Moving into a new Dubai apartment, what's a sensible first-week maintenance and safety checklist?

Good plan, the first weeks are when defects are still the developer's cost, so run a proper check. Room by room: AC, does every unit cool properly, any weak rooms, drips or noise; plumbing, run every tap and shower, check pressure and look under sinks and around the water heater for leaks, flush toilets for running/seals; electrics, test sockets work, check the consumer unit is labelled and the RCD trips when you press its test button (that's your shock protection, it must work), and make sure there are no dead or scorched-looking points; safety, confirm smoke detectors are live and the water heater and any gas are sound. Log anything off and report it in writing while you're inside the defects liability period so it's fixed free. On the electrical side especially, if the RCD won't test or something looks off, get a licensed electrician in Dubai to check it rather than assuming it's fine. Systematic beats reactive, and the timing protects your wallet.