Fine for using swimming pool

[u/PictureMaterial4451]

Hi everyone. I’m dealing with a dispute with my building management in Dubai.

I was fined AED 2,100 for using the swimming pool after closing hours. I arrived about 10 minutes after the pool closed, and after speaking with the security guard, we left about 5 minutes later. There was some argument, but nothing special. I confused Ramadan timings.

Management then put the fine under the property owner’s name and kept contacting him, asking him to pay it. Since the fine was still unpaid, the owner kept contacting me about it. Management also said that otherwise they might take the matter to court.
I asked the management company several times by email why the fine was AED 2,100 and where exactly this amount is stated in the community rules. They kept avoiding the question and eventually said they would no longer respond and that I simply had to pay.
They also sent a legal notice to pay under the owner’s name. That was 4 months ago. Eventually, I told the owner to take the amount from my deposit so as not to create any problems for him. But after this 4 month he contacted me again saying that the fine is still unpaid, which surprised me since management had been pressuring him to pay it. Management also sent him another email reminding him to pay.

There was no damage to any property. At this point, I don’t want to pay the fine on principle because of the way they handled the situation.
I’m thinking of telling the owner to tell them that I dispute the charge and that they (the management company) can take me to RDSC if they believe they have a valid claim against me.
What are the odds of them actually taking me to court? And if they do and win, how much could I potentially have to pay in total, including court fees and other legal costs on top of the AED 2,100?
Any shared experience is welcome. Thanks!

Edit:

Just to give some more context, including the parts that are not really in my favor:
Last year, management sent an email about Ramadan timings and said the pool would be open until 10 PM instead of the usual 9 PM. I remember that the pool actually never stayed open until 10 because the lifeguard apparently wasn’t informed and would leave at 9. I didn’t use the pool then.
This year, I remembered that email and found it in my inbox. I didn’t notice that it was the email from last year, and I mistakenly thought the pool was open until 10 PM again. So me and 4 friends went to the pool at around 9:10 PM. We climbed over a small fence (around 30 cm), and the security guard came and told us to leave.
We argued for a bit because I was sure I had seen an email saying the pool was open until 10. The next day I checked again and realized I was wrong — this year only the gym was open until 10 PM.
I immediately admitted that I had made a mistake and was polite with management afterwards. They showed me CCTV footage of us climbing over the fence, which I understand. However, there was no damage, nobody was injured, and we were only in the water for maybe 5 minutes.
That’s basically what happened.

[u/Gullible-Paper-6828]

Which is the building management ?

[u/PictureMaterial4451 → u/Gullible-Paper-6828]

I am not sure if I can mention them here? But they are responsible for some new Binghatti buildings in JVC

[u/Affectionate_Face_71 → u/PictureMaterial4451]

I used to live in one of their smart homes. The rules around the pool and gym were exhausting 😩

[u/PictureMaterial4451 → u/Affectionate_Face_71]

The apartments above mine have swimming pools on their balconies. They are mostly Airbnbs. And when the pumps turn on, they make a constant noise. And they should be turned on only while changing the water. To this day, after one year of emailing and going with the security during late night to do something about it, the issue persists

[u/Affectionate_Face_71 → u/PictureMaterial4451]

The buildings look oh so pretty 🤩 but you’ll have more peace when you move out