The landlord maintenance responsibilities Dubai law sets come down to one rule: unless the tenancy contract says otherwise, the landlord hands over the home in good condition and, for the whole lease, repairs any defect or damage that affects the tenant's use of it. The tenant looks after the property with ordinary care, pays for damage the household causes and handles minor upkeep. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) calls the landlord's share “required” maintenance and says “non-essential” maintenance is usually the tenant's.
The rules sit in Law No. 26 of 2007, Dubai's tenancy law, as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, and in the unified tenancy contract registered through Ejari. Neither sets a repair deadline in days or an AED limit for “minor” repairs.
- Landlord, by default: good condition at handover, repairs that affect use, and defects and wear and tear the tenant didn't cause (Articles 15 to 17).
- Tenant, by default: ordinary care, minor upkeep, damage the household causes, and no alterations or repairs without permission (Articles 19 and 21).
- The contract can move a lot: Article 16 applies “unless otherwise agreed”, and DLD says AC maintenance follows the contract.
- If repairs are ignored: report in writing, keep paying rent, then go to the Rental Disputes Center (RDC), where an inspection costs 2.5% of the annual rent plus AED 40.
What are a landlord's maintenance responsibilities in Dubai?
A Dubai landlord must hand over the property in good condition and, during the lease, maintain it and repair any defect or damage that affects the tenant's use, unless the contract says otherwise. The landlord also answers for defects, damage and wear and tear the tenant didn't cause, and may not make changes that stop the tenant using the home.
Those duties are Articles 15 to 17 of Law No. 26 of 2007; Law No. 33 of 2008 rewrote Article 15 to allow a lease of an unfinished property that the tenant completes, with the contract saying who pays. Term 8 of the unified tenancy contract repeats the duty: full use of the premises and facilities such as the pool, gym and parking, and “the regular maintenance as intended” unless agreed otherwise in writing.
What maintenance is the tenant responsible for?
A Dubai tenant must look after the home as an ordinary person looks after their own, pay for damage the household causes, and handle “non-essential” maintenance: upkeep that doesn't stop the home being used as intended. Beyond agreed or customary upkeep, Article 19 bars the tenant from altering the property or doing repair works without the landlord's permission and licences.
DLD's deposit guidance gives examples: a door broken because a key was forgotten, or glass broken by a ball, is the tenant's to repair, from the deposit and then out of pocket; light scratches from moving furniture are normal use. Deposits are covered in our Ejari cancellation guide.
At move-out, Article 21 requires the home back in the condition it was received, except for ordinary wear and tear and damage beyond the tenant's control. Term 1 of the unified contract records that the tenant accepted the unit in its current condition, so a dated move-in report protects both sides.
Which of the landlord maintenance responsibilities Dubai law sets can a contract change?
Most day-to-day ones. Article 16 applies “unless otherwise agreed”, DLD says air-conditioning maintenance follows the contract, and utility bills are the tenant's unless agreed in writing. Articles 17, 21 and 34, on defects the tenant didn't cause, wear and tear, and cutting services, have no such wording, and the unified contract disregards terms that conflict with the law.
| العناصر | Default under the law and DLD | Can the contract change it? | مصدر |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condition at handover | Landlord: good condition, fit for full use | Only to lease an unfinished unit the tenant completes; the contract says who pays | Article 15 (as amended) |
| Faults that affect use: leaks, power, water, an AC that stops cooling | Landlord repairs during the lease (“required” maintenance) | Yes: Article 16 says “unless otherwise agreed”; put any change in writing | Article 16; DLD FAQ |
| AC servicing and repairs | Follows the contract; if it is silent, a breakdown that affects use falls under Article 16 | Yes: name who services it and who repairs it | DLD FAQ; Article 16 |
| Defects and wear and tear the tenant didn't cause | المالك | Article 17 has no “unless agreed” wording | Article 17 |
| Minor upkeep that doesn't affect use | Usually the tenant (“non-essential” maintenance) | Yes: list the items, since DLD gives none | DLD FAQ |
| Damage the tenant's household causes | Tenant: from the deposit, then any excess | The law puts it on the tenant | Articles 19 and 21; DLD FAQ |
| Repainting and a full clean at move-out | Usually the owner, by custom | DLD calls it custom, not law: agree anything else in writing | DLD FAQ |
| Appliances supplied with the home | Not named in the law; if the contract lists them, a fault that affects use reads like any other defect (our reading) | Yes: list them and who repairs or replaces each | Article 16; contract term 8 |
| Electricity, water, cooling and gas bills | مع الأخذ | Yes, by written agreement | Contract term 4 |
| Alterations, decoration and fit-out | Tenant needs written approval and licences; landlord must supply approvals for non-structural works | Improvements stay with the property unless agreed (Article 23) | Articles 18, 19 and 23; contract term 3 |
Put the rest in the contract's additional terms: AC servicing, the tenant's small items, any cost threshold, repair contacts and access for inspections. See our guide to drafting a Dubai lease.
Who is responsible for AC maintenance in Dubai?
The contract decides. Asked who pays the electricity for air conditioners and their maintenance, DLD answers that it depends on the agreement between landlord and tenant and what the contract says. If the contract is silent, Article 16 applies: an air conditioner that stops cooling affects the tenant's use of the home, so its repair falls to the landlord.
A contract can split the work, for example routine servicing and filter cleaning to the tenant, repairs and replacement to the landlord. Cooling bills are a separate question: term 4 of the unified contract puts them on the tenant unless agreed otherwise in writing; see chiller free and district cooling.
Who is responsible for painting, the landlord or the tenant?
In Dubai, repainting the interior walls and a full clean when the tenant leaves are usually the owner's job: DLD says this is customary practice and not the tenant's obligation. The tenant still pays to put right damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, and needs the landlord's written approval before painting walls a new colour during the lease (Article 19).
Agree in that approval whether the tenant restores the original colour. A landlord who wants a different move-out split should write it into the additional terms at signing, not raise it at the final inspection.
What can a tenant do if the landlord won't do repairs?
Report the fault in writing, keep paying rent and give the landlord time; no law sets a deadline in days. If nothing happens, go to the RDC. DLD says a tenant facing neglected required maintenance may end the contract, reduce the rent, or repair and deduct the cost, but each is safest with written agreement or an RDC decision.
- Report it in writing, with photos and dates, to the contacts named in the contract (term 7). The RDC accepts WhatsApp messages and emails as evidence once both parties acknowledge them in the case record.
- Keep paying rent. Withholding rent isn't among DLD's options, and rent unpaid 30 days after a notice is a ground for eviction (Article 25(1)). If the landlord refuses your rent, use the RDC's Offer and Deposit service (AED 50 plus AED 20).
- Agree any repair and deduction in writing, cost included (see the warning below). A rent reduction can be agreed, or claimed at the RDC.
- Get the condition recorded. An RDC petition order for an inspection costs AED 20, plus 2.5% of the annual rent and AED 20 in knowledge and innovation fees: AED 2,040 on an AED 80,000 rent (our arithmetic).
- File a claim. The RDC lists AED 500 for a maintenance request of unspecified value; a claim for repair costs you paid is 3.5% of the amount (AED 500 to AED 15,000), and the lawsuit page adds AED 120 in fixed fees. Conciliation comes first: see our Rental Disputes Center guide.
- If services are cut, a petition order (AED 20) asks the urgent matters judge to restore electricity and water; Article 34 also lets you report it at the local police station.
Repair and deduct needs the landlord's consent DLD lists repairing and deducting the cost from the rent as an option, but Article 19 requires the landlord's permission for maintenance a tenant carries out, and a short rent payment can be treated as unpaid rent. Get written agreement, or an RDC decision, first.
What can a landlord do if a tenant damages the property?
Ask the tenant in writing to put it right, record the damage, and recover the cost from the deposit at the end, claiming any excess at the RDC. If the tenant ignores an obligation for 30 days after a notice, or damages the property wilfully or through gross negligence, Article 25(1) lets the landlord seek eviction before the lease ends.
Those notices go by notary public or registered post. The tenancy law has no article on entering the home and Article 34 bars disturbing the tenant, so agree access in the additional terms; a petition order covers inspection if a tenant refuses. More in our tenancy law guide.
Can a landlord make a tenant leave for major repairs?
Under the tenancy law, only when the lease ends, and only if the property needs restoration or comprehensive maintenance that can't be done with the tenant inside, confirmed by a technical report issued or attested by Dubai Municipality. The landlord must give 12 months' notice through a notary public or by registered post (Article 25(2) as amended).
Afterwards, the former tenant has the first right to rent the property again, taken up within 30 days of the landlord's notice (Article 29). A property condemned as unsafe, proven by a Dubai Municipality technical report, is a separate ground during the lease (Article 25(1)), and the 2026 building safety law below adds its own route.
What does Dubai's 2026 building safety law add?
Law No. 3 of 2026 on the quality and safety of buildings, issued on 27 February 2026, adds duties at building level. Owners must carry out periodic maintenance on buildings less than 20 years from their completion certificate and fix defects that put the structure or people at risk; after 20 years, a building needs a Quality and Safety Certificate.
Dubai Municipality, or the free zone or development zone authority, issues it after an engineering firm's technical report; in a jointly owned building, the management entity acts for the owners. Where the approved technical report requires works before the certificate, occupants must leave within three months of its approval, with priority to return at the same rent unless agreed otherwise. Owners have a year from the law's entry into force to comply.
Who maintains common areas and fixes a new building's defects?
In a jointly owned building, the owners' association and its management company maintain the common areas from the service charges owners pay; DLD says service fees are the landlord's, not the tenant's. Owners can report poor building maintenance through the Real Estate Violations System (RVS) in the Dubai REST app. See service charges for landlords.
For a new unit, DLD notes that 5% of the money paid into a project's escrow account is held for a year after completion so the developer fixes defects; the landlord's duty to the tenant doesn't wait for the developer, though.
How can landlords avoid maintenance disputes?
Most maintenance disputes turn on paperwork: a move-in report with dated photos signed by both sides, additional terms that say who does what and how access works, and a written log of every request, quote and invoice. Our maintenance and repairs guide covers scheduling and contractors. This article is practical information, not legal advice.
Our property management team handles day-to-day repairs through vetted contractors, move-in and move-out inspections, notices and Ejari registration for landlords.
الأسئلة المتكررة
Is the landlord responsible for maintenance in Dubai?
نعم، بشكل افتراضي. تجعل المادة 16 من القانون رقم 26 لسنة 2007 المالك مسؤولاً خلال مدة الإيجار عن الصيانة وإصلاح أي عطل أو ضرر يؤثر على استخدام المستأجر، ما لم ينص العقد على خلاف ذلك.
Who is responsible for AC maintenance in Dubai?
العقد الإيجاري يحدد ذلك: تقول دائرة الأراضي والأملاك إن تكييف الهواء والكهرباء والصيانة تعتمد على ما تم الاتفاق عليه. إذا كان العقد صامتاً، فإن عطل التكييف الذي يؤثر على استخدام المستأجر يعني أن إصلاحه يقع على عاتق المالك وفقاً للمادة 16.
من يدفع تكلفة الطلاء عند خروج المستأجر من دبي؟
عادةً المالك. تقول دائرة الأراضي والأملاك إن طلاء الجدران الداخلية وتنظيف شامل بعد مغادرة المستأجر من العادات المتبعة على المالك، وليس كالتزام على المستأجر. الأضرار التي تتجاوز البلى العادي تظل مسؤولية المستأجر لإصلاحها.
هل يمكن للمستأجر خصم تكاليف الإصلاح من الإيجار في دبي؟
تُشير دائرة الأراضي والأملاك إلى أن خيار الإصلاح والخصم متاح عندما يتجاهل المالك الصيانة المطلوبة، لكن المادة 19 تتطلب إذن المالك لإصلاحات المستأجر. احصل على موافقة مكتوبة أو قرار من مركز النزاعات العقارية قبل خصم أي مبلغ.
كم من الوقت يُسمح للمالك لإصلاح شيء ما في دبي؟
لا يحدد قانون الإيجار ولا إرشادات دائرة الأراضي والأملاك أو مركز النزاعات العقارية مهلة زمنية بالأيام. يجب الإبلاغ عن الأعطال كتابةً، وتحديد أوقات الاستجابة في الشروط الإضافية للعقد، واللجوء إلى مركز النزاعات العقارية إذا لم تُجرَ الإصلاحات.
هل يمكن لمالك العقار قطع الكهرباء أو الماء بسبب نزاع؟
تنص المادة 34 على أن المالك غير مخول بقطع الخدمات أو إزعاج المستأجر. يمكن لقاضي القضايا العاجلة في مركز النزاعات العقارية أن يأمر بإعادة الخدمات من خلال أمر دعوى، وتكلفته 20 درهم إماراتي.
مصادر
- Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008 (PDF): Articles 2, 7, 15 to 23, 25, 29 and 34, in DLD's legislation compilation
- Dubai Land Department: Frequently asked questions: required and non-essential maintenance, AC, painting, deposit examples, service fees, RVS, escrow retention, cut services
- DLD: Unified tenancy contract (PDF): terms 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 12
- Rental Disputes Center: Register a Petition Order: inspections, damage, restoring services, fees
- RDC: First Instance Lawsuit (Rental) and Offer and Deposit: claim and deposit fees
- RDC: Frequently asked questions: maintenance claim fee, WhatsApp and email evidence, cut services
- Law No. 3 of 2026 on the quality and safety of buildings, Dubai Legislation Portal: Articles 2, 9, 10, 12, 15 and 22
Checked on 5 November 2026.
