Residents of a luxury gated community in Dubai have said they are fed up with ongoing water leaks and power cuts at their properties.
Homeowners in Dubailand's Mudon neighbourhood said the same problems had been occurring for more than a year with no sign of an end to the issue.
Their list of complaints include poor drainage, rain water running into their homes, faulty air conditioning units and mould.
Residents have accused Dubai Properties, the developer, of failing to carry out appropriate, long-term maintenance, instead opting for “quick fix” solutions.
“I’m at the end of my tether,” said Simon Karacinski, 35, who bought a three-bedroom townhouse in the development in early 2019.
“The problems are not just isolated to my house, many of my neighbours are experiencing the same build quality issues too.
“When it rains, there are multiple places within my property where water pours, drips or trickles through.
“Water cascades through electrical piping and I have to place buckets throughout the house.
“The power has tripped out three times because the mains electrical board exploded too.”
Construction on the Arabella 1 development began in 2015, with some homes handed over to their new owners by 2018.
The site consists of more than 800 three and four-bedroom townhouses and is surrounded by expansive gardens and a network of picturesque walks.
But despite the project promising quality family homes, many residents claim their dream purchase rapidly became a constant headache.
Owners said they had been plagued by the need for ongoing repair works because of poor construction methods.
Several residents have now teamed up to demand a "thorough investigation" by the developer, hoping existing issues can be fixed permanently.
Jamie Nicolas said he and his wife moved into their three-bed townhouse under a yearly rental agreement in the summer of 2018.
The British couple said they were frustrated by “poor workmanship” in the property but were reluctant to move out because they loved the community.
“The building is just not watertight,” said Mr Nicolas, 32. “In terms of workmanship, the villa is not up to par.
“The foundations are crumbling and there are problems with the plumbing and electrics.
“Whenever rain is forecast we have to brace ourselves for the worst. Without fail, we get multiple leaks and our light switches double up as water features.
"The driveway is not level so we often get water build-up during bad weather too.”
Mr Nicolas revealed he had so far paid about Dh1,500 for plumbing parts and that more than two months ago one of the windows in their guest bedroom shattered without warning. It has still not been fixed.
“There are common faults across the whole community so that is a clear indication this is a bigger issue,” he said.
“We really love the place and don’t want to be forced to move. We just want the developer to take action and fix the issues once and for all instead of offering short-term solutions that do not last.
“Phone calls often go unanswered and emails are ignored.”
Balaji Bysani, 37, said he and his wife bought their home in February last year. Just a month later, the couple began experiencing rain water leaks.
"I work in construction and I am fully aware that new-builds tend to have snagging issues but these are just ongoing," he told The National.
“Whenever there is rain my 5-year-old son cries because we have to tackle numerous water leaks and they are always in the same place.
“The water damage has ruined two of our laptops, a printer and a computer desk.
“There is a lack of water proofing throughout the house and we are looking for a permanent solution, not a quick fix.”
Homeowner Omar Masri, from Brazil, said he was fed up with the developer, contractor and maintenance firms all “passing the blame” between them.
He said he had searched carefully for months to make sure he invested in the right home for his wife and two young boys.
After purchasing the property in February last year, and moving in later that summer, the "issues became obvious, very quickly,” he said.
“The hinges on the cabinet doors in the bathroom and kitchen were loose within weeks and cracks have already started to appear on the interior and exterior walls,” the regional sales manager said.
“When it rains outside, it pours indoors. The water leakages are causing damage to the ceilings.
“We bought our home from a well-known developer and while the design of the house is wonderful, the quality inside is just not what you would expect for a luxury property.”
In a statement to The National, a spokesman for Dubai Properties said it was aware of residents' complaints and was working to resolve them on a "case-by-case basis".
“While we do acknowledge that some unit owners in the first phase of Arabella handovers did experience issues with their units, we worked diligently to support our property owners by attending to major concerns and will continue to address all those reported,” he said.
“Our team continues to serve and support our customers to ensure major concerns are rectified.
“We remain available to our customers who would like to reach out to us at handoversnags@dp.ae, and we will work on resolving their concerns on a case-by-case basis.”
