@marina-mariam
Renting a 1-bed in Dubai Marina. Learning which repairs are the landlord's problem and which are mine.
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Our Midea split runs constantly but the cooling is just weak, the room never really gets cold, and there's no error code showing so I don't know where to start. Before I call some…
Our LG AC keeps lighting up what I think is a filter symbol, and there's an 'auto clean' button on the remote that we've honestly never understood. Does the filter light mean the…
I keep seeing water tank cleaning offered but I am not sure how often it genuinely needs doing, or whether it is a bit of a racket. We are in an apartment with our own tank and in…
Our Remraam apartment's windows and the balcony glazing are getting tired, the sliders are stiff, there's a bit of a draught and dust seems to get in, and a couple of seals look g…
Our glass balustrade (balcony/stairs) has a panel that feels slightly loose, the fittings look tired, and it's hard to keep clean. - How do you maintain a glass balustrade — can l…
We're specifying new aluminium windows and there are different opening types — casement, sliding, tilt-and-turn. - How do I choose the right window type for each room — trade-offs…
We want a frameless glass door — for an internal doorway/office area, not a shower. - How does a frameless glass door actually work with no frame — what holds it up and lets it sw…
One pane of our large sliding patio door has cracked, and another has gone foggy. - Can you replace just the glass in a sliding/patio door, or do you have to replace the whole doo…
I want a feature wall and I'm torn between wallpaper and paint. My worry is Dubai's humidity and AC — I've heard wallpaper can peel at the edges or grow mould behind it here. - Is…
Our outdoor AC unit (condenser) sits in full sun and gets dusty, and I'm wondering whether covering or shading it would protect it and help it run cooler/cheaper. - Is putting a c…
I keep seeing terrazzo and microcement (micro-topping) as seamless, no-grout-line floor finishes instead of tiles. - What actually are they? - How do they compare to tiles — look,…
Our AC (split unit) has started flashing a light / showing an error code on the indoor unit or remote, and cooling is affected. - What do AC error codes / blinking lights generall…
I want a custom glass tabletop (and a couple of glass shelves) cut to size — to protect a wood table and for a display unit. - What thickness and type of glass — does it need to b…
To save money I've been closing the AC vents/registers in rooms we don't use, figuring the system cools less space. - But I've heard closing vents can strain the system and not sa…
Our bathroom grout keeps going black and mouldy, and the silicone too. - Before I regrout the whole thing, is grout sealing actually worth doing? - What's the routine to keep grou…
Our AC filters clog with dust within a couple of weeks and airflow drops noticeably. - Is it normal for filters to get this dirty this fast in Dubai, or is something wrong? - What…
We have marble and travertine floors and they're starting to look dull and marked in places. - Do natural stone floors actually need sealing (and how often)? - Why do they stain/e…
Even in the cooler months with the AC barely on, our DEWA bill stays higher than I'd expect. Setting the AC aside (I know that's the summer monster — covered elsewhere), what else…
I keep seeing in-duct air purifiers and UV lights pitched as AC add-ons for cleaner, healthier indoor air (dust, allergies, mould). - Do these actually work, and are they worth it…
I'm renting and thinking about a window AC or a portable AC for one room — extra cooling, or a room the central AC doesn't reach well. Before I buy, I want the honest verdict: - A…
Our Hisense split AC has started flashing a light on the indoor unit, and I think there's a code on the display as well. I don't want to just start swapping parts based on a rando…
Our Hitachi split has stopped cooling properly and the timer light on the indoor unit is blinking — it flashes a few times, pauses, then repeats. There's no number on any display,…
Over the last few months the airflow from our AC has dropped off a lot. It still switches on and the air is cool-ish, but it's blowing much more weakly than it used to, and the fl…
We're in an established Jumeirah Islands villa and a few plumbing things are surfacing, the water heater's clearly original, pressure varies, and I'm not sure when the water tank…
Just moving into a new Dubai apartment and I'd rather do a proper first-week check than discover problems in month three. What's a sensible checklist to run through, AC, plumbing,…
Our Gree AC has stopped and is showing a code with a letter and number on the indoor unit. Before calling anyone I would like to understand roughly what the common Gree codes mean…
Our O General AC has stopped cooling and it's just blinking the little lights on the indoor unit, there's no error number like I've seen on other brands. How am I supposed to know…
We're in one of the Discovery Gardens low-rise buildings and the room facing the garden/courtyard just never gets properly cold, while the other rooms are fine on the same kind of…
We can hear footsteps and noise from the apartment above. - Can a gypsum/false ceiling actually soundproof against that, and what makes a ceiling block sound vs just look neat? -…
Planning gypsum false ceilings and I'm lost in the design options — plain, tray/recessed, cove, floating, multi-level. - What are the main false-ceiling design types, and which su…
Our electric water heater has started making rumbling, popping and crackling noises when it heats up. I've read this can be sediment/scale building up in the tank. - Is that what…
Thinking about a glass splashback behind the hob/counter instead of tiles. - Are glass splashbacks a good idea in a kitchen (heat behind a hob, cleaning, looks)? - What type of gl…
Our toilet flushes weakly — the water swirls but doesn't fully clear the bowl, so it often needs a second flush. - It's not running constantly (different problem) — it's the flush…
Our windows let in a lot of heat and glare, and I've seen window film advertised for heat, glare, privacy and even shatter-safety. - Does applying film to existing glass actually…
We still have a mix of old halogen spots and a few incandescent bulbs, and I keep being told to "switch everything to LED." - Is a full LED retrofit genuinely worth the cost? - Ho…
Tiling a fair bit of the apartment and everyone throws around "porcelain vs ceramic," but I don't really understand the difference or which suits a Dubai home. - What actually sep…
The rubber gaskets/seals around my aluminium windows are cracking and coming away, and the windows feel draughty and let a lot of heat in. - Can just the seals/gaskets be replaced…
I want to protect my electronics (TV, computers, appliances) from voltage spikes, and I'm not sure what I actually need: - Do I need proper whole-home surge protection at the dist…
The RCD (earth-leakage breaker) in my consumer unit keeps tripping — sometimes when a specific appliance runs. I know it's a safety device, so I don't want to just keep resetting…
My AC has a burning or hot-plastic / electrical smell when it runs — not the musty/damp smell people describe, an actual burning one. It feels different and I'm genuinely worried…