This page does not answer questions designed to make us look good. It answers the questions that actually arrive on our phone, including the awkward ones about fees, contractor obligations and what a landlord must legally maintain.
Straight answers on Dubai building maintenance: service intervals, AMC contracts, inspection fees, landlord obligations and choosing a contractor.
Intervals follow component duty, not a single rule of thumb. AC filters in dusty districts need monthly attention; full AC service is quarterly for most residential units. Water heaters need annual inspection, with element replacement every two to three years in hard water areas. Distribution boards should be checked annually, with RCD trip times measured rather than button-tested. Flexible hoses under sinks and behind toilets should be replaced around the five year mark. Rooftop waterproofing deserves annual inspection because membrane degrades under UV in seven to ten years. A building that follows these intervals spends less over five years than one that waits for failures, and the difference is measurable in emergency callouts alone.
Under Dubai's framework, including RERA rules on service charges, owners associations are responsible for maintaining common areas and shared services: risers, common AC plant, corridors, roofs and central drainage. Individual owners maintain everything inside their unit, and landlords must keep rented properties habitable, which in practice means working AC in summer and safe water and power. These boundaries generate most disputes we see, particularly over leaks that start in one unit and damage another. Our reports state where a fault sits, with evidence, so responsibility can be assigned from a document rather than negotiated between neighbours under pressure.
Ask three questions. First, are your technicians directly employed, and can I see licence records? Second, do you quote fixed prices in writing before work, and what is your inspection fee arrangement? Third, what does your report look like? A contractor who cannot show you a sample report with actual readings is telling you how they will treat your records. Check that they work to Dubai Municipality and RERA requirements and can produce method statements for tower access. Be sceptical of unlimited-repair AMC offers at suspiciously low fees, because the cost returns as declined claims. A contractor worth keeping answers awkward questions before you are their client.
For a single apartment, a full AMC may exceed the value of the servicing needed, and we will say so. A quarterly AC service agreement, without the full building scope, usually makes sense. Where an AMC earns its fee is buildings with multiple systems: several AC units, pumps, common area lighting and drainage. The contract converts unpredictable failures into scheduled visits and gives you a documented history that supports service charge budgeting. If a survey shows your building needs little, we will recommend the lighter arrangement. Selling a contract where none is needed is how contractors lose clients in year two.
Speak to a technician now, not an answering service.
Yes. We work as the maintenance arm for property managers who need documented reporting, fixed pricing and a single point of accountability. Reports can be formatted for onward submission to owners associations or landlords.
Yes, with the owner's approval for anything beyond emergency stabilisation. For urgent faults such as leaks or power loss we attend and make safe, then quote the repair to the owner or their manager for approval.
Bank transfer and card payment, with terms stated on every quote and invoice. Contract clients receive itemised monthly invoicing aligned to visits delivered, which maps directly onto service charge accounting.
Straight answers on Dubai building maintenance: service intervals, AMC contracts, inspection fees, landlord obligations and choosing a contractor.