Around 9,900 people a month search for interior design companies in Dubai, and most of them have no way to tell a good contractor from a confident one. This 12-point checklist covers licensing, insurance, references, the BOQ, programme, payment terms, variations, joinery, design-and-build, communication, handover and warranty, plus the red flags and the questions to ask.
Around 9,900 people a month search for interior design companies in Dubai, and almost every one of them faces the same problem: the proposals all look professional, the showrooms all look expensive, and nothing on the surface tells you who will still be answering the phone in month four. Having sat on the other side of that table for years, SITES Design & Build has put together the checklist we would use if we were hiring a fit-out or villa renovation company ourselves. Work through all 12 points and the field narrows quickly.
The 12-point checklist
1. Dubai Municipality registration and a valid trade licence
Ask for the trade licence and check that the activities listed actually cover interior fit-out, decoration or building contracting, and that it is in date. For permitted work, the contractor must be registered with Dubai Municipality (or Trakhees or the DDA, depending on where the property sits), because the permit is issued against a registered contractor, not against you. A company that cannot show this will ask you to pull the permit in someone else's name. Walk away.
2. Public liability and workmen's insurance
A site is a place where things get dropped, flooded and occasionally set on fire. Ask for the public liability certificate and the workmen's compensation cover, check the limits are sensible for the value of the property, and confirm the policy is current. In a villa community, damage to a neighbour's wall or a shared service is your problem if the contractor is uninsured.
3. References you can visit
Photographs prove a project was finished; a site visit proves it was finished well. Ask for two or three completed projects of a similar type and size, ideally 1-3 years old so you can see how the joinery, waterproofing and paintwork have aged. Then ask the owner one question: would you hire them again?
4. A fixed-scope bill of quantities
The single most useful document in any renovation is a BOQ that lists every item, its quantity, its rate and its specification. It turns a lump sum into something you can compare, interrogate and hold the contractor to. If a quote is one page with a number at the bottom, you are not comparing like for like with anyone else, and every later disagreement will be about what was included.
5. A written programme with float
Ask for a programme that shows the sequence of works, the critical path, long-lead procurement and the approval periods, with some float built in. A contractor who says twelve weeks without a programme is guessing. One who shows you fourteen weeks with two weeks of float is planning.
6. Payment milestones tied to progress
A reasonable structure in the Dubai market is a mobilisation advance of 20-30%, stage payments against measured progress, and a retention of 5-10% released at handover or after a defects period. Payments should follow work, never the calendar. A demand for 50% or more upfront is the clearest red flag in this list.
7. A variation procedure in writing
Every renovation changes along the way. What matters is that each change is priced, approved by you in writing and added to the programme before it is built. Ask to see the variation form and the rate schedule it is priced against. A contractor who says we will sort it at the end is describing a dispute at the end.
8. In-house joinery
Joinery (wardrobes, kitchens, vanities, wall panelling, doors, feature ceilings) is where quality shows and where subcontracted work goes wrong. A contractor with its own joinery workshop controls the timber, the finish and the delivery date. It is not essential, but it is a strong plus, and it is why SITES builds its own.
9. Design-and-build or separate consultant and contractor?
There are two honest models. With a separate consultant and contractor you get an independent designer checking the builder's work, at the cost of two fees and a gap between them where problems hide. With design-and-build, one firm owns the design, the engineering, the build and the result, which is faster and gives you a single point of accountability. For most villa renovations and commercial fit-outs under a few million dirhams, design-and-build wins on speed and clarity, provided the firm genuinely has architects and engineers in-house rather than a sales team and a subcontractor list.
10. Communication and a named person
Ask who your single point of contact will be, how often you will get a written progress report and how site decisions are recorded. A weekly report with photos, a two-week lookahead and a decisions log is the standard a serious firm will offer without being asked.
11. Handover and documentation
Handover should mean a snagging walk with a written list, every item closed, and a file containing as-built drawings, MEP test certificates, DEWA and authority completion papers, and the warranties for appliances, AC units and fixtures. If a contractor cannot describe this file, they have never produced one.
12. A defects liability period and warranty
A defects liability period of 12 months on workmanship is typical in Dubai, with manufacturer warranties passed through on equipment. Get it in the contract, together with a response time for defects, and confirm the retention is linked to it.
Red flags versus what good looks like
| Red flag | What a good contractor does instead |
|---|---|
| A one-page quote with a single number | A priced BOQ with quantities, rates and specifications |
| No trade licence or a licence without fit-out activities | Licence shared upfront, activities match the scope, DM or Trakhees registration confirmed |
| Large upfront payment, 50% or more | 20-30% mobilisation, stage payments against progress, 5-10% retention |
| No written programme, just a promised date | A programme with critical path, long-lead items and float |
| Changes handled verbally on site | Written variation orders priced and approved before work proceeds |
| No insurance certificates available | Public liability and workmen's cover shown and in date |
| Only glossy photos, no visitable references | Two or three completed projects you can walk through |
Eight questions to ask before you sign
- Who pulls the permit, and in whose name is it issued?
- Which parts of the work are done by your own team and which are subcontracted?
- Who is my single point of contact, and what happens when they are on leave?
- What is excluded from this price that I will have to pay for separately?
- How is the MEP designed and who signs off the load calculations for DEWA?
- What is your typical variation value as a percentage of contract on a job like mine?
- What does your handover file contain?
- Can I speak to a client whose project ran into problems, and hear how you solved them?
The last question is the most revealing. Every contractor has had a difficult job. The good ones can tell you about it calmly and explain what changed afterwards.
Price is what you compare on the first day. Accountability is what you live with for the next six months.
How SITES measures up
SITES Design & Build is a design-and-build firm with architects, a PMP and LEED AP certified project manager, MEP engineers, an estimation manager, a procurement manager, site engineers, a 3D visualiser and a document controller in one team, each with more than 15 years in the industry, and our own joinery workshop. Every project runs on a priced BOQ, a written programme and a single point of accountability, whether it is a Springs family home, a Business Bay office or a full project-managed rebuild on the Palm. We would rather lose a tender on price than win it on a vague scope.
If you are comparing fit-out or renovation companies in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and would like a second opinion on a quote you have received, or a proposal of our own, call SITES on +971 56 684 1636 or email hello@sitesdxb.com. The first consultation is a conversation, not a sales pitch.
Frequently asked questions
What licence should a fit-out company in Dubai have?
A valid UAE trade licence whose activities cover interior fit-out, decoration or building contracting, plus registration with Dubai Municipality (or Trakhees or the DDA for those jurisdictions) so that permits can be issued in the contractor's name. Ask to see both before signing.
How much should I pay a contractor upfront in Dubai?
A mobilisation advance of 20-30% is typical, followed by stage payments against measured progress and a retention of 5-10% released at handover or after the defects period. A demand for 50% or more upfront is a red flag.
Is design-and-build better than hiring a separate designer and contractor?
For most villa renovations and commercial fit-outs, yes. Design-and-build gives you one firm accountable for design, engineering, construction and the result, which is faster and removes the gap where problems hide. It only works if the firm genuinely has architects and engineers in-house.
