What are service charges and will they catch me out?

Service charges are the ongoing annual fee (per sq ft) for maintaining shared areas - lifts, pools, gyms, security - and first-timers often forget them. Apartments run roughly AED 10-30/sqft/yr, villas ~AED 2-8. On a 900 sqft flat that's about AED 9,000-27,000 a year. Always check a building's rate before buying; poorly-run buildings tend to raise them over time.