COMMUNITY LIVING MADE EASY

Community event Community event

LOAMS, the community management team at DAMAC Hills 2, discusses what goes into maintaining community life in one of Dubai’s largest residential neighbourhoods

Community event

Tour de DAMAC

Community event As one of the largest properties in the DAMAC portfolio, DAMAC Hills 2 offers a world of convenience and benefits to every resident who calls the community home. But for a property of its size, managing day-to-day operations within the neighbourhood is no easy task. For Said ElHaouasli, Vice President – Facilities Management, LOAMS, and his team, the essence of community management is bringing life to these plots. Behind the scenes, the team works tirelessly to ensure that families enjoy a sense of community within the neighbourhood and make the most of everything on offer. “Community management is like adding life to life. While a development is taking shape, the focus is on selling units. But after completion, when movement in the development begins and people start living in their recently purchased or leased homes, it is our responsibility to bring life to the community,” explained ElHaouasli.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

“Community management is an industry in itself and our job begins from the moment a unit is populated. Our primary responsibility is to keep our residents safe and secure. A key part of this involves maintaining records of everyone who lives in each of the units. We also have extensive digital records containing visitor information, so our residents can rest assured that their investment and their families are safe. “Our scope of work includes organising board meetings, committee meetings and annual general forums. We prepare financial audits, monthly expense reports, provide homeowners with detailed information, prepare service charges and issue invoices. Then there are operations such as issuing rules and regulations in the community, which residents need to abide by so that everyone can enjoy a pleasant experience.

Tour de DAMAC

Kids’ play area

“But efficient community management is not only about these operations that are visible to our customers. It’s so much more and it goes beyond the basics. Behind the scenes, we work tirelessly to ensure that those who live in the community enjoy regular access to activities, events and experiences to keep them engaged and entertained,” added ElHaouasli. Tour de DAMAC

ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL

DAMAC Properties believes that organising events is an important aspect of community management. And with the aim to make DAMAC Hills 2 an all-encompassing community, where residents wouldn’t have to venture outside the neighbourhood for entertainment, the team regularly organises a host of activities and events for residents.

“We recently hosted a cyclethon and the people who participated loved it. We also organised a sports festival and our residents were excited to join in and watch a live sports event in their own backyard. To keep the community active, we also organise yoga lessons and Zumba classes. Events such as these give residents something that they don’t find elsewhere.

“Prior to COVID-19, we would host gatherings with food, often with a live barbecue around the swimming pool. It made a huge difference to the community and we hosted residents in large numbers. The feedback we received was incredibly positive. Many residents expressed that before events began taking place regularly, they would only meet their neighbours while going about their errands. But now, these events give them a chance to socialise with their neighbours and get to know them better.” Tour de DAMAC

Aside from events, DAMAC Hills 2 residents can find entertainment and leisure options at every corner of the community across the swimming pools, petting zoo, plant nurseries and fishing lakes.

Ramadan Sports Festival

TOGETHER IN TOUGH TIMES

When the pandemic first began, ElHaouasli noted that residents were apprehensive about cases in the neighbourhood. But the team worked hard to provide additional services and support. This included sanitising homes of affected residents and that of their neighbours. “The beginning of the pandemic was also a period of solidarity, where besides focusing on our normal operations, we also made it a point to extend additional support to our residents. For example, if any of our residents lost their jobs and were unable to make payments, we made sure to arrange basics for them, such as food, to show our support. “At the same time with COVID-19, we also witnessed an increase in homeowners and tenants in DAMAC Hills 2. With social distancing becoming the norm, life became more appealing in secluded communities. So, people traded buildings with elevators that could get crowded at peak hours for open, private spaces with more outdoor areas for children. He concluded: “Our efforts haven’t gone unrecognised as, at present, we have one of the highest occupancy rates than ever before across our property portfolio. This is an indicator of how happy people are with our services. In fact, we’ve noticed that even when homeowners face minor issues with their unit, they do not want to leave the neighbourhood because of the sense of community life they have experienced at DAMAC Hills 2.”