The pre-summer checklist every Dubai property needs

Why the window matters

Dubai's maintenance calendar has one hinge point: the arrival of sustained heat. Systems that are marginal in March fail in July, and they fail simultaneously across the city, which is when response times stretch and prices firm. Everything below is inexpensive in spring and disproportionately expensive in the middle of summer.

The other reason to act early is diagnostic. A technician can test a system properly under mild conditions and identify weakness before load exposes it catastrophically.

Air conditioning: the six checks

Have coils cleaned — indoor and outdoor. Have refrigerant pressure measured against specification rather than topped up on assumption. Have condensate drains flushed and water-tested, which is what prevents the July ceiling stain. Have electrical connections and capacitors inspected, since heat stress kills these first. Have thermostats verified against an actual thermometer. And have airflow checked at each outlet, which is how you find the duct problem you did not know about.

If your system has not been serviced in more than a year, treat this as the priority item on the list. Nothing else here has the same failure cost.

Water systems

Have the water heater inspected — element condition, anode, and any sign of tank corrosion. Units past six years should be assessed honestly for replacement rather than repaired repeatedly. Check pumps by listening to them run; new noise is early warning. Clean the water tank if it has been twelve months, because warm weather accelerates everything that happens inside it.

Test every isolation valve in the property, and label the main stopcock. A valve that has not moved in three years frequently will not move in an emergency either, which is exactly when you need it.

Electrical and outdoor

Summer load is the year's maximum: multiple compressors, pool pumps and water heaters running together. Have the distribution board inspected for heat-stressed connections, and RCD function tested. Outdoors, check that condenser units have clear airflow around them — plants and stored items pressed against a condenser are a common and entirely avoidable cause of poor cooling.

For gardens, move irrigation timing to the early morning and raise cutting heights before the heat arrives. For pools, expect chemical demand to rise sharply and adjust the service frequency rather than the chemistry alone.

If you are travelling

Do not switch the AC off entirely. A closed Dubai property with no cooling reaches temperatures that damage furniture, warp doors and encourage mould growth in humid months. Leave the system running at around 28°C, which costs little and protects the interior.

Close the water supply at the main stopcock if nobody will be in the property — an unattended leak running for three weeks is the single most destructive thing that happens to homes here. Fill sink and shower traps or cover the drains, or you will return to the smell of the drainage system, which is what an evaporated trap seal lets back in.