Discovered black mold from AC leak; tell landlord first?« Back to Previous Page

Stop using the AC in that room and report this to your landlord immediately. In Dubai, the responsibility for structural repairs, including fixing the source of moisture like an AC leak, almost always falls on the landlord under the rental law. Do not begin remediation yourself, as improper handling can aerosolize spores and spread contamination.

The damp, cold wall and black mold are classic signs of a chronic condensation leak, extremely common here due to year-round AC use and high humidity. The first step is for the landlord to engage a licensed AC technician to repair the leak at its source. Without fixing this, mold will return.

For the mold itself, a patch large enough to be described as "huge" behind furniture warrants a professional assessment. They will determine if the moisture has penetrated the wallboard or structure, which often requires controlled removal and containment to prevent cross-contamination. DIY bleach or vinegar solutions are surface treatments that fail to address the root moisture problem and hidden growth.

After the leak is repaired and the mold remediated, request a post-cleanup verification test from a company with its own microbiology lab to confirm the spore count inside the room has returned to a normal, safe level. This provides documented proof the issue is resolved.