What Dubai tenancy practice says
- Dubai Law 26 of 2007, Article 16: the landlord is responsible for maintenance and for repairing defects that affect the tenant's use, unless the contract says otherwise.
- Mould from a leaking pipe, failed waterproofing or an AC pumping humid air is normally a building defect: landlord. Mould after the tenant left the AC off for six weeks is normally negligence: tenant.
- Grey zone: a sealed, humid flat with a working AC. Evidence decides it.
- General information, not legal advice.
What an inspection report should show
- Humidity and temperature per room, with date, time and instrument, overnight.
- Humidity at the AC supply vent: one Dubai report found 88.5%, proving the AC supplied the moisture.
- Moisture-meter readings, photos and the inspector's view on the cause.
How the Rental Dispute Centre works
- Dubai's Rental Dispute Settlement Centre (Dubai Land Department) hears tenancy cases. The filing fee is a percentage of annual rent between a minimum and a maximum.
What to ask the owner to install
- Repair the cause, then humidity control that works in an empty flat: a ducted dehumidifier with a drain. In one reported case the landlord offered to pay to "install a dehumidifier": it protects the asset too.
