Maintenance problems plague older buildings

Abu Dhabi: Maintenance problems in older buildings are common, especially in the summer, but the huge volume of tenant complaints received are dealt with as soon as possible, an executive from a real estate firm said.

Tenants in Musaffah reported to Gulf News that their building's elevator was out of order for three weeks, and claimed that complaints to Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties (ADCP) had gone unheeded. They also said that the only stairwell in the building was unlit and air conditioning units in many apartments had not been repaired despite repeated complaints.

Denis O'Connor, general manager of ADCP, explained that air conditioning units regularly need fixing in the summer temperatures, and elevators in older buildings also tend to break down.

"We receive numerous complaints from our 350,000 tenants. We assign these complaints to professional contractors immediately and many minor ones are fixed within the day. If a complaint takes time in being resolved, we monitor the contractors until it is finished," O'Connor added.

He said that ADCP had been managing the 15-year-old building in question for 18 months.

"After we received the complaint about the elevator in June, a contractor fixed it temporarily. More spare parts are needed to make sure the lift does not break down in future, and the contractor is looking for these. For the time-being, if the lift stops working, the watchman can release people trapped inside. ADCP will also check on the lift from time to time," O'Connor said.

He also explained that broken down air conditioning units receive top priority for maintenance, with minor problems being fixed within the day and problems which require spare parts, like chillers are usually dealt with within a week.

The tenant who initially contacted Gulf News said that he was waiting for his issues to be resolved permanently.

"I asked an external contractor to eventually repair my air conditioning unit. We have been suffering for a while so I hope ADCP will make sure the lift is fixed for the long-term," he said.

The tenant also confirmed that representatives from ADCP visited the building two days ago, took down tenants' complaints and said they will look into the matter soon.

Another tenant who contacted Gulf News said he too faced similar problems in his apartment in Musaffah.

"When I call ADCP, my complaints are usually resolved, even though sometimes it takes a while," he added.

ADCP follow up

512 complaints received

70 complaints about ACs

66 resolved on same day

4 unresolved complaints, to be resolved within 3-5 days