Who pays for pool maintenance in a Dubai villa rental — tenant or landlord?

This is one of the most common tenancy disputes in Dubai and your landlord is partially wrong. Under UAE tenancy law, landlords are responsible for maintaining the structural fabric of the property and any fixtures and fittings that were present at the start of the tenancy. A private pool is part of the property structure — the landlord is responsible for the equipment (pump, filter, lighting, heater) and any structural repairs to the pool shell and tiling. Day-to-day chemical maintenance (adding chlorine, pH balancing, skimming) is more nuanced. Most Dubai tenancy agreements specify this as the tenant's responsibility, and courts generally uphold this if it's clearly stated. Check your exact tenancy contract wording. If it says 'pool maintenance is the tenant's responsibility' without further definition, chemical maintenance is yours but equipment repair is still the landlord's. If your contract is silent on pool maintenance, the landlord bears more responsibility.