Renovating an apartment in Dubai: approvals, working hours and the order of trades
How to renovate an apartment in Dubai: the building approval, contractor hours, what tenants and owners can change, the order of trades, living there during the work and paying in stages.
By the Ajusteur team5 minute read
What needs approval before you renovate an apartment?
Ask the building before you ask for quotes. One large developer's community management answers the question "I want to carry out some alterations to my property. Do I need to seek permission?" with a plain yes, and sends residents to its community portal to apply for a NOC.
Other developers and building managers run their own process, and some jobs also need a permit from the authority that covers your area. Here is who issues which renovation approval in Dubai. We check at the survey which approvals your job needs, and prepare the drawings and applications where your building needs them.
Can you change the balcony or the outside of the flat?
Inside your front door you have room to play. The outside belongs to the look of the whole tower. One large developer's community FAQ is blunt about it: external modifications that change the aesthetics of the apartments are not permitted.
So the new kitchen, the bathroom and the wardrobes are fair game once you have the NOC. Anything that shows from outside, on the balcony or the terrace, is where you read your community rules first.
Source: Emaar Community Management: Lifestyle FAQs, alterations and balconies
When can contractors work in your building?
During set hours, and the building decides them. One large developer's contractor rules, for example, give working hours of 8 AM to 5 PM in its communities, and ask contractors to avoid noisy work between 1 PM and 3 PM. Your neighbour on the night shift will be grateful.
Other towers set their own rules. Ask building management for the hours in writing, and plan the noisy jobs, like breaking tiles and coring, into the slots you are given. A schedule that ignores the building's hours slips every week.
What can a tenant change, and what can an owner change?
If you rent, the landlord comes first. Dubai's tenancy law says a tenant may not make changes or carry out restoration or maintenance works unless the landlord permits it and the required licences have been obtained from the competent authorities. The exception is the small upkeep agreed in your lease or customary for tenants.
Read the end of the lease too. Unless you and the landlord agree otherwise, a tenant may not remove the leasehold improvements they made when they leave. That built in wardrobe you paid for stays with the flat, so put any deal about it in writing before the work starts. If you own the apartment, you skip the landlord but not the building: the NOC still applies.
In what order do the trades come in?
Roughly from the inside of the walls outwards. Strip out comes first. Then the first fix: the hidden work done before the walls are finished, such as cable runs, back boxes and pipework. Where possible it is tested before anything covers it. After that the walls, ceilings, floors and tiles go on.
Then the second fix: the parts you see and could damage, so they are held back until the surfaces are done, such as internal doors, skirting and sanitaryware. The kitchen, wardrobes and paint follow, and the snag list closes the job. Kitchens and bathrooms pack the most trades into the least space, so they set the pace for the whole flat. These stage names have no fixed standard definition, so your scope should say what each one includes and who does it.
Source: Designing Buildings: First fix
Can you live in the flat while the work happens?
For one or two rooms, usually yes. For a full renovation we plan around you, and the schedule shows which rooms are closed and when. If you have two bathrooms, do them one after the other, so there is always a shower that works.
The kitchen is the hard one. Plan the weeks when it is out of action, and keep the fridge running in another room. Ask how closed rooms will be sealed off, because the AC carries dust into every corner of a flat.
What should the written scope and the payments say?
The scope lists, room by room, what comes out, what goes in, which finishes and who supplies what, and it names what is not included. Our renovation quotes group the work by trade: strip out, electrical, plumbing, flooring, painting and joinery, each with its own quantity. The villa renovation guide walks through the same steps for a bigger home.
Our new renovation and kitchen quotes use 50% to start, 25% on delivery to site and 25% at the end of installation. The quote defines the delivery and installation scope. Keep the snag list and any disputes separately recorded until resolved. Existing accepted quotes keep their agreed terms. Ready to start? Plan your apartment renovation with a few photos and the size of the place.
Quick questions
Do I need a NOC to renovate my apartment in Dubai?
Usually, yes. One large developer, for example, asks residents to apply for a NOC before alterations. Other developers and buildings run their own process, so ask building management before you book any trade.
Can a tenant renovate a rented apartment in Dubai?
Only with the landlord's permission and the licences the authorities require. Unless you agree otherwise, improvements you make stay with the flat when you leave.
What hours can contractors work in a Dubai building?
The building sets them. One large developer's contractor rules give 8 AM to 5 PM, with no noisy work between 1 PM and 3 PM. Ask your building management for its own hours.
Can I stay in the apartment during the renovation?
For one or two rooms, usually yes. For a full renovation, the schedule shows which rooms are closed and when, so you can plan around it.