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Owners' unions in Qatar: Law No. 11 of 2026, service charges and your rights

If you own a flat or unit in a building or project with three or more owners, a new law makes an owners' union compulsory. Here is what it does, what you must pay, how votes work and what happens if charges go unpaid.

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026

Who it covers: Any building, project or compound with 3 or more owners of separate units (built, under construction or not yet built)
The law: Law No. 11 of 2026 on the Owners' Union, published in the Official Gazette in September 2026
When it applies: Start date and executive regulations not yet published (checked 27 October 2026); existing properties then get 6 months to comply
If you don't pay: Two written notices, then after 3 months unpaid the board can ask for your power and water to be cut (you can object within 15 days)

Until 2026 there was no single law on how shared buildings in Qatar are run, so service charges, maintenance and disputes depended on the developer or management company. Law No. 11 of 2026 on the Owners' Union changes that. Any property with three or more owners of separate units must have a registered owners' union, run by a board that the owners elect at a yearly General Assembly. Every owner pays contributions for the common areas, and the law gives the union strong ways to collect them, including asking for a unit's power and water to be cut after three months of non-payment. This guide explains, in order, whether the law covers you, where it stands now, how the union is set up, what you pay, how to vote and check the accounts, and what happens when you buy, sell, rent out or fall behind. It is general information, not legal advice; the detailed executive regulations are still to come.

Before you start

Your title deed (or registered usufruct contract) showing the unit is in your name: membership starts only when the unit is registered to you
Your Qatar ID, phone number, email and national address, which owners must register with the union and keep up to date
Your sale and purchase agreement (SPA), especially any clauses on service charges, the developer's management and handover
Recent service charge invoices and receipts, and any statement of arrears from the developer or management company
The building's current rules or community declaration, if the developer gave you one
The name and contact of whoever manages the building now (developer, facilities management company or an existing owners' committee)
Your lease, if you rent the unit out, so you know what the tenant has agreed about building rules and charges
A list of problems in the common areas (lifts, AC plant, leaks, pool, parking) to raise at the General Assembly

Step by step

Check whether the law covers your property
The law applies to real estate development projects and to any jointly owned property where three or more people own separate units, whether the building is finished, under construction or not yet built. Compounds of villas or other units can also have a union, and one union can cover more than one building. While a developer still holds unsold units, it counts as an owner for them. The law does not apply to buildings used entirely by government, to hotels and tourism facilities covered by tourism law, or to anything else the Cabinet excludes. If you rent rather than own, the union is your landlord's business, but its building rules still affect you.
Read guide: Buying freehold property in Qatar as an expat: step by step →
Know where the law stands today
Law No. 11 of 2026 was ratified by the Amir and published in the Official Gazette (issue No. 17) in September 2026. As of 27 October 2026 we could not find an official start date or the executive regulations, which the Cabinet is due to issue and which will fill in key details such as late-payment charges and how each owner's share is worked out. Once the law is in force, everyone it covers has six months to bring their property into line, and the minister can extend that. Until then, keep paying your service charges under your current contract and arrangements. Check Aqarat (the General Authority for Regulating the Real Estate Sector) and the news for the start date before relying on any deadline.
Find out who is registering your union
A union comes into existence when it is registered with the competent government department; the application can be made online or on paper. The department must decide within 15 days, and if it says nothing in that time the application counts as refused. A refusal must give reasons, and can be challenged with the Minister within 30 days; the Minister's decision is final. Once registered, the union is a legal person with its own money and liability, separate from the developer. If owners do not ask for a union to be formed, the authority can appoint a temporary board, so ask your developer or management company in writing what they plan to do and when.
Register your details with the union
Every owner must give the union an address or national address and update it when it changes, because that is where payment notices and meeting invitations will go. If you live abroad, give an email and a phone number you actually check, or name a representative in Qatar. Missing a notice is not a defence: the non-payment steps run from the notices the board sends. Keep a copy of whatever you submit.
Read guide: National address in Qatar: registering and updating it →
Understand what you pay and why
The union pays for the safety of the building, the common parts and their maintenance, repair and strengthening, insurance where required, and the services the building needs. Its money comes mainly from the yearly contributions set by the General Assembly, plus any investment income, donations and other approved revenue, all paid into a dedicated operating account. Aqarat says the law also requires a financial reserve for emergencies and future repairs, so expect part of your charge to go there. With the authority's approval, the union's rules can make an owner whose actions raise costs pay the extra. Your share of the common areas, and so of the costs, will be set by the executive regulations.
Take part in the General Assembly
All owners together form the General Assembly. It must meet at least once a year, and a meeting can also be called by at least a quarter of the members or by the competent department. A meeting needs more than half of the eligible members present; if that is not reached, a later meeting goes ahead with whoever attends, which is why owners who skip meetings can lose their say. Votes are counted per unit, decisions are by majority of those present, and no single owner can hold more than 50% of the votes. The Assembly elects and removes the board, approves the union's rules and the annual budget, and appoints the auditor.
Keep an eye on the board and the accounts
The board is a chairman, deputy chairman, treasurer and one or more members, all elected by the General Assembly. The chairman represents the union in court and with government; the treasurer collects payments and prepares the estimated budget and the final accounts, which go to the Assembly for approval. A board member with a personal interest in a decision must declare it and not vote, and breaking that rule can bring a fine of up to QAR 50,000, doubled for a repeat. The developer or plot owner may not vote on contracts it benefits from or on action against it. Ask for the budget and final accounts before every meeting, and question big contracts.
If you get a payment notice, act quickly
Before any serious step the board must send you, or the occupant, two written notices to pay, each giving at least a week, at least 15 days apart. Late-payment charges apply at a rate the regulations will set. If the money is still unpaid for three months in a row, the board can ask for the unit's electricity and water to be cut. You can object (a grievance) within 15 days, and nothing is cut until that deadline passes or the grievance is decided. The union also has a legal claim over your unit and its share of the land and common areas, and the chairman can ask the urgent-matters judge for a payment order, so pay what you do not dispute and put any disagreement in writing.
Read guide: Kahramaa: connecting electricity and water and paying bills →
Keep your unit in repair and answer for your tenants
Owners must carry out repairs inside their own unit when not doing them could harm other owners or the building, such as a leak running into the flat below. If you do not, the competent department can do the work and charge you the actual cost plus 25%, on top of any criminal liability. You must not damage the building or the common areas, and you are responsible for the cost of violations by your tenants or other occupants. If you rent the unit out, long or short term, put the building rules into the lease and make sure guests know them.
Read guide: Holiday homes and short-term lets in Qatar: the Qatar Tourism licence →
Buying new or off-plan: the two-year charge
The law lets a developer or plot owner collect up to two years of union contributions from a buyer before handing over the unit, on terms the executive regulations will set, and that money must be placed in the union's operating account. If you are asked for it, get a receipt that names the union or operating account and the period covered. Check your SPA for any service charge clause, and keep all receipts, because they count against what you owe after handover. For the rest of the buying process, see our freehold property guide.
Read guide: Buying freehold property in Qatar as an expat: step by step →
Selling: clear your dues first
Before you sell, tell the union chairman in writing about the sale. The buyer cannot become a member until everything owed on the unit has been paid, so arrears will hold up the deal. Ask the union or management for a written statement that nothing is owed, and agree in the sale contract who pays any charges up to the transfer date. Your membership ends when ownership transfers.
Sort out disputes step by step
Start by writing to the board and asking for an answer within a set time; many problems are about unclear charges or slow repairs. If that fails, raise it at the General Assembly, or join with at least a quarter of the owners to call a meeting. If the union is not doing its job, the competent department can appoint an administrative officer for a period, who takes over the board's powers. Where the law is silent, the Civil Code applies and disputes go to the courts, so for large sums or a threatened utility cut, get advice from a lawyer early.
Read guide: Finding a lawyer and legal help in Qatar →

What it costs

Yearly union contributions (service charges)	Set by your General Assembly; no fixed official rate
Contributions a developer may collect before handover	Up to 2 years' worth
Repairs the authority does for an owner who refuses	Actual cost plus 25%
Fine for a board member breaking conflict-of-interest rules	Up to QAR 50,000 (doubled if repeated)

Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.

Common mistakes

Ignoring payment notices because you dispute the amount: pay what is not in dispute and object in writing, or the three-month clock keeps running
Skipping the General Assembly: a postponed meeting can decide with whoever turns up, including your budget and charges
Paying service charges in cash or to a personal account without a receipt that names the union or operating account
Letting your contact details go out of date, so notices reach an old address while you are abroad
Agreeing a sale without a no-dues statement, so arrears hold up the transfer
Not passing building rules on to tenants or holiday-home guests, even though the owner pays for their violations
Quoting late-fee rates or deadlines from social media before the executive regulations are actually published

Questions people ask

Is the owners' union law already in force?

The law was ratified and published in the Official Gazette in September 2026, but as of 27 October 2026 we could not confirm its start date, and the executive regulations have not been published. Once it starts, existing properties have six months to comply, which the minister can extend. Keep paying your current service charges in the meantime and watch for an announcement from Aqarat.

Can the union really cut off my electricity and water?

Only after due process. The board must send two written notices, and the charges must be unpaid for three consecutive months before it can ask for the cut. You then have 15 days to file a grievance, and no cut can happen until that period ends or your grievance is decided.

I rent my flat to a tenant. Who pays the service charges, and who is responsible for the tenant's behaviour?

Contributions are the owner's obligation, and the law makes the owner responsible for the cost of violations by tenants or other occupants. Notices can be sent to the occupant as well as the owner, so ask your tenant to pass on anything they receive. Your lease can say what the tenant must follow and repay, so write the building rules into it.

My developer wants two years of service charges before handover. Is that allowed?

Yes. The law allows a developer or plot owner to collect up to two years of union contributions before handover, and the money is to go into the union's operating account. The exact conditions will be in the executive regulations, so ask for a receipt showing the period and where the money is held.

Can I see how my service charges are spent?

The board prepares an annual budget and final accounts, which the General Assembly must approve, and the Assembly appoints an auditor. As an owner you are a member of the Assembly, so you can ask questions, vote on the budget and vote out the board. Ask for the documents in writing before each meeting.

Can the developer or one big owner control all the decisions?

No single owner can hold more than 50% of the votes, however many units they own. The developer or plot owner also cannot vote on contracts it has an interest in, or on action against it for not meeting its obligations.

Does the law cover villa compounds, or a building with only one or two owners?

A union is required where there are three or more owners of separate units, and compounds can have one too. A building owned by one person or company, with tenants only, does not need one. Hotels and tourism facilities under tourism law, and buildings used fully by government, are excluded.

What if the union or management company is not maintaining the building?

Raise it with the board in writing and then at the General Assembly, where owners can replace the board. If the union is failing its duties, the competent department can appoint an administrative officer to run it for a time. For serious cases, such as safety risks or large sums, speak to a lawyer.

Official sources

Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.

Owners' unions in Qatar: Law No. 11 of 2026, service charges and your rights

Before you start

Step by step

Check whether the law covers your property

Know where the law stands today

Find out who is registering your union

Register your details with the union

Understand what you pay and why

Take part in the General Assembly

Keep an eye on the board and the accounts

If you get a payment notice, act quickly

Keep your unit in repair and answer for your tenants

Buying new or off-plan: the two-year charge

Selling: clear your dues first

Sort out disputes step by step

What it costs

Common mistakes

Questions people ask

Official sources

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