Dubai – The maintenance of the building structure is the responsibility of the landlord.
Published: Sun, 14 Oct 2018, 12:49
Last updated: Thu, 15 November 2018, 7:53 am
Ask: I have been living in a rented one-bedroom apartment in International City, Dubai Emirate since January 2018. Shortly after moving into the apartment, I noticed that water was constantly leaking from the ceiling on the top floor. I verbally reported this to the real estate agent. Since neither the landlord nor the agent took any action, I had to submit a written complaint to the latter and notify the property manager via email and phone. Despite this, the issue has not been resolved for the past 8 months. Upon my inquiry, both the agent and the property manager offered excuses. I had approached the Rental Disputes Center and filed a complaint against the landlord as per the advice of the Dubai Land Department. I also gave the complaint confirmation to the agent. However, the repair work is yet to be started. Answer: It should be noted that the maintenance of the building structures is the responsibility of the landlord. This is in line with Article 15 of Law No. 26 of 2007 regulating the relationship between landlords and tenants in the Emirate of Dubai (the “Dubai Rental Law”), which states: “Unless the parties agree otherwise, during the term of the lease, the landlord shall be responsible for the maintenance work of the property and for the repair of any defects or damage that may affect the tenant’s intended use of the rented premises.” Since you have already sent an official notice to the landlord through the Rental Dispute Center in Dubai to repair the water leak in the ceiling, you can contact the Center again and file a follow-up complaint to request the landlord to repair the leak. In case the landlord still does not repair the leak, you can contact the Center to take appropriate action against the landlord. Do you know the law During the term of the lease, the landlord is responsible for maintaining the property and for correcting any defects or damage that may affect the tenant’s intended use of the rental property. Ashish Mehta is the founder and managing partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates. He is admitted to the bar in Dubai, the UK, Singapore and India. For all information about his firm, visit: www.amalawyers.com. Readers may email their queries to [email protected] or to Legal View, Khaleej Times, PO Box 11243, Dubai.
