Water heater stopped working in Dubai — is it the landlord's responsibility?

Yes — a water heater that came with your Dubai rental apartment is the landlord's responsibility to repair or replace. It is part of the property's fixtures and fittings, and under UAE Law No. 26 of 2007, landlords must maintain all fixtures and fittings present at the start of the tenancy.

The landlord's claim that you need to replace it yourself has no legal basis if the water heater was present when you moved in and has failed through normal use rather than tenant misuse.

Dubai's hard water supply is particularly tough on water heaters — scale buildup on heating elements is extremely common and is considered normal wear and tear, not tenant damage.

What to do: send your landlord a formal WhatsApp notice today stating the water heater has failed through normal use, that it was present at the start of your tenancy, and that you require repair or replacement within 7 days. If they don't act, file a RERA maintenance complaint through the Dubai REST app. For a genuine emergency (no hot water at all), you can arrange the repair yourself and deduct the cost from rent — but only with documented evidence that you notified the landlord and they failed to respond.