At move-out, a Dubai landlord or agent inspects your home against its original handover condition – walls, AC, plumbing, electrics, flooring, kitchen and bathrooms – then cross-checks the admin: your Ejari cancellation and a settled DEWA final bill. Every unresolved fault becomes a line-item deduction. Knowing exactly what they look for is how you keep your full deposit.
This guide walks the inspection the way an agent does – room by room, with what a "pass" looks like and the common failure that quietly costs you money.
What does a Dubai landlord actually check at move-out?
A landlord checks whether the property matches the condition recorded at handover, allowing only for genuine fair wear and tear. Anything beyond that – damage, alterations or a missing fitting – is a make-good item they can charge against your deposit.
The process is a structured snagging walk. The agent moves through each room with the original inventory and handover photos, noting every deviation.
What a pass looks like:
- The property reads as clean, complete and undamaged, room by room.
- Original fittings, keys, remotes and access cards are all present.
- No unapproved modifications remain – shelves, feature walls or fixtures added during the tenancy are reversed.
The common failure: small issues add up. Three drill holes here, a chipped tile there, a tap that drips – each looks minor, but the deductions are itemised and priced at retail. The tenant who fixes nothing typically loses far more than the cost of a proper make-good would have been.
Book an honest pre-inspection first. Our team walks the same route your agent will, so nothing on the day is a surprise. The landlord inspection checklist shows the exact points they score.
How do they inspect walls, paint and ceilings?
Walls pass when they are a single, even colour with no holes, scuffs, mould or visible patch marks – exactly as they looked when you took the keys. Ceilings should be clean and crack-free, with no water staining around AC vents.
This is the most-deducted category in Dubai, because tenants patch it themselves and the repair shows.
What a pass looks like:
- One consistent colour and sheen across each wall, with no touch-up "shadows".
- No nail or drill holes, rawl plugs, adhesive residue or hook marks.
- No scuff lines behind furniture, no fingerprints around switches, no mould in corners or behind wardrobes.
The common failure: a DIY patch. Spot-filling and dabbing paint over holes leaves a different sheen that an agent spots instantly, and they then charge for repainting the whole wall anyway. A full-wall make-good in the original shade is what actually clears the item.
Our move-out painting service colour-matches to the handover specification and rolls complete walls, so the finish reads as untouched. In high-scrutiny buildings across Downtown Dubai this single fix often protects the largest share of a deposit.
What do they look for with AC, plumbing and electrical fittings?
Inspectors want proof the AC has been serviced, confirmation that every tap and seal is watertight, and evidence that all original electrical fittings work and remain in place. These three systems are where "invisible" neglect surfaces most expensively.
AC and the service receipt. Most tenancy contracts make routine AC maintenance the tenant's responsibility. Agents look for a recent, dated service invoice covering coils, filters and the condensate drain line. In chiller-cooled towers there is also a chiller-AC handover step – your Empower or Emicool account must be settled and transferred cleanly.
- Pass: cold, quiet airflow, clean vents, no water marks under the unit, and a service receipt in hand.
- Failure: a musty smell, weak cooling or a stained ceiling below the unit – read as neglect and charged as a full service or descale. A documented AC servicing visit before handover removes the doubt.
Plumbing and seals. Agents run taps, flush toilets and check under every sink for leaks and soft, blackened silicone.
- Pass: firm water pressure, no drips, clean white seals around sinks, baths and the shower tray, and clear drains.
- Failure: a slow leak, limescale-choked aerators or mouldy silicone. Our plumbing team re-seals wet areas and clears traps so nothing weeps on the day.
Electrical and fittings. Every switch, socket, light and extractor is tested, and every original fixture must still be there.
- Pass: all points working, correct bulbs fitted, and any tenant-installed light or fan swapped back to the handover fitting.
- Failure: a dead downlight, a missing chandelier or a swapped fixture. Electrical make-good restores the original spec and certifies it works.
How are flooring, kitchen, bathrooms and balcony assessed?
These surfaces pass when they are clean, intact and stain-free, with no cracked tiles, dull marble, burnt worktops or silicone gone black. This is where deep cleaning and targeted repair do the heavy lifting.
Flooring and grout. Agents look for cracked or lifted tiles, deep scratches in wood or vinyl, and grout that has darkened to grey.
- Pass: an even floor, matched tiles, and grout returned to its original tone.
- Failure: a single cracked tile or hollow-sounding plank. Flooring repair replaces damaged sections and re-grouts so the line disappears. For stone lobbies and villa floors, marble polishing lifts etch marks and restores the sheen inspectors expect.
Kitchen. Cabinet doors, hinges, the hob, oven and worktop are all checked, along with the sink and its seals.
- Pass: grease-free surfaces, working hinges, an unstained worktop and a clean, sealed sink.
- Failure: burn marks, chipped cabinet edges or a limescaled sink.
Bathrooms. Agents scan for mould, limescale, cracked accessories and loose fittings.
- Pass: bright grout, clear glass, firmly mounted towel rails and mirrors, and fresh seals.
- Failure: black silicone, a spotted mirror or a wobbling rail left over from a tenant fixing.
Balcony. Often forgotten, and often deducted. Agents check for stained tiles, rusted railings, blocked drains and satellite fixings left behind.
A thorough deep cleaning pass across kitchen, bathrooms and balcony is frequently the difference between a clean handover and a page of small charges – especially in the dense apartment stock of Business Bay.
Which handover documents do landlords require – Ejari and DEWA?
The two documents that decide the admin side are a cancelled Ejari registration and a settled DEWA final bill, and a landlord can legally hold your deposit until both clear. Physical condition is only half the inspection.
Ejari. Your tenancy registration must be cancelled once the contract ends. In many communities you will also need a move-out permit and an NOC from the developer or owners association (OA) before removal companies can operate.
DEWA final bill. DEWA issues a final statement only after your move-out meter reading. Any outstanding balance is yours to clear, and the refund of your DEWA deposit follows a clean closure.
What a pass looks like:
- Ejari cancelled and evidenced.
- Move-out permit and OA / developer NOC secured where required.
- DEWA final bill settled and account closed.
- Chiller-AC account (Empower or Emicool) transferred or closed.
The common failure: leaving these to the last day. A delayed reading or an unpaid balance gives the landlord a legitimate reason to withhold funds even when the property itself is flawless.
How do you guarantee your full deposit back?
You protect your deposit by restoring the property to handover condition before the agent arrives, so there is no physical fault left to price. That is exactly what a professional make-good delivers – one coordinated visit that closes every category above.
- Fixed quote agreed in advance, so you know the cost before we start – transparent pricing with no surprise costs.
- One team handling paint, AC, plumbing, electrics, flooring and cleaning together.
- Documented before-and-after work – strong evidence if a dispute ever reaches the RERA / Rental Dispute Settlement Centre (RDSC).
For offices, retail units and warehouses, the same logic applies under a stricter lens; our office and warehouse reinstatement service returns commercial space to its base-build handover state.
A move-out inspection is not a test of luck – it is a checklist, and every point on it can be prepared. Restore the property properly, settle the admin early, and the deposit follows.
Ready to hand back keys with confidence? Run through the landlord inspection checklist, then request a fixed quote and let us return your home to handover condition.