How it works
Dubai Renovations works in four steps. You describe the job, we turn it into a written brief for a partner contractor in Dubai, the partner visits and gives you a written quote, and if you accept, you sign the contract directly with that partner. Dubai Renovations is the team you talk to first. The renovation, the approvals and the contract all sit with the partner.
How does a renovation enquiry work?
Describe the job
Use the chat, the enquiry form or WhatsApp to tell us about the property, the community or building, what you want done, your budget range and your timing. Say whether you own or rent, because that decides whose permission comes first.
Photos help more than long descriptions. Send a picture of each room you want to change, and floor plans or your building's renovation rules if you have them. You do not need drawings or a fixed plan to start.
Get a partner contractor briefed
We turn your answers into a written brief and send it to a partner contractor who takes on that kind of work, so the partner arrives knowing the scope, the community and what you hope to spend.
Dubai Renovations shares your details with the partner asked to quote, and with no one else for marketing. If you rent, say so in the enquiry: Article 19 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 says a tenant may not make changes without the landlord's permission and the required licences.
Meet the partner and get a written quote
The partner arranges a visit, measures the space, checks the condition of what is there and looks at what your community or building allows. You then receive a written quote from the partner.
Read it for scope as well as price: what is included, what is excluded, how payments are staged and how changes are priced. There is no obligation to accept.
Sign with the partner and start
If you accept, you sign the contract directly with the partner contractor, who applies for the approvals and delivers the work. Payments, the programme and any warranty are part of that contract.
Dubai Renovations is not a party to it and does not take payment for the work. You still sign what must come from the owner: Dubai Development Authority's building modification permit, for example, is requested by the contractor with an appointment letter signed by the owner, the consultant and the contractor.
Who does what in a Dubai renovation?
Three parties touch a renovation that starts here: you, Dubai Renovations and the partner contractor. The table shows which of them does each part of the job. Where an authority or community names who must apply, the row follows its published page, linked below. Your partner contractor confirms the route for your own property, because the authority and the community rules change with the plot.
| Part of the job | You | Dubai Renovations | Partner contractor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Describing the job | Send the property details, photos, budget band and timing | Takes the enquiry and may follow up | Not involved yet |
| The written brief | Answer any follow-up questions | Writes it and sends it to a partner contractor | Reads it before the visit |
| Visit and written quote | Decide whether to accept | Not involved | Visits, measures and quotes in writing |
| Community NOC, such as Emaar in Emirates Living | Apply or sign as owner where the community requires it | Does not apply | Handles the application as part of the job |
| Dubai Development Authority building modification permit | Sign the appointment letter as owner | Does not apply | Requests the permit, with the consultant also signing |
| Landlord permission, if you rent | Get it in writing first | Does not ask for you | Should see it before work starts |
| Contract, payments and warranty | Sign with the partner | Not a party, takes no payment for the work | Signs the contract and delivers the work |
What should a written quote include?
A quote you can compare lists the work room by room, with exclusions written out. Bestimate, a Dubai quote-comparison platform, advises asking for a room-by-room bill of quantities rather than a lump sum, asking whether MEP work is priced as a full measured scope or only as an allowance, and agreeing a variation process before any extra work starts. Its kitchen guide adds that sink, hob and column cut-outs can be charged separately.
Check tax too. The UAE Ministry of Finance states that VAT was introduced across the UAE on 1 January 2018 at a standard rate of 5%, so confirm whether each total includes it before you compare two quotes.
- Scope room by room, with exclusions
- Measured MEP work rather than allowances
- Payments tied to finished stages
- How a change is priced once work starts
- Which approvals are in the programme
- Whether VAT is included
What happens if you rent the property?
Landlord permission comes before anything else. Article 19 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 says a tenant may not make changes or carry out restoration or maintenance works unless the landlord permits it and the required licences are obtained from the competent official entities. Get that permission in writing before the partner's visit, so the quote is for work you are allowed to do.
In a Dubai Development Authority area, fit-out work to part of a building has its own permit. The authority lists the contractor as the requester, and its documents include a contractor appointment letter from the tenant, a copy of Ejari and a NOC from the building owner.
What does Dubai Renovations not do?
Dubai Renovations does not carry out renovation work, apply for approvals, sign contracts or take payment for the work. It does not set prices either: the ranges in the kitchen and villa cost guides belong to Bestimate, their named publisher, and your price is the partner contractor's written quote after a visit. Before you sign, check the partner's trade licence, and read the contract for payments, the programme and any warranty.
Questions
Who carries out the renovation?
A partner contractor in Dubai. Dubai Renovations takes the enquiry and writes the brief; the partner visits, quotes, signs the contract with you and does the work.
Is Dubai Renovations part of my renovation contract?
No. The contract is between you and the partner contractor. Dubai Renovations is not a party to it and does not take payment for the work.
Do I have to accept the partner's quote?
No. There is no obligation to accept the written quote. You sign a contract only if you decide to go ahead with the partner.
Who applies for the community, building and authority approvals?
The partner contractor handles the applications as part of the job. You sign the parts that must come from the owner, and the renovation approvals guide shows who approves what.
Who sees the details I send?
Dubai Renovations shares your brief with the partner contractor asked to quote, and with no one else for marketing. You can ask for your details to be corrected or deleted at any time.
Can I enquire about a home I rent?
Yes, but tell us you rent. Article 19 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007 says a tenant may not make changes or carry out restoration or maintenance works without the landlord's permission and the required licences.