Which fees do I pay when buying from a developer?

What the price itself asks of you

Buying from a developer, the money involved falls into two groups: the price of the unit, and the fees that come with it. The price is paid as a down payment at signature and the balance in instalments; the catalogue today shows down payments of 5% and 10% of the price, and plans running 8 and 10 years.

Fees the developer charges

• Maintenance deposit. A sum held for the upkeep of the compound's common areas, paid at or before handover, and named in the sale contract.
• Clubhouse or social club membership. Where the compound has a club, membership is a charge the owner pays — once, or every year, as the contract sets out.
• The service charge. The running cost of the shared grounds, security, cleaning and lifts, borne by the owners in an annual charge.
• An administrative charge at contracting. A charge for drawing up the contract or issuing the owner's papers, where the contract says so.

Fees the state charges

When the sale is registered, the real-estate registry charges its fee for the entry, and the taxes that attach to a registered sale fall due. These amounts are set by the registry and the tax authority, not by the developer, and they are paid to the state; the contract or the registration sets the date they fall due.

Which charges are paid once and which repeat

The registry fee, the maintenance deposit, the clubhouse membership and the contracting charge are paid once, at a point the contract names, while the service charge repeats every year with the running of the compound. That distinction is why comparing two compounds means reading the fee clauses, not the price alone.

What the unit price does not include

The figures quoted for a unit are the price of that unit and nothing else. Handover, registration, the compound's own charges, and any finishing or alteration work you carry out inside the unit after handover sit outside it, and each is stated in the contract.

How to see the whole figure before you sign

The contract names every charge: the price, the down payment, the instalment plan, the maintenance deposit, the clubhouse fee, the service charge, and who registers the sale and bears the registry fee. Ask the sales office for the full cost paper, confirm each figure and the date it falls due before you sign, and check that the unit's page states the price and plan you were quoted.

Where the catalogue helps

Every unit on the catalogue carries its asking price, its down payment and the length of its plan, so the fees can be set beside the figure they attach to. Read the compound's page and its unit cards, and put next to the price what will be added to it, before you commit.