Threat has residents in a sweat

Residents of Marina Residences on Palm Jumeirah fear air-con could be disconnected on Sunday because of unpaid service charges.

Pools have already been drained after developer Nakheel said there was not enough money to pay for maintenance as it is still owed millions of dirhams.

Now, residents have been spooked by ‘Final Notice of Disconnection’ letters, supposedly from the district cooling contractor, addressed to Nakheel, saying Dhs2,052,559 was outstanding on the common area account.

“If the stated amount is not settled by June 23 2012, our services to the building will be disconnected on June 24,” the notice added.

The notices have since been taken down from public areas at the Residences, however those who live there don’t know if the bill’s been paid.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Nakheel said: “Service charges at Marina Residences cover communal facilities, such as cooling. Bills need to be paid just like for any other utility in Dubai - such as water, electricity, phone and internet services.

“Nakheel is not the utility provider and cannot physically cut services but utility providers themselves can if they don’t get paid. We are working with the Owners’ Association on payment and are confident of a solution.”

The district cooling firm hung up when 7DAYS asked for a comment.

myra@7days.ae