Is my landlord responsible for the washing machine in my Dubai rental?

Your landlord is wrong, and this is a very common misconception in Dubai. Under UAE tenancy law (Law No. 26 of 2007 and its amendments), landlords are responsible for maintaining all fixtures and fittings present at the start of the tenancy in good working order. A washing machine provided as part of the rental falls into this category. The landlord's claim that it's a 'white good' and therefore your problem has no legal basis if the machine was present when you moved in and is listed on your tenancy contract or inventory checklist. What to do: Check your tenancy contract — does it list appliances? Most do. Send your landlord a written notice (WhatsApp is fine) stating the machine has failed through normal use and requesting repair or replacement within 7 days. If they refuse, file a maintenance complaint with RERA through the Dubai REST app. Keep all communication in writing. Important: if you've damaged the machine through misuse, that's a different situation. Normal mechanical failure after years of use is entirely the landlord's cost.