With roughly 80% of Dubai residents renting, “who pays for this?” comes up the moment anything in the home breaks. The answer has a legal starting point, but in practice it’s usually shaped just as much by what’s written into the individual tenancy contract.
What the law actually says
Dubai’s rental relationship is governed by Law No. 26 of 2007 (as amended). Two articles matter most for maintenance:
- Article 16 places responsibility on the landlord for maintenance works and repairs needed to keep the property fit for the use it was rented for, unless the tenancy contract says otherwise.
- Article 19 places responsibility on the tenant for routine, day-to-day upkeep of the property during the tenancy.
In short: the landlord is generally on the hook for things that affect whether the property is usable as intended, such as a broken AC system, a major plumbing fault, or structural and electrical issues. The tenant is generally expected to handle ordinary upkeep, the kind of small, routine things that come with living in a home day to day.
Where it gets less clear-cut
The law sets the principle, but it doesn’t define a precise boundary, such as a cost threshold, for what counts as “ordinary upkeep” versus a repair the landlord must cover. In practice, this gap is filled by the tenancy contract itself. It’s common to see agents and landlords write in a figure, often cited informally as around AED 500, below which the tenant is expected to cover minor repairs, with anything above that falling to the landlord. This threshold is a contractual convention that’s become common in the market, not a figure set out in the law. Two tenancy contracts can set different thresholds, or none at all, so the actual contract you’ve signed is what decides it, not a general rule of thumb.
Examples: who typically covers what
| Issue | Usually covered by | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AC not cooling, compressor or major fault | Landlord | Affects the property’s basic use; Article 16 |
| AC filter cleaning, routine servicing | Often tenant, or per contract | Treated as day-to-day upkeep in many contracts |
| Burst pipe or major leak | Landlord | Affects use and can cause further damage |
| Blocked sink or minor tap drip | Often tenant, up to contract threshold | Common “minor repair” convention |
| Faulty wiring, DB board, or electrical safety issue | Landlord | Safety-related and structural in nature |
| Light bulb or battery replacement | Tenant | Routine upkeep |
| Damage caused by tenant misuse | Tenant | Not ordinary wear, regardless of article 16 |
These are typical patterns, not guarantees. Your own tenancy contract is what governs your situation, and it can allocate things differently from the examples above.
What to check in your tenancy contract
- Is there a specific maintenance or repairs clause, and does it mention a monetary threshold?
- Does it name who arranges and pays for AC servicing specifically, since this is the most frequent maintenance issue in Dubai homes?
- Does it say anything about how repairs are reported, and within what timeframe the landlord should respond?
- Is there anything about who’s responsible if damage results from a fault not being reported promptly?
How this works with a managing agent
If the property is managed by a letting or property management agency rather than the landlord directly, the agency usually handles day-to-day maintenance requests on the landlord’s behalf and arranges the technician. The underlying split of cost between landlord and tenant is unaffected, the agency just acts as the point of contact and often the one authorising and paying for the work.
Booking a repair as a tenant
If you’re a tenant and something needs fixing, you don’t need to resolve the landlord-vs-tenant question before calling a technician. Tell us at booking who should be invoiced, you or your landlord, and we’ll liaise directly with whoever needs to approve and pay for the work. We can also send a copy of our service report to both parties, which is useful if there’s ever a question later about what was done and when.
Does an annual maintenance contract change any of this?
No. An AMC doesn’t change who’s legally responsible for maintenance costs, it simply pre-arranges and pre-pays for scheduled servicing and call-outs so nobody has to negotiate a price every time something breaks. Many of our AMCs are held by landlords specifically so that AC servicing, the most common issue in Dubai homes, happens on schedule regardless of whether the tenant remembers to request it. See our guide on what an AMC covers for the detail.
Moving out soon?
If you’re a tenant approaching the end of your lease, outstanding maintenance issues can affect your security deposit. Our move-out checklist covers what’s worth sorting out, and documenting, before your final inspection.
Get a repair sorted either way
Whoever ends up covering the cost, the fastest way to resolve a maintenance issue is to get it diagnosed. Book a visit or message us on WhatsApp with the details, and we’ll confirm the price before any work starts. See our FAQ page for more on tenants, landlords and how billing works.
