12 Common Snagging Issues in Dubai Properties and What Causes Them
Most defects found during snagging in Dubai are not structural failures. They are finishing and installation faults that slip through a busy handover programme: tiles laid without full adhesive cover, silicone that stops short of the corner, an AC drain line without enough fall. Each one is cheap for the developer to put right before handover and much harder for you to chase afterwards.
This guide covers twelve issues that come up again and again in new apartments and villas, explains what usually causes each one, and separates the cosmetic snags from the ones that point to a problem that will get worse.
Finishing Defects
1. Hollow, Cracked or Uneven Tiles
Tap a tile with a coin and a hollow, drummy sound means there is a void underneath. The usual cause is tiles fixed with dabs of adhesive rather than full coverage, or a screed that was dusty or uneven when the tiles went down. Large floors laid without movement joints can also lift as the building heats and cools. A hollow tile carries load on its edges, so it tends to crack, and in a bathroom or on a balcony a cracked tile lets water reach the screed below.
Uneven edges between neighbouring tiles, often called lippage, come from poor levelling during installation. They catch feet and cleaning cloths, and they are far easier to correct before the floor is in use.
2. Wall Cracks and Plaster Defects
Fine cracks often appear where blockwork meets a concrete column or beam, and around door and window openings. Plaster and blockwork shrink as they dry, and different materials move by different amounts, so the junction is where a crack forms. Most of these are cosmetic and should be raked out, filled and repainted before handover.
A crack that is wider than a hairline, runs diagonally in a stepped pattern, or reopens after it has been filled is different. That calls for a closer look at what is moving behind the finish.
3. Poor Paint Finish
Patchy coverage, roller marks, drips and paint on switches, sockets, glass and door handles are among the most visible snags. They usually come from a rushed final coat, painting before other trades had finished, or fittings left unprotected. The defect is cosmetic, but repainting is much more disruptive once furniture and curtains are in place.
4. Gypsum Ceiling Joints and Stains
Lines along board joints, hairline cracks that follow the joints, or a ceiling that dips between supports usually point to joints that were not taped and filled properly, or framing that has moved. A brown or yellow stain is more important than any crack, because it means water has reached the ceiling from somewhere above, often an AC condensate line or a bathroom waste pipe.
Doors, Windows and Joinery
5. Doors and Wardrobes That Drag or Do Not Close
Doors that rub on the floor, will not latch, or show uneven gaps around the frame are typical joinery snags. The cause is usually a frame that was not fixed plumb, hinges that were never adjusted, or timber that has moved as the unit dried out under air conditioning. Wardrobe and kitchen doors suffer from the same problem, along with soft-close hinges that were fitted but never set.
6. Windows and Sliding Doors That Do Not Seal
Daylight at the edges of a closed window, a whistle when the wind picks up, or a line of dust along the sill all mean the seal is not working. Frames installed out of square, gaps in the perimeter silicone and worn or missing gaskets are the common causes. On sliding doors, blocked drainage slots in the bottom track let water back up during cleaning or rain. In Dubai, a poor seal also means sand inside and a higher cooling load all summer.
Plumbing and Wet Areas
7. Leaks at Traps, Joints and Concealed Pipes
Drips under a sink, a damp base on a vanity unit or a stain on the ceiling below a bathroom usually trace back to a trap or waste connection that was not tightened or sealed, or a fitting that was cross-threaded during installation. Concealed joints inside walls are the bigger concern, because a slow leak can spread through a wall or screed for weeks before it shows on the surface. This is where infrared thermography helps, since damp patches show up as temperature differences before they become visible stains.
8. Slow Drains and Floors That Do Not Fall to the Drain
Water that pools in a shower, collects in the corner of a balcony, or drains with a gurgle points to one of three things: a floor screed that was not laid to fall towards the outlet, construction debris left in the drain line, or poor venting on the drainage system. A balcony that falls towards the living room door instead of the drain is a water ingress risk, not just an annoyance.
9. Failed Silicone and Waterproofing in Wet Areas
Silicone that stops short of a corner, pulls away from the tile or is already stained is a common snag around baths, showers, basins and worktops. It usually fails because it was applied over dust or onto a damp surface. The waterproofing membrane under the tiles cannot be seen, but the warning signs can: damp skirting outside a bathroom, bubbling paint on the wall behind a shower, or a musty smell that does not clear.
Electrical and HVAC
10. Dead Sockets, Wiring Faults and Unlabelled Boards
Sockets and light points that do not work, loose faceplates, sockets wired with reversed polarity and distribution boards with no circuit labels are found regularly at handover. Most come from loose terminations or wiring mistakes at the final fix stage, and labelling that was skipped at the end of the job. Some of these are safety issues rather than snags. A plug-in tester shows whether a socket works and is wired correctly, but insulation resistance and earthing can only be confirmed with proper electrical testing.
11. AC Zones That Struggle to Cool
One bedroom that never gets as cool as the rest, weak airflow at a grille or a fan coil unit that hums or rattles usually means the system was not balanced properly at commissioning. Other causes include ducts leaking into the ceiling void, flexible ducts that are kinked or crushed, and filters already clogged with construction dust. These faults are hard to prove once you have moved in, which is why HVAC testing and commissioning and duct leakage testing are worth considering for larger units and villas.
12. AC Condensate Leaks and Extract Fans That Do Not Work
Water marks around a ceiling access panel or a drip from a fan coil unit almost always mean the condensate drain is blocked, disconnected or laid without enough fall. In Dubai’s humidity a fan coil unit produces a lot of water, so a small installation fault becomes a ceiling stain within days. Kitchen and bathroom extract fans that run but move no air are a related snag, usually caused by ducting that was never connected or a backdraft damper that is stuck shut.
Which Snags Are Cosmetic and Which Are Not
Paint, minor cracks and small chips are worth recording, but they will not get worse on their own. Anything involving water, electricity or cooling is different: a slow leak, a loose termination or a blocked condensate line can cause damage well beyond the original defect. The table below sums up the twelve issues.
| Issue | Common cause | Risk if left |
|---|---|---|
| Hollow or uneven tiles | Partial adhesive cover, poor screed preparation | Cracked tiles and water reaching the screed |
| Wall cracks | Shrinkage and movement at material junctions | Cosmetic unless wide, stepped or recurring |
| Poor paint finish | Rushed final coat, unprotected fittings | Cosmetic, but disruptive to fix later |
| Ceiling stains | Leaks from AC drains or waste pipes above | Ongoing water damage |
| Doors that drag | Frames out of plumb, hinges not adjusted | Wear on frames, doors that will not lock |
| Windows that do not seal | Frames out of square, gaps in silicone | Dust, heat gain and water ingress |
| Leaking traps and joints | Loose or unsealed connections | Hidden damp in walls and screeds |
| Poor floor falls | Screed not laid to the drain | Standing water, ingress at balcony doors |
| Failed silicone | Applied to dusty or damp surfaces | Leaks behind tiles and mould |
| Electrical faults | Loose terminations, wiring errors | Safety risk and failed appliances |
| Poor AC cooling | Unbalanced airflow, duct leakage | High bills and rooms that never cool |
| Condensate leaks | Blocked or badly sloped drain lines | Ceiling stains and mould |
Getting Snagging Defects Fixed
Record each defect with its room, exact location, a short description and photographs, then submit the list to the developer in writing and ask for acknowledgement. Our room-by-room snagging checklist shows how to work through a unit and log snags so a site team can find them. Check every item again once the developer reports the repairs as complete, before you sign acceptance.
Defects that appear after you move in are not automatically your problem. For jointly owned properties, Article 40 of Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019 makes developers liable for defective installations for one year from handover of the unit, and for structural defects for ten years from the completion certificate. Our guide to the defects liability period in Dubai explains how to use that window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are hairline cracks in a new Dubai apartment a structural problem?
Usually not. Fine cracks at the junction between blockwork and concrete, or around openings, are normally caused by plaster and blockwork shrinking as they dry. Report them so they are filled and repainted, and ask for a closer inspection if a crack is wide, stepped or keeps coming back.
Who pays to fix snagging defects?
Defects recorded before handover are the developer’s to fix under the sale agreement. After handover, the developer remains responsible for defects reported within the liability periods set by the agreement and, for jointly owned properties, by Dubai Law No. 6 of 2019.
Can snagging defects appear after handover?
Yes. Leaks, condensate problems and cooling faults often only show once the unit is lived in and the AC runs all day. Keep a record from the day you move in, and report new defects to the developer in writing while the liability period is still running.
Want these issues found before you take the keys? Book a snagging inspection in Dubai with Malcots, or call +971 54 995 5152.