Renovation mistakes usually become expensive before the owner realizes anything is wrong. These ten quick decisions help Dubai property owners control scope, approvals, payments and handover.
The rule to remember
Approve the technical scope before approving the price. A cheap quote against an incomplete scope is not necessarily a cheap renovation.
1. Start work first or check approvals first? Check approvals first. Depending on the property, authority and scope, renovation, fit-out or modification approvals may be required before work begins.
2. Choose the cheapest quote or the clearest quote? The clearest quote. Compare the same materials, quantities, exclusions, approvals and deliverables before comparing totals.
3. Approve demolition from a WhatsApp message or approved drawings? Approved drawings. Layout, MEP and structural-related changes should not be improvised after demolition starts.
4. Pay most of the contract upfront or use milestones? Use milestones. Tie payments to defined progress and deliverables rather than simply to calendar dates.
5. Replace bathroom finishes or inspect waterproofing too? Inspect the waterproofing. New tiles can hide an existing waterproofing problem instead of solving it.
6. Accept “same quality” substitutions verbally or document them? Document them. Brand, model, finish and specification changes should be approved before installation.
7. Treat every change as included or price variations first? Price variations first. Unpriced change orders are one of the easiest ways for the final renovation cost to drift.
8. Inspect only at the end or during concealed works too? Inspect concealed works before they are closed. Plumbing, electrical, AC and waterproofing defects are easier to correct before ceilings, walls and tiles cover them.
9. Release the final payment before snagging or after? After the agreed completion and snagging process. Keep enough contractual leverage to have outstanding defects corrected.
10. Keep only the contractor invoice or the full handover file? Keep the full file. Approved drawings, warranties, variations, product information and completion documents can matter years later.
Quick takeaway
- Check approvals before work starts.
- Compare quotations against an identical technical scope.
- Document substitutions and variations before installation.
- Inspect concealed works before they are covered.
- Do not finish the project without a proper snag and handover file.
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