aprt repairs
 

Hi Folks
just a quick question......I have a leak in our apartment in our kitchen....it is coming from the water tank which supplies to our sink. Our building maintenance team came in and switched off the hot water valve to stop the leak and they said the water tank needs replacing.
Would the cost of this be down to me or my landlord?

Re: aprt repairs
 

Landlord..... good luck getting it though!

Re: aprt repairs
 

Landlord and that is by law.

The damn things seem to go every few years and we've had numerous replaced, always by the landlord.

Re: aprt repairs
 

I'd suggest letting the landlord know first that it's broken and needs replacing. That way there's no shock when the bill comes and you can try to get his agreement to pay as I'm sure some will want to swerve the responsibility.

Re: aprt repairs
 

thanks folks....i am just in the middle of getting a couple of quotations so that i can email them to the letting agency to forward onto the landlord.

my other half says not to bother to get it repaired & hence bring it to the landlord's attention, since it only supplies hot water to the sink and we get luke warm water as it is anyway, and we will be moving out come November. The landlord won't know since the dewa will be switched off by the time we hand over the aprt. Sneaky i know, but i would rather avoid bringing it to his attention in case he refuses to pay and then deducts it from my deposit.

the landlord is a complete d*ck - reason why i want to move out.

Re: aprt repairs
 

in all my time over here, i have never had this happen in any of the previous apartments i have lived in.

Re: aprt repairs
 

very common. I reckon I've had about 4 done over the years.
Typically 850-1000 fitted for a new one. Depending on how much access they have to it and if some of ceiling is needed to be cut out.

I'd move out and leave it with him...

Re: aprt repairs
 

Options:

1. Get it fixed, ask for money. Might get it, might not. If the LL is a knob then unlikely?
2. Ask him to fix it. If he refuses, you can argue it's his responsibility...but you know you can live without it. Move out and hope he doesn't try deducting it from deposit.
3. Ask him to fix it, he fixes it.
4. Say nothing. Move out. Hope he doesn't notice and you get the deposit back.

To me, as much as I dislike being dishonest or deceitful, option 4 looks pretty solid.

Re: aprt repairs
 

Sounds like the beginning of a B Movie.

Mission "Oh Mr Landlord , i am all wet can you come fix my leak, and i have no money to pay for repairs"
Landlord "I am sure there is another way we can fix this the problem"

Re: aprt repairs
 

Living without hot water at the moment is doable if you don't mind not having hot water to wash dishes and lukewarm showers.

But come October the water in the pipes will probably noticeably cool and you're doomed to cold showers for a while.

The UAE standard seems to be if the repairs are under 1,000 (or 500 AED) then the tenant pays for it. If it's above it then the landlord (if a good one) pays.

If Millhouse's estimates are correct then quibbling over a few hundred AED is probably not worth the inconvenience versus going without hot water for three months.

Re: aprt repairs
 

If it were me I'd just pay for it and send the Landlord the bill and argue a bit if needed.

I've paid for new AC controls, a new actuator (I think) and other bits that I might have got the LL to do as they were either shit or broken. Not bothered claiming any of it because I'm lazy, my names not on the agreement (it's the Mrs and I know asking her to do it will result in her just offering to pay instead of fussing the LL who's an absolute gem of a bloke) and I don't mind spending a bit of cash because it's ammo at the end to get the full deposit back.

Re: aprt repairs
 

That literally makes ZERO sense, i am guessing your deposits is 5k. Lets say you spent 1,000, whats the point.

I will spend money to get my money back. You are a complete weapon!

Re: aprt repairs
 

Fine. I'll bite.

Typical commercial type attitude. Can't see beyond the numbers and can't read properly.

I don't mind spending money to keep the place I live in a decent state of repair. If it's north of 1,000 we won't pay it.

If it's south of 1,000 I can handle that for a number of reasons.
One reason is that it's useful when negotiating because it demonstrates that I'm a rational, normal human being who has the capacity to understand that looking after the apartment not owned by me. When negotiating rent each year if you can wave 1,000 bill to make the rent rise by 2,000 instead of 3,000 for example it helps. If you can demonstrate the maintenance at the end of tenancy then it certainly can help your claim to a full deposit back.

Anyway, that's all intangible and sensible and based on the experiences I've had with landlords here who are reasonable and sensible human beings.

Re: aprt repairs
 

I've always tried to rent places where the building owner and management company is all the same person. Never deal with private landlords here, it's too much of a mixed bag of shit.

Re: aprt repairs
 

Then you have had bad landlords and have rolled over. No question that this kind of thing is the landlord's responsibility.

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That's only "standard" if the tenant accepts those terms which are contrary to Dubai rental laws. Different rules apply in other emirates (if any at all) but no one has to accept those terms.

You can (and should) be reasonable but as a tenant you are not liable for the maintenance. If people stopped giving in to such terms then they would be less common. Ditto the nonsense about repainting on vacating which is also not in the law.

Re: aprt repairs
 

My flat will need repainting, I don't even mind paying for it. If someone came in with UV light, awkward number of stains :eek::rofl:

Re: aprt repairs
 

I wouldn't want you managing my accounts...Not strong enough and getting pushed over to easily. You're English right? Act like it :thumbsup:

Re: aprt repairs
 

Ah, poor you iggle. Those marks are called loneliness. :lol:

Only 8 more days until pay day bro.

Re: aprt repairs
 

IGGLY you seem to have sex on the brain :blink:

Re: aprt repairs
 

Doesn't affect our showers/baths - different water tank - the one that is buggered only supplies to the kitchen sink.

Re: aprt repairs
 

huh? I don't get you?
In all the apartments I have lived in (7 in total) the water tank has never clapped out - which is why I wasn't sure who is liable for it.

Re: aprt repairs
 

I am gonna see how much the quotes come in for and then will decide what to do. If it's over AED 500, then it'll be option 4.

Re: aprt repairs
 

I'm surprised you can blink and breathe at the same time...or anything that requires more than one train of thought.

Re: aprt repairs
 

Nothing better than winding someone up; then watching them snap :rofl:

Tug one of in the toilet to calm down!

Re: aprt repairs
 

I've been dealing with a very difficult chap from the Sub-Continent today and TWO deceitful men of North African origin and have managed not to snap.

They'd run rings around you. Try harder.

Re: aprt repairs
 

Seems quite common in Dubai... I changed the locks on my apartment and no longer pick up calls coming from the numerous property agencies that he's trying to sell the apartment through.

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I change the locks as soon as moved in. In both apartments in this tower it's worked because you'll be sat watching TV and hey presto, there's a key in the door.

Once, I was quite happily chomping some dinner and the front door just swung open, family walked in. Agent apparently didn't notice any of the furniture or pictures in the hallway and just brought this family through to the living room. I won't repeat what I said but since then I keep the front door locked, which I dislike but saves being rude to people.

Re: aprt repairs
 

Are you guys serious:eek: - any agent with an ounce decency should be ringing in advance of bringing anyone over.


well I got the quotes - they are around AED 1000-1100, I'm not gonna bother getting it fixed or bringing it to the landlord's attention...let the next mug who takes the apart deal with it.

Re: aprt repairs
 

I pay rent on a monthly basis , so each time something of that nature happens , I just get someone to fix it and give me the bill , I snap it , send it to the landlord via Whatsapp then deduct the amount from the rent :)

Re: aprt repairs
 

good idea....in my case, my company pays upfront and then deducts it from me on a monthly basis.....so no leverage here

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the landlord will definitely have to pay for it ,unless it is a very small amount that you can just forget about , having said that , getting money from the landlord is not easy and painless,unfortunately .

why there is no handyman to take care of these issues in the building ?

Re: aprt repairs
 

There is building maintenance and they quoted me AED 1100, but coz my landlord is a complete d *ck, I'd rather not bring it to his attention (otherwise either I will end up paying for it, or if i bring it to his attention and i don't pay for it and hence get it repaired, he will then deduct it from my deposit) and since I will not be renewing come Nov, I can live with it, since it only supplies hot water to the kitchen sink.

Re: aprt repairs
 

That's inflation for you. Jim'ill'fixit would do them for 850 in the ranches. He charged me 1100 on a second one after some 'access problems'. I paid 900 to the guys and had a big argument with a Liverpudlian who said he would block my house from future work... 'ok mate, you do that' :lol: :lol: