Who is responsible for property maintenance in Dubai?

Dubai attracts a diverse population of residents and visitors, many of whom choose to rent a property. While renting can offer flexibility and convenience, it also comes with its own responsibilities for tenants and landlords. One of the most important of these is the maintenance of the property, which can affect the comfort and safety of residents and the value of the property itself. In this post, we explore who is responsible for the maintenance of rental properties in Dubai, examining the relevant laws, regulations, and best practices to provide a comprehensive overview of this crucial issue.

Maintenance - who is responsible?

As per Article 16 or Law 26 of 2007, the landlord is responsible for undertaking all maintenance in the property unless otherwise agreed. That being said, most tenancy agreements in Dubai normally put minor maintenance as the responsibility of the tenant and any major maintenance as the responsibility of the landlord. 

Even this is subject to interpretation as to minor or major maintenance. In practice, normally anything to do with the equipment including AC, water heaters, water pumps etc, is considered major, falling under the landlord's responsibility and anything minor such as leaking faucets, blocked drains and lightbulbs is considered the tenant’s responsibility.

In many tenancy contracts, you will find that minor and major maintenance is defined by the cost of the repairs. So if, for example, the cost of maintenance is under AED 1,000, that might be considered minor and therefore be the tenant's responsibility, whereas anything over AED 1,000 is considered major and the landlord's responsibility.

What is Betterhomes Property Management's view? 

Betterhomes Property Management tenancy agreements state, as above, that the landlord is responsible for major maintenance and the tenant for minor maintenance. 

But, should there be an agreed financial limit at which the landlord has to take over responsibility for repairs?

In general, using cost as the basis of assigning responsibility can be tricky. This is because some tenants may deliberately obtain expensive quotes so the landlord has to take responsibility. But, this can be avoided by having a Property Manager who takes care of obtaining quotes from trusted partners for any required maintenance work. 

What about tenant negligence? 

It would of course be unfair if a landlord had to pay for repairs that were the fault of a tenant. 

Any intentional or unintentional damage caused to the property or equipment that’s not a result of normal wear and tear becomes the responsibility of the tenant. An example would be a shattered window due to an impact, or a leak that was not reported which in turn caused damage to cabinets.

Will using a property manager make the maintenance process easier?

Absolutely, from both the tenant's and landlord’s perspectives, working with a property management company ensures fair and unbiased representation for both parties. 

As property managers, Betterhomes ensure that both parties' interests are protected and that all prevailing rental laws and regulations are adhered to.

What if a maintenance issue doesn't get resolved?

Unfortunately, sometimes a tenant and landlord fail to agree on who is responsible for the cost of maintenance. When this happens, the issue can be taken to the rental committee. They will review the situation and make a decision on what the appropriate next steps are. 

Need a maintenance company?

Our trusted partners, Octopus Home Maintenance, are the perfect choice for all your home maintenance needs.  

Call 800 3993 or email info@octopus.ae.