TL;DR
- Landlord owns: central HVAC, fresh-air intakes, base-building filtration, common areas, plant rooms.
- Tenant owns: demised area, ceiling layout below soffit, internal partitioning, fit-out materials (paint, carpet, MDF, adhesives), occupancy density, internal operations.
- Shared: base-building HVAC capacity allocation per floor, dispute resolution under the lease agreement, IAQ-related complaints.
- The biggest IAQ event in a tenant's lifecycle is fit-out. Specify low-VOC paints, low-emission furniture, HEPA filtration; commission an IAQ baseline 1-2 weeks after substantial completion before staff move-in.
- WOLKIS deploys continuous IAQ monitoring inside the demised area without any landlord involvement — LoRaWAN sensors + 4G gateway, 1-2 days per floor.
DIFC operates under its own English-common-law jurisdiction with its own regulator (DIFCA). How Dubai Law No. (5) of 2025 — which is mainland Dubai emirate law — interacts with DIFC's regulatory framework is unresolved in the public sources we have reviewed. DIFC tenants should consult legal counsel with access to the full Arabic text plus DIFCA-specific commentary. Our broader explainer at /dubai-law-5-2025-iaq covers what is and isn't confirmed about Dubai Law 5/2025 generally.
Landlord vs tenant responsibility split
| Component | Typically owned by | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Central air-handling unit (AHU) | Landlord | Base-building infrastructure |
| Fresh-air intake + filtration grade | Landlord | Building-wide design |
| Floor-by-floor HVAC supply rate | Shared | Set by base-building design but adjusted by tenant fit-out spec |
| VAV / FCU within demised area | Tenant | Part of fit-out scope |
| Ceiling void, return-air path | Tenant | Fit-out responsibility |
| Paint, carpet, MDF, adhesives (TVOC/HCHO sources) | Tenant | Materials selection |
| Office occupancy density (CO2 driver) | Tenant | Operational choice |
| Plant room and cooling tower IAQ-adjacent risks | Landlord | Outside demised area |
| Common area IAQ (lobbies, corridors, toilets) | Landlord | Common parts |
| IAQ inside demised area | Tenant (outcome) | Tenant's operational space — even though landlord controls upstream HVAC |
| Compliance evidence for inspector or DIFCA query | Tenant (typically) | The tenant is asked first when an inspector or auditor walks the demised area |
The asymmetry is real: the landlord controls the upstream supply, but the tenant inherits the downstream outcome inside the demised area and is the one who answers questions about it. WOLKIS sensors deployed by the tenant provide independent evidence that does not depend on landlord data access.
The fit-out IAQ event
Fit-out is the single largest IAQ event in a tenant's office lifecycle. New paint, MDF furniture, carpet, adhesives and laminates emit TVOC and formaldehyde (HCHO) for weeks to months after installation. A typical post-fit-out IAQ test in a 2,000 m² DIFC office captures elevated TVOC and HCHO readings for 3-8 weeks even with good ventilation.
Industry-good-practice fit-out sequence
- Specify at design phase: low-VOC paints (Greenguard Gold or similar), low-emission furniture, low-formaldehyde MDF (E1 or E0 grade). This is materially cheaper than retrofitting after.
- Coordinate fit-out HVAC with landlord: elevated supply / increased ventilation rates during the 7-14 days immediately after completion, before staff move-in. Landlord HVAC team controls this — tenant requests it.
- Baseline IAQ measurement 1-2 weeks post-completion: accredited lab test (Magenta, RTLab, WAFA Labs, Envida) plus continuous monitoring deployment. The lab gives you a one-point-in-time stamped baseline; continuous monitoring gives you the trend afterwards.
- Continuous monitoring ongoing: WOLKIS sensors stay deployed in the demised area indefinitely after move-in. The same sensors that captured the post-fit-out baseline track the ongoing IAQ as TVOC and HCHO decay over months.
- Document everything: material datasheets, ventilation logs, baseline lab report, continuous monitoring archive. This is your defensible compliance file if questions arise.
What WOLKIS deploys for a DIFC tenant
A typical DIFC office floor (1,500-3,500 m²) deployment:
- 1 × LoRaWAN gateway per floor — Milesight UG65, 4G uplink (independent of building Wi-Fi, no landlord network team approval, no DIFC IT approval). Placed in IT cupboard or similar.
- 8-15 IAQ sensors per floor — one per ventilation zone (open-plan blocks, meeting rooms, executive offices, kitchenette, server room if separate). Milesight AM308 (CO2/PM2.5/PM10/TVOC/T/RH) or AM319 (above + HCHO + light + motion).
- Ceiling-mounted, battery-powered — 5-10 year battery life. No cable pulls, no PoE, no power outlets.
- Cloud dashboard + WhatsApp alerts — real-time CO2, PM, TVOC, HCHO readings; alerts when readings drift outside DM-HSD-GU119 v4 reference targets.
- Inspector-ready PDF reports — formatted against DM-HSD-GU119 v4. Generated in seconds from dashboard.
Timeline
- Day 0: Contract signed, sensors prepared.
- Day 1-2: Sensor installation (~15 minutes per zone). Gateway commissioning.
- Week 1: Sensors stabilize. Initial readings reviewed with WOLKIS team.
- Week 2: First monthly summary report (covers calibration period as baseline).
- Ongoing: Real-time monitoring + monthly reports.
Pricing examples for DIFC office tenants
- Small floor (1,500 m², 8 zones): AED 2,650/month (base 2,200 + 3 extra zones × 150).
- Medium floor (2,500 m², 10 zones): AED 2,950/month (base + 5 extra × 150).
- Large floor (3,500 m², 15 zones): AED 3,700/month (base + 10 extra × 150).
- Multi-floor portfolio (e.g., 3 floors × 12 zones each): negotiated package — typical AED 9,000-11,000/month combined.
12-month minimum subscription. Free initial site walk-through to confirm zone count and gateway placement. See the /iaq product page for full module details and the BMS vs Standalone decision guide for the architecture rationale.
UAE regulatory anchor
| Source | What it covers | DIFC applicability |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Law No. (5) of 2025 on Public Health | Emirate public health obligations including indoor environment | Unresolved how it interacts with DIFC's own jurisdiction |
| DM-HSD-GU119 v4 | Dubai Municipality technical guidelines for IAQ | Technical reference; widely used as good-practice baseline including in DIFC |
| ASHRAE 62.1-2022 | International ventilation reference | Specified in most DIFC tower base-building MEP designs |
| UAE Federal Labour Law | Workplace health-and-safety duties of employer to employee | Applies in DIFC via DIFC Employment Law equivalents |
| Cabinet Resolution on Air Quality Measurement Instruments | Federal-level instrument accuracy (ESMA/MIAT) | Applies to IAQ sensor procurement throughout UAE |
| DIFC Authority (DIFCA) | DIFC-specific regulation and oversight | Direct DIFC regulator for tenants; consult DIFCA-specific commentary |