Who pays for repairs in Dubai: landlord or tenant?

• Plumbing failures and leaking pipes
• Electrical faults and wiring
• AC breakdowns (as opposed to routine servicing)
• Faults in appliances the landlord provided
• Defects that existed at handover

Building-wide problems are handled by building management, coordinated by your landlord.

• Damage caused by you, your household or guests
• Misuse, such as a drain blocked by things that shouldn't go down it
• Small consumables: light bulbs, remote batteries
• Minor maintenance your contract explicitly gives you, often routine AC servicing or filter cleaning

Normal wear and tear isn't damage. The law recognises it when the home is returned.

Some contracts say the tenant pays for repairs under a set amount (for example AED 500). It's not automatic: it only applies if your contract says so. If it does, check:

• Is it per repair, per visit or per invoice?
• Does it include labour, parts and call-out fees?
• Above the limit, does the landlord pay everything or just the difference?

A low repair price doesn't make you responsible for a defect that was there at handover, or one caused by a bigger underlying fault.

Ask for the technician's written assessment of what caused the problem. That, not just the price, decides who pays.

Report the problem in writing with photos, and get written confirmation of who'll arrange it and who'll pay. If you're booking work you expect to be repaid for, get the quote approved first.