Black mold on apartment wall: landlord or tenant responsibility?« Back to Previous Page

Your black mold issue is a common one in Dubai, especially in coastal areas like Marina where high humidity meets cool AC walls, causing condensation. The first step is to immediately notify your landlord or building management in writing, with clear photos. Under UAE tenancy law, the structural integrity of the property, including walls and waterproofing, is the landlord's responsibility. Since this appeared due to a building envelope or pre-existing humidity issue and not from an internal leak you caused, remediation should be their obligation.

Before any cleaning, the source of moisture must be identified and fixed. A professional inspection is crucial to determine if this is a simple condensation problem or a hidden leak within the wall. For a patch that has been spreading for a month, DIY cleaning is not advised as it may disturb toxic spores and the mold will likely return if the root cause isn't addressed.

The remediation process involves isolating the area, safely removing the affected material, and treating the space with specialized equipment. Simply painting over it will not work. Once the leak is fixed and the area is dry, a post-remediation verification test, like a surface sample sent to a microbiology lab, is the only way to confirm the mold has been properly resolved.