Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Checked against the text of Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned real property, and the Dubai Land Department's published FAQ. Sources are listed at the end.
Key Takeaways
- Landlords pay for maintenance in Dubai by default. Article 16 of Law No. 26 of 2007 makes the landlord responsible for maintenance works and for repairing any defect that affects the tenant's intended use, unless the parties agree otherwise.
- Article 17 makes the landlord responsible for any defect or wear and tear not caused by the tenant. Article 19 forbids the tenant from carrying out repairs or alterations without the landlord's permission.
- The Dubai Land Department's FAQ splits maintenance into "required" (affects your enjoyment of the property, landlord's job) and "non-essential" (typically the tenant's).
- Most contracts assign minor repairs to the tenant below a cost threshold. AED 500 is a common example quoted by Dubai lawyers, but it is a contract term, not a figure in the law.
- Service charges for shared facilities are the owner's cost under Article 16(b) of Law No. 6 of 2019, unless the unit lease says otherwise.
- If a landlord neglects required maintenance, the DLD lists the remedies as terminating the contract, reducing the rent, or repairing and deducting the cost, each through the Rental Disputes Centre.
What Does Dubai Rental Law Say About Maintenance?
Landlords pay for maintenance in Dubai, and tenants can be made to pay for minor maintenance. That is the short version of Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008. The relevant articles, following the official text:
- Article 15: the landlord must hand over the property in good condition, so that the tenant can use it fully as stated in the contract.
- Article 16: unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the landlord is responsible during the lease for the property's maintenance works and for repairing any defect or damage that may affect the tenant's intended use.
- Article 17: the landlord may not make changes that stop the tenant using the property fully, and is responsible for any defect, damage, deficiency and wear and tear occurring for reasons not attributable to the tenant.
- Article 19: the tenant must pay the rent on time and maintain the property as an ordinary person would maintain his own. The tenant may not make changes or carry out restoration or maintenance works without the landlord's permission and the required licences.
The Dubai Land Department's FAQ turns this into a working test. "Required maintenance" is maintenance that directly affects the tenant's ability to enjoy the property, and the landlord is responsible for it. "Non-essential maintenance" does not affect that ability and is typically the tenant's responsibility. A failed air conditioner is required maintenance. A dead light bulb is not.
Two phrases carry the weight. "Unless otherwise agreed" in Article 16 is what lets a contract move minor repairs to the tenant. "Not attributable to the tenant" in Article 17 is what moves the cost of a broken door handle or a hole in the wall back to the tenant who caused it. For landlords who would rather not run this split themselves, Keyper's property management for landlords takes the tenant's request, sends an inspection team, sources quotes and supervises the work.
How Do Dubai Tenancy Contracts Split Maintenance?
Nearly every registered contract in Dubai narrows the default with a clause on minor and major maintenance. The usual form is a cost threshold: repairs below the figure are the tenant's, repairs above it are the landlord's. Dubai lawyers quoted by Gulf News in August 2026 and by Awatif Mohammad Shoqi Advocates in April 2026 both give AED 500 as a common example. The figure is negotiable, so the number that matters is the one in your contract. A threshold is enforceable because Article 16 allows the parties to agree otherwise, but it cannot hand over the duty to keep the property usable, which Articles 16 and 17 keep with the owner.
| Item | Who usually pays | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Structural defects, major plumbing and electrical faults | Landlord | Article 16 default; DLD FAQ "required maintenance" |
| Central AC chillers, main electrical wiring, internal plumbing infrastructure | Landlord, unless the contract says otherwise | Gulf News, August 2026 (major building systems); DLD FAQ says AC maintenance depends on the contract |
| Light bulbs, AC filter cleaning, basic drain clearing, small cosmetic fixes | Tenant, where the contract has a minor maintenance clause | Article 16 "unless otherwise agreed"; DLD FAQ "non-essential maintenance" |
| Damage from misuse, negligence or unauthorised alterations | Tenant | Article 17 (not attributable to the tenant); Article 19; Article 25(1)(e) |
| Service charges for common areas (pool, gym, lifts, landscaping) | Owner, unless the unit lease says otherwise | Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 16(b); DLD statement, 6 January 2020 |
| Government fees and taxes for use of the property | Tenant, unless the contract says otherwise | Article 22 |
Sources: Law No. 26 of 2007, Articles 16, 17, 19, 22 and 25; Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 16(b), as stated by the Dubai Land Department on 6 January 2020; DLD FAQ; Gulf News, 11 August 2026. "Who usually pays" describes the default and common contract practice. Your contract governs.
One rule that does not move with the threshold: Article 19 forbids the tenant from carrying out restoration or maintenance works without the landlord's permission, beyond the repairs agreed in the contract or customary for tenants. Even when the landlord is unresponsive, a tenant who rewires a unit or replaces a compressor without consent takes on the risk. Read the maintenance clause in your tenancy contract before you sign, and know the threshold.
Who Pays Service Charges, the Landlord or the Tenant?
Service charges fund the upkeep of a building's or community's shared areas: lifts, pools, gyms, security, landscaping and the common structure, collected per unit by the owners' committee or the management company. Under Article 16(b) of Law No. 6 of 2019 on jointly owned real property, the owner is liable to pay the service charges and usage charges unless the unit lease stipulates otherwise. The Dubai Land Department's Rental Disputes Centre restated this in January 2020, adding that the owner is not discharged from the obligation if the tenant fails to pay.
In a standard residential lease the charge is therefore the landlord's. It moves to the tenant only if the contract says so in terms. Service charges are calculated per building, against an approved budget you can check.
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See how Keyper manages your propertyWho Pays for AC Maintenance, the Tenant or the Landlord?
The Dubai Land Department's FAQ answers the question about air conditioner electricity and maintenance in one line: it depends on the agreement between the parties and what the contract stipulates. Gulf News's August 2026 guidance draws the usual line: central AC chillers and the other major building systems fall on the landlord, while cleaning AC filters is routine upkeep for the tenant. A landlord cannot refuse to fix an essential system such as an AC unit on an unsubstantiated claim of tenant misuse. If your contract is silent, the Article 16 default applies and a failed unit is the landlord's repair. Consumption is a separate matter: the DEWA account is in the tenant's name and the tenant pays the bills. The account is opened in the tenant's name at move-in.
What If the Landlord or Building Management Ignores a Repair?
Report it in writing first, with photographs. For a defect inside the unit, the landlord is responsible under Article 16. For a leak from a common area, the owners' committee or management company maintains the shared parts, and your route is through the landlord, who holds the claim against them. If the landlord does nothing, the DLD's FAQ says the tenant may have recourse options such as terminating the contract, reducing the rent, or carrying out the repairs and deducting the cost from the rent. Each of these is ordered by the Rental Disputes Centre rather than taken unilaterally. The filing fee is 3.5 percent of the annual rent, minimum AED 500, capped at AED 15,000 for financial claims and AED 20,000 for eviction or renewal. Half is refunded if the case settles at conciliation. Do not withhold rent in the meantime: under Article 25(1) rent unpaid 30 days after a written notice is a ground for eviction.
Renting a Villa: Garden, Pool and Upkeep
The law's default is the same for a villa as for an apartment, but villa contracts commonly assign day-to-day upkeep of the garden and the private pool to the tenant. None of that is in the statute, so the clause itself decides. Check three things before signing: who pays for garden and pool upkeep, who pays for the AC, and what the threshold is. DEWA is in the tenant's name either way.
FAQs
What are service charges in Dubai communities?
Annual charges that pay for maintaining a building's or community's shared areas and services, such as lifts, pools, gyms, security and landscaping, collected per unit by the owners' committee or management company. Under Article 16(b) of Law No. 6 of 2019 they are the owner's cost unless the unit lease says otherwise.
Who pays the maintenance charge when renting?
In Dubai, by default the landlord, under Article 16 of Law No. 26 of 2007. Most contracts move minor repairs below a cost threshold, commonly AED 500, to the tenant, and damage caused by the tenant is the tenant's under Article 17. Service charges for common areas stay with the owner.
Who is responsible for the service charge, landlord or tenant?
The owner, under Article 16(b) of Law No. 6 of 2019, unless the unit lease stipulates otherwise. The Dubai Land Department has stated that the owner remains liable even if a tenant who agreed to pay fails to do so.
What are my rights if my building management is ignoring requests for major repairs like a leak?
Report the leak to your landlord in writing with photographs. The landlord is responsible for repairs that affect your use of the unit under Article 16 and holds the claim against the management company for a common-area fault. If nothing happens, the DLD FAQ lists rent reduction, repair and deduct, or termination as remedies, each ordered by the Rental Disputes Centre.
When you rent a villa in Dubai, are DEWA, maintenance and the garden included?
DEWA is not included: the account is in the tenant's name and the tenant pays consumption. Maintenance defaults to the landlord under Article 16, but villa contracts commonly assign garden and pool upkeep and minor repairs to the tenant, so the contract clause decides.
Who pays for AC maintenance, tenant or landlord?
The Dubai Land Department's FAQ says it depends on what the contract stipulates. If the contract is silent, the Article 16 default makes a failed unit the landlord's repair. Gulf News's guidance puts central AC chillers with the landlord and filter cleaning with the tenant.
Before You Sign
The law defaults to the landlord, contracts narrow it with a threshold, and service charges stay with the owner. Read the clause, report every defect in writing and keep the record, because the same documents decide what can be deducted from the deposit at the end. Maintenance is one of several rights and obligations the law splits between the two sides.
For landlords, Keyper's home maintenance service covers AC servicing, plumbing, electrical, painting, water tank cleaning and inspections for apartments and villas, with every request and resolution on record.
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- Law No. 26 of 2007 Regulating the Relationship between Landlords and Tenants in Dubai (Articles 15, 16, 17, 19 and 22)
- Law No. 33 of 2008 Amending Law No. 26 of 2007 (Article 25(1), eviction for unpaid rent and for deliberate damage)
- Dubai Land Department: property owner is obliged to pay service and usage charges for jointly owned property, 6 January 2020 (Law No. 6 of 2019, Article 16(b))
- Dubai Land Department: Frequently Asked Questions (maintenance split, remedies, AC depends on the contract)
- Gulf News: Dubai rental repairs, who pays for maintenance and damage? 11 August 2026 (AED 500 threshold example, major building systems versus routine upkeep)
- Awatif Mohammad Shoqi Advocates on JD Supra: A Complete Dubai Landlord-Tenant Law Guide, 9 April 2026 (AED 500 as a common minor maintenance threshold)
- Leaders Advocates on Mondaq: How to File a Complaint Against Your Landlord in Dubai, 21 July 2026 (RDC fee 3.5 percent of annual rent, minimum AED 500, half refund at conciliation)
