Question: I live in a one-bedroom apartment in Al Majaz, Sharjah. My split air conditioning unit stopped working in October. At the time, the landlord told me it wasn’t urgent because winter was coming. Now that it’s December, he says repairs may be delayed further due to “budgeting”.
While the weather and temperatures are currently fine, I’m worried I’ll be stuck with no cooling by March or April. Am I within my rights to insist the repair is done now, even though it’s winter? ET, Sharjah
Answer: You are quite within your rights to request this issue be rectified now and not have to wait any longer.
All across the UAE, including Sharjah, air conditioning is considered an essential service, not a seasonal one. The landlord is responsible for major A/C repairs (compressors, gas leaks, replacements), regardless of the weather.
Sharjah doesn’t have a codified rental law like Dubai, but the Sharjah Rental Dispute Committee consistently rules that any defect affecting habitability must be rectified without unreasonable delay. A non-functioning A/C system in the UAE unquestionably falls into that category.
Write to the landlord formally and request confirmation of a repair date within a reasonable time frame (14 days is typical). Explain that delaying until peak season will create both hardship and avoidable cost, notwithstanding the fact that many repairs are also carried out in haste during the warmer months.
If the landlord continues to postpone, you may open a case with the committee. In some cases, they allow the tenant to carry out the repair and deduct the cost from the rent, but only with committee approval.
The winter months are precisely when A/C repair work should be done, so your request is perfectly legitimate.
Q: I own an apartment in Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi, which I have rented out for years without any issues. My current tenant is asking me to discount the rent because he says some of his colleagues living in the same area have recently negotiated reductions as he claims the market is softening.
As a landlord, I don’t want to lose a good tenant but also don’t want to lower the rent unnecessarily. What’s happening with rents in Abu Dhabi, and how should I approach this request? GH, Abu Dhabi
A: Abu Dhabi’s rental market tends to behave differently from Dubai’s, in that it moves more gradually, with fewer sudden swings.
In areas like Al Raha Beach, rents rose steadily over the past two to three years, but the pace of those increases appears to be slowing. In some buildings, landlords are opting to renew at the same rent to retain stable tenants.
It's important to remember that Abu Dhabi has no smart rental index like Dubai, but instead it has a rent cap that allows a maximum increase of 5 per cent per year, unless both parties mutually agree otherwise.
So, is the rent you are asking already in line with prevailing values? Also, if your tenant is quoting colleagues, that is not always an accurate reflection of the market. Asking prices vary across buildings depending on age, condition, amenities and whether the property is furnished.
I would suggest you take a calm, pragmatic approach to finding a solution here. Check current asking rents in your specific building and the adjacent buildings, not city-wide averages. If you find that your rent is very much in line with these, then there’s no reason to offer a reduction and you can renew on the same terms. If you find that rents have softened a little, it may be wiser to offer a modest goodwill reduction, especially if the tenant is reliable and pays on time.
In Abu Dhabi, keeping a dependable tenant is often more valuable than forcing a higher rent and facing a vacancy period. A small gesture now can secure longer stability later.
The opinions expressed do not constitute legal advice and are provided for information only. Please send any questions to mario@allegiance.ae
