Housing in Riyadh is generally well built, but the climate is unforgiving of anything that was installed carelessly. Most of the problems new residents meet in their first year were already present on the day they moved in and simply had not been tested yet. Twenty minutes of checking before signing avoids most of them.
Before you sign: the twenty-minute inspection
- Switch on every AC unit and leave it running. After ten minutes the vent air should be 8–12°C colder than the room.
- Look at the outdoor units: are they accessible for servicing, or hanging on a facade with no safe access?
- Open every tap, hot and cold, and check pressure and drainage speed.
- Run the water heater and check for a breaker trip.
- Look under every sink for old leak stains, and at the base of walls for repainted damp patches.
- Count the sockets in the kitchen and check whether they are on one circuit.
- Open the distribution board cover photo-wise: are circuits labelled, and is there an RCD?
The Riyadh maintenance year
| Period | What to service | Why |
|---|---|---|
| February – March | AC deep clean, gas and electrical check | Before the first heat, while technicians are available |
| April – May | Electrical load check, DB inspection | Before peak cooling demand |
| June – August | Filter cleaning, drain flush | Mid-season, heaviest run time |
| September – October | Coil wash after dust season, exterior check | Sand load is at its highest |
| November – December | Water heater service, tank cleaning | Winter equipment comes into use |
When new residents call us in their first year
Landlord or tenant?
Practice varies by contract, so read the clause before you need it. As a general pattern, structural issues, embedded pipework and the equipment supplied with the property are the owner’s responsibility, while routine servicing — filter cleaning, drain flushing, consumables — falls to the tenant. Photographing the condition of every AC unit and the meter readings on the day you move in settles most later disputes in one message.
Frequently asked questions
Do technicians in Riyadh speak English?
Ours handle Arabic and English, and the office can also assist in Urdu and Hindi. It is worth confirming when you book, since it affects how well the fault is described.
Should I take a maintenance contract for an apartment?
For one or two AC units, two cleanings a year is usually enough. Contracts make sense from about four units, or for villas and compounds.
What is the single most useful thing to do in the first month?
A full AC clean and a water meter test. The first prevents the emergency everyone else has in June; the second catches a leak you would otherwise inherit and pay for.
Need help with this?
Our team provides annual maintenance contracts across every Riyadh district.
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