My landlord is threatening to deduct carpet cleaning from my Dubai deposit — is this legal?

Your landlord cannot legally deduct for normal carpet wear and tear after a 3-year tenancy — light staining from everyday use falls within this category. However, 'severe staining' or damage beyond normal use can be deducted. Here's what to do: Before you vacate, get the carpets professionally steam cleaned. Keep the receipt. This removes most light-to-moderate staining and demonstrates you made a genuine effort to return the property in good condition. Take photos and video of the cleaned carpets immediately after the cleaning, time-stamped. If your landlord still threatens a large deduction, request an itemised breakdown in writing and compare it against your check-in report (if you have one). Carpet replacement can only be charged proportionally based on the carpet's remaining useful life — if a carpet had a 10-year life and you lived there 3 years, you'd be liable for at most 30% of replacement cost, not full replacement. If the dispute escalates, the Dubai Rental Dispute Centre handles these cases — landlords frequently lose unreasonable deduction claims.