Can my Dubai landlord charge AED 2,500 for cleaning when I move out?

AED 2,500 for cleaning is almost certainly not a legitimate deduction unless your apartment was left in a genuinely extreme state. Here's what's legal and what isn't.

Under Dubai tenancy law, landlords can only deduct cleaning costs if the property was returned in a state beyond what normal everyday use would produce — for example, heavily soiled surfaces, significant grease buildup, or left with rubbish and belongings behind. They cannot deduct for standard cleaning required after any normal tenancy.

The test is: could a reasonable person expect this level of cleaning after X years of normal occupancy? If yes, the deduction is likely invalid.

AED 2,500 is a large cleaning deduction for a standard apartment left in good condition. Most legitimate professional deep cleaning services in Dubai cost AED 300-700 for a 1-2 bedroom apartment. If your landlord is claiming AED 2,500, ask for an itemised invoice from the cleaning company they used.

What to do: request the itemised breakdown in writing. If you believe the deduction is unreasonable, file a case with the Dubai Rental Dispute Centre. The filing fee is 3.5% of annual rent (minimum AED 500). Bring photos of the apartment at move-out (you did take these, right?) and any professional cleaning receipts you have. Landlords frequently lose unreasonable cleaning deduction cases at the RDC.