Howard Etches: Dealing with home maintenance

Regular home maintenance should protect your family and your home. But are Dubai’s maintenance contractors meeting government legislation and owner expectations? The home maintenance and improvement options open to residents in Dubai are numerous.

But how do you as a homeowner, management company or tenant, differentiate between the good, the bad and the plain dangerous maintenance providers?

In the first of a series of articles aimed at exploring the myths surrounding home maintenance, we shed light on a number of challenges facing you, the consumer, when dealing with contracted home maintenance companies.

Is choosing the right maintenance company really a minefield?

To the uninitiated, including long-term expats and UAE nationals, finding the right maintenance company may be a difficult task. However, identifying a good company is easy because Dubai Government and the Department of Economic Development have drawn up and implemented strict classification regulations and guidelines for such companies. These stipulations come into effect when a company either applies for a trade licence or renews its existing one.

Be proactive, ask the simple yet important questions

If an advert states the contractor undertakes ‘building maintenance’, ask to see the company’s trade licence. It will stipulate whether or not the company is licensed to carry out building maintenance. The owner or an employee of such a company must hold a recognised qualification in civil engineering. The companies are obliged by law to follow the regulatory framework of operation. You must ask them these questions: “Are you licensed for this specific work? Are you insured? Do your men carry labour cards?” If something doesn’t seem right, ask for proof.

Carry out your own due diligence

We all want a trouble-free service that provides us with peace of mind. That said, it is again up to you to carry out your own due diligence. The standard of workmanship, parts or materials used and general customer service can be perceived as lamentable here in comparison to other more mature home ownership markets. But again, if you don’t ask questions you can’t make an informed decision. You will rarely receive an invoice breakdown unless you ask for it. Similarly, guarantees for parts, material, etc. should be agreed prior to any contractual signing.

Make the right choice

You are paying for a specific service or services, and the upside of having multiple providers vying for your business is choice. As a consumer you are protected and have every right to redress and recourse if something should go wrong.