# Landlord Maintenance Issues



## Cape Chick (Oct 6, 2009)

Hi

I need some help with regards to my irritating landlord. 

My water heater broke and it needs to be replaced at a cost, but the landlord refuses to pay for it even though there is a clause in the contract that states that 
"major maintenance (electrical and air conditioning) is the responsibility of the landlord".

Do I have any recourse and how would I go about taking this up legally with the landlord.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

"major maintenance (electrical and air conditioning) is the responsibility of the landlord".
That wording is going to cause you problems. It should have been worded ''Landlord is responsible for all Maintenance'' or the term 'Major' should be clarified (what is considered Major and what is Minor?).

I doubt the cost of a new water heater will be worth the hassle of taking legal action. I just had one fitted for my tenant (they usually only last a couple of years) and it cost dhs.400. The Landlord can argue that it does not constitute 'Major' Maintenance.

I am not on the side of the Landlord just being realistic xx


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## Cape Chick (Oct 6, 2009)

Thanks for the reply - the quote I got was double that but its not the cost that is the issue - its really the principle! 

This is not the first time we have maintenance issues, our a/c broke and it took almost a week to fix in the middle of summer because the landlord delayed.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I would kindly let him know that at the end of your lease, you might not be so well inclinded to stay in his property if he is not a 'good' landlord. 

And just pay for it as it is not worth the hassle if he is refusing.


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Pay for it then take it with you when you move and give the broken one back 

We are in the same boat here, have to fight constantly with the real estate jerks and maintenance and they keep delaying things. I shall be moving soon anyways, this place sucks!


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## Cape Chick (Oct 6, 2009)

Well, I was gona hav 2 pay upfront anyway as he's apparantly not in the country (again)
Good idea bout taking the new water heater with me, lol!

Anyway, gona foot the bill and give notice next month then seeing tht the contract is almost over. It just sucks that this will probably happen over and over - I feel for who ever is gona have to deal with this guy in the future.

Thanks for the advice!


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## Cape Chick (Oct 6, 2009)

Well, I was gona hav 2 pay upfront anyway as he's apparantly not in the country (again)
Good idea bout taking the new water heater with me, lol!

Anyway, gona foot the bill and give notice next month then seeing tht the contract is almost over. It just sucks that this will probably happen over and over - I feel for who ever is gona have to deal with this guy in the future.

Thanks for the advice!


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## Moe78 (Oct 29, 2010)

You could rough it out for the next month or whatever until you move out so you won't have to pay for a heater your landlord should pay for! But it depends if you really need it, during the summer that would be a definite no you won't need something to heat your water thanks to the Sun!


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## desertdude (Nov 22, 2010)

I'd be real nasty about it, as said take the new one with you and just stuff the busted one in on the way out. I've just about had it over here taking crap from everyone.


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## ExpatAl (Dec 9, 2008)

I would just be a little careful. 
If your landlord is playing hard ball over the cost of a heater what are your chances of getting your security deposit back especially if he is an "out of country" landlord.
He will probably want to keep the security deposit it for "damage, repairs and repainting".

Make sure you give the correct period for notice for the apartment, in writing.
A posted or faxed letter is best and keep confirmation it has been sent (an email may not be sufficient). 
State in the letter the amount of time he has to refund the money, 7 days is more than enough.


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## miami_hurricanes (Sep 23, 2010)

Just my 2 pence but you're going to go through a helluva lot of hassle for something less than AED 1000. I appreciate the 'principle' of the argument perspective but at the end of the day you need a water heater and not legal bills.

I've had similar maintenance problems in my villa - in the last 10 months I've replaced 2 water heaters, the pool pump and 3 air con compressors. Total cost is around AED 7500. Rather than fuss with the landlord I queued up the invoices and dropped them on him 3 weeks ago when he wanted to talk about extending my lease. Long story short he reduced the per annum rent by 7500 versus losing guaranteed rental income.

I think if you want to be principled then maybe live in a Western country, they don't seem to do principle well here  It's all part of living here, roll with it.

Good luck.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

miami_hurricanes said:


> Rather than fuss with the landlord I queued up the invoices and dropped them on him 3 weeks ago when he wanted to talk about extending my lease. Long story short he reduced the per annum rent by 7500 versus losing guaranteed rental income.
> 
> I think if you want to be principled then maybe live in a Western country, they don't seem to do principle well here  It's all part of living here, roll with it.
> 
> Good luck.



I think mostr residents here will have to pay for stuff beforehand and will not have the luxury of being invoiced which they can then pas on to their landlords.

Or did you prepare your own invoice after paying for them yourself ?!


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## miami_hurricanes (Sep 23, 2010)

Tropicana said:


> I think mostr residents here will have to pay for stuff beforehand and will not have the luxury of being invoiced which they can then pas on to their landlords.
> 
> Or did you prepare your own invoice after paying for them yourself ?!



When I had a maintenance issue, I had it serviced and paid for it rather than contact the landlord each and every time. If I waited for him I probably still wouldn't have air, hot water, etc. Anyway, the Company which provided the repair/maintenance (Master Fixer) provided an invoice which I then passed on to the landlord en masse at renewal time.


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## Maz25 (Jul 6, 2008)

miami_hurricanes said:


> When I had a maintenance issue, I had it serviced and paid for it rather than contact the landlord each and every time. If I waited for him I probably still wouldn't have air, hot water, etc. Anyway, the Company which provided the repair/maintenance (Master Fixer) provided an invoice which I then passed on to the landlord en masse at renewal time.


That's one way to go about it but there is absolutely no guarantee that the landlord will refund any of the money spent on maintenance. Considering that most landlords come up with a number of ridiculous reasons to hold on to your deposit, you don't want to give any more money than you need to. 

If it's a small item (as in this case), pay for it as you have said but for more expensive items, I would get the landlord to pay directly.


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