Who is responsible for fixing rental's black mold: tenant or landlord?« Back to Previous Page

This is an extremely common issue in Dubai properties, especially in high-humidity areas like Jumeirah. The short answer is that the responsibility for remediation almost always falls on the landlord, but the underlying cause must be identified to prevent recurrence.

Under UAE rental law (Law No. 26 of 2007), the landlord is obligated to maintain the property in a habitable condition, which includes addressing structural or maintenance issues that lead to health hazards like mold growth. The condensation forming around your AC vent is a classic sign of a thermal bridge or insufficient insulation within the ceiling void, allowing warm, humid outdoor air to meet the cooled ceiling surface. This is a building envelope defect, not a result of tenant activities like cooking.

Your first step is to formally notify your landlord in writing (email is best) about the issue, citing your concerns for health and property damage. Include clear photographs. If they remain unresponsive, you can file a complaint with the Rental Dispute Center (RDC) in Dubai.

However, do NOT attempt to clean this yourself. Disturbing mold without proper containment can aerosolize spores and exacerbate the problem. The remediation process requires specialized equipment like HEPA vacuums, antimicrobial coatings, and most critically, identifying and correcting the moisture source.

For a case like this, a professional indoor environmental quality inspection is essential. We would perform thermal imaging to pinpoint the exact location of the insulation failure and moisture mapping to assess the extent. This report can then be used to formally demand the landlord complete the necessary repairs.

For immediate advice and to schedule an inspection to document the issue, you can call our team at 800-MOLDS or email hello@saniservice.com.