned properties, the community rules are set out in the Jointly Owned Property Declaration, and an owners association, working through its appointed manager, looks after the common areas and those rules. Because renovation work in one unit can affect the structure, shared services, lifts, corridors and neighbours, building and community management normally want to review it before it starts. Their written consent is what is usually called a building management NOC or community NOC.

There is no single Dubai-wide building NOC; each building and community has its own process. These points come from official sources.

• Community rules are binding on ownersDubai Land Department's regulation allows the owners association's board to authorise its manager to serve a community rules enforcement notice on an owner or occupier who breaches a community rule.
• Authorities may ask for the owner's NOCDubai Development Authority lists an NOC from the building owner among the documents for its fit-out permit.
• Developers have their own NOCNakheel's FAQ, for example, says owners must obtain an NOC from its Urban Planning team before making any alterations.
• Community management publishes rulesDubai Holding Community Management, for example, publishes a rules and regulations document for the communities it manages.

Each building sets its own conditions. These are the areas a review usually touches.