In shared accommodation the building's upkeep is the operator's job, not yours. The difference between a fault fixed in a day and one that drags for three weeks is usually how it was reported.
Report it properly, the first time
Include four things:
- What is broken, specifically. "The AC in the second bedroom is blowing warm air", not "the AC is bad".
- Where, exactly — which room, which unit.
- When it started.
- A photograph or a short video. A ten-second clip of a leak explains more than a paragraph.
Send it in writing. A message creates a timestamp; a conversation in the corridor does not. On Qozey, tenants can raise a complaint with a photo directly from their portal, which does this automatically and gives both sides the same record.
What counts as urgent
Say so explicitly if it is any of these:
- No air conditioning in summer. In Dubai this is a health matter, not a comfort one.
- No water, or no electricity.
- A water leak, which gets worse and more expensive every hour.
- A door or window that will not lock.
- Anything electrical that sparks, smells or is hot to touch.
What is normal wear and whose job it is
- The operator's: AC servicing, plumbing, electrics, the building's own fixtures, pest control, appliances that came with the flat.
- Yours: anything you broke, your own possessions, and keeping your space clean.
If you are not sure which, report it anyway and let them tell you.
If nothing happens
- Follow up in writing, referencing the original date. "Reported on the 3rd, still not fixed."
- Keep the photographs, dated.
- Escalate to the operator's help line, if the person you deal with is not responding.
A written trail is what turns "I mentioned it" into a documented request, and it matters again later if a deposit deduction is ever proposed for something you reported months earlier.
The thing not to do
Do not arrange your own repair and deduct the cost, unless the operator has agreed in writing. It is the fastest route to an argument about the deposit.
Related: what to do on day one.