Who Pays for Maintenance in a Dubai Tenancy Under Law 26 of 2007?
Dubai tenants and landlords reviewing their obligations after signing or renewing a lease need a clear reading of the statutory maintenance split. Property Rights provides guidance on tenant rights in Dubai so both parties understand who funds repairs and alterations. Antonovich Group is a renovation company in dubai that a landlord or tenant appoints once written consent is secured; the ISO 9001 certified firm has delivered over 500 projects across architecture, interiors, landscape and fit-out disciplines from its Dubai headquarters.
Ejari is the online programme developed by RERA for recording tenancy contracts for all property types in Dubai, pursuant to Law No. 26 of 2007 as amended by Law No. 33 of 2008, according to the Dubai Land Department Ejari Tenancy Guide. Registration is mandatory, and the registered contract is the document that decides any repair argument later.
- Read the maintenance clause of your registered contract before the first repair request, and ask for any change in writing.
- Photograph and list every defect at handover, then send the list to the landlord.
- Obtain written landlord permission and official licences before any alteration or restoration work.
- Keep requests, photographs and receipts together so a deposit or repair dispute can be proved.
Who pays for repairs during the lease?
The landlord does by default. Article 16 of Law No. (26) of 2007 states that, unless the parties agree otherwise, the landlord is responsible during the term for maintenance works and for repairing any defect or damage that may affect the tenant's intended use of the property. The Dubai Land Department repeats this answer in its frequently asked questions.
Two neighbouring articles back this up. Article 15 obliges the landlord to hand the property over in good condition, allowing the full use stated in the contract. Article 17 makes the landlord responsible for any defect, damage, deficiency and wear and tear that is not the tenant's fault. The standard Ejari unified tenancy contract adds, in its clause 8, that the landlord does the regular maintenance as intended unless another condition is agreed in writing.
Which repairs can a tenant be asked to cover?
Only those the contract or custom places on the tenant. Article 19 requires the tenant to maintain the property as an ordinary person would maintain their own, and it preserves restorations that were agreed or that are customary for tenants to undertake. Neither the law nor the unified contract lists those jobs, so the line between minor upkeep and major repair is whatever the signed contract says.
Practical consequence: if the landlord wants the tenant to handle small household repairs, the clause should name them. If the tenant wants the landlord to handle a boiler, a leak or a failed unit, the default in Article 16 already says so. The Dubai Land Department also asks owners registering a lease to identify the party responsible for maintenance and to procure a maintenance contract from a building maintenance company, as the same Ejari Tenancy Guide sets out. Tenants who pay their own utility bills do so under clause 4 of the unified contract: electricity, water, cooling and gas charges for the occupied unit stay with the tenant unless agreed otherwise in writing.
Can a tenant renovate without the landlord's approval?
No. Article 19 prevents the tenant from making any change or carrying out restoration or maintenance works unless the landlord permits it and the tenant has first obtained the required licences from the competent official entities. Clause 3 of the unified contract repeats the point and makes the tenant liable for any damage or failure caused by unapproved amendments, modifications or additions.
The landlord has a duty in return. Under Article 18, the landlord must provide the approvals that the tenant needs to submit to the competent entities for decoration or other works, provided the works do not affect the structure and the tenant holds the official documents requesting those approvals. Under Article 23, unless the parties agree otherwise, a departing tenant may not remove leasehold improvements, so agree in writing who keeps a new kitchen or fitted wardrobes.
What happens to the deposit and the condition at move-out?
Article 20 lets the landlord take a security deposit when the contract is signed, to ensure maintenance of the property at expiry, and obliges the landlord to refund the deposit or the remainder. Article 21 requires the tenant to return the property in the condition received, except for ordinary wear and tear or damage beyond the tenant's control; disputes go to the Tribunal.
Clause 1 of the unified contract records that the tenant inspected the premises and agreed to lease the unit in its current condition. That sentence is why the handover list matters: a dated list and photographs of marks, stains and faults are the evidence that separates pre-existing defects from damage caused during the tenancy.
| Provision | What it says | Who carries it |
|---|---|---|
| Article 15 | Hand the property over in good condition for the use stated in the contract | Landlord |
| Article 16 | Maintenance works and repair of defects affecting the intended use, unless agreed otherwise | Landlord |
| Article 17 | Defects, damage and wear and tear that are not the tenant's fault | Landlord |
| Article 18 | Supply approvals for decoration works that do not affect the structure | Landlord |
| Article 19 | Maintain the property as an ordinary person would; no changes without permission and licences | Tenant |
| Article 20 | Security deposit to ensure maintenance at expiry; refund the remainder | Landlord holds, tenant funds |
| Article 21 | Return in the condition received, except wear and tear or causes beyond the tenant's control | Tenant |
| Article 23 | No removal of leasehold improvements on exit unless agreed | Tenant |
| Contract clause 8 | Regular maintenance of the premises and facilities unless agreed in writing | Landlord |
How do Ejari, the rent index and the Rental Dispute Centre fit in?
Dubai Land Department figures show 71,374 Ejari rental contracts registered between 1 and 25 October 2026. The Rental Index service lets a customer enter the contract expiry date, property type, area, number of rooms and current annual rent to calculate the permitted rental increase and the average rent, on the Land Department website or in the Dubai REST app.
Article 14 requires a party that does not want to renew, or wants to amend any term, to notify the other party no less than ninety days before expiry, unless agreed otherwise. A repair arrangement you want changed belongs in that notice. When talks fail, clause 10 of the unified contract sends any disagreement to the Rental Dispute Centre, and the UAE government portal lists the Rental Dispute Centre of the Land Department as the Dubai body for landlord and tenant disputes. The Dubai Land Department Dubai REST page confirms that owners and tenants can submit rental dispute cases and follow them up in the app.
Before approaching the centre, the Dubai Land Department FAQ lists the documents to gather: the tenancy contract or Ejari record, the latest DEWA bill, a title deed copy, the tenant's passport and visa copy, a UAE ID copy and any supporting evidence. Further context on landlord rights in Dubai and the know your property rights page covers how these steps work in practice.
How should you brief a contractor for work in a rented unit?
Start from the paperwork, not the quotation. A contractor working inside a leased unit needs the landlord's written permission, any approvals the landlord must supply under Article 18, and the licences the tenant must obtain under Article 19. Hand the contractor the permission letter and a written scope of work, and check the contractor's trade licence before comparing prices.
Agree in the scope who removes old fittings, who keeps new ones under Article 23, and how the finished work will be recorded, so the handover list at move-out matches what the landlord approved. Where the work is a repair that Article 16 already assigns to the landlord, the tenant should not commission it without a written instruction, or the cost may become a dispute of its own.