Apartment renovation in Dubai, planned properly from day one

Planning an apartment renovation in Dubai? Here is the short answer. You need a clear scope, a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your building's facility management or owners association, a permit for anything that touches walls, wiring or plumbing, and one team that prices every stage in writing before work starts.

Mostreno does all of this in one place, and you can see real product prices on our website before anyone visits your home.

What a full apartment renovation includes

A full apartment renovation is not one job. It is six or seven trades that have to happen in the right order. In a typical Dubai apartment that means:

• Kitchen: cabinets, countertops, sink and tap, appliances, splashback and lighting. See our kitchen renovation guide.
• Bathrooms: shower or bath, vanity, basin, toilet, tiles and waterproofing. See our bathroom renovation guide.
• Flooring: tiles, vinyl plank or wood effect floors through living areas and bedrooms. See our flooring guide.
• Painting: walls, ceilings and doors, usually the last trade before handover. See our interior painting guide.
• Electrical: new sockets, lighting points and fittings. See our electrical guide.
• Plumbing: new water and drain points when a kitchen or bathroom layout moves. See our plumbing guide.

You do not have to do everything at once. Many owners start with the kitchen and the main bathroom, then do floors and paint together so the flat is only disrupted once. The point is to plan the whole home now, even if you build it in stages.

How much does apartment renovation cost in Dubai?

It depends on your scope and your product choices, and anyone who gives you one number before seeing either is guessing.

What we can show you is the real price of the products. Mostreno tracks live listings from Dubai suppliers every day. For example, when we checked on 6 October 2026, a Krypton single lever kitchen sink mixer was AED 70 at Bulls Hardware, and a Milano Pia sink mixer was AED 135 at Danube Home (on sale from AED 220 until 2 November 2026). That is the level of detail every line of your renovation should have.

Two ways to get your own number:

1. Quick estimate: answer a few questions at mostreno.com/quote and get a fast ballpark.
2. Design your room: pick real products at real prices at mostreno.com/design and get an itemised breakdown and a spec sheet.

For a deeper look at one room, read Kitchen Renovation Cost in Dubai 2026.

Do you need permission to renovate an apartment in Dubai?

Usually yes, and this is where many projects stall. According to the renovation guides from Bayut and Dubizzle:

• Apartments need a NOC from the building's facility management or owners association.
• Villas need a NOC from the master developer.
• Structural changes, electrical work, plumbing changes and external changes need a permit, applied for through the Dubai Building Permit System (Dubai BPS) with drawings and building card details.
• Kitchen or bathroom work needs approval if it changes plumbing layouts, adds new wiring or alters walls.
• Minor cosmetic work, such as painting, usually does not need a permit.

Which authority you deal with depends on where you live. Dubai Municipality covers many areas, and the Dubai Development Authority covers its own freehold zones. Rules also differ from building to building, so always confirm with your building management before work starts. Your building may also set working hours, lift booking and debris rules for contractors.

Mostreno prepares the scope and drawings your building asks for, so the NOC request is complete the first time.

Can you renovate a rented apartment?

Only with permission. Under Article 19 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007, a tenant may not make changes or carry out works without the landlord's permission and the licences required by the authorities. Get the landlord's consent in writing, agree what happens at the end of the tenancy, and only then book the work.

How long does it take?

It depends on three things: how many rooms you do, how long your building takes to issue the NOC, and how quickly your chosen products are in stock. Painting one room is days. A kitchen and two bathrooms together is weeks. A full apartment with new layouts takes longer because of approvals.

We do not quote a timeline until we know your scope and your building. Once we do, you get a written schedule stage by stage, so you know which days the flat is noisy, which days the water is off, and when each room is ready.

Can you live in the apartment during the works?

For painting, flooring in stages or a single room, often yes. When the only bathroom or the kitchen is out of use, most people find it easier to stay elsewhere for those days. We plan the order of work around how you want to live during the project, for example finishing one bathroom before starting the second.

Kitchen and bathroom at the same time?

Yes, and it is often smarter. Both rooms need plumbers, electricians and tilers, so doing them together means each trade visits once, the NOC covers both, and the noisy demolition happens in one window instead of two.

What causes most delays, and how to avoid them

• Late approvals. Fix: submit a complete NOC request with drawings from day one.
• Several contractors who do not talk to each other. Fix: one team responsible for every trade.
• Products chosen too late or out of stock. Fix: choose real products with live prices before work starts, using mostreno.com/design.
• Lump sum quotes with hidden extras. Fix: insist on an itemised price for every stage.

The order that saves time: approvals, demolition, plumbing and electrical, tiling, kitchen and fittings, paint, handover.

Questions to ask any renovation company before you sign

Ask every company these five questions. Here is how Mostreno answers them.

1. Is your price itemised by room and by stage, with products named?

Yes. Every line names the product and its price, room by room and stage by stage. You can see the same detail yourself at mostreno.com/design before we ever visit.

2. Who applies for the NOC and permits, and is that included?

We prepare the scope and drawings your building asks for, so the NOC request is complete the first time, and we tell you in writing what is included before work starts.

3. Who is responsible if the plumber and the tiler disagree?

We are. One team is responsible for every trade, so you never have to referee between contractors.

4. What is the written schedule, and what happens if it slips?

You get a written schedule stage by stage before work starts. If anything changes, we tell you why and give you the new dates in writing.

5. Are you a licensed company in Dubai?

Yes. Mostreno is a licensed Dubai company, Mostreno Technical Services Works L.L.C.

Why Mostreno for your apartment

Dubai renovation often runs on one number nobody can check. We are building the opposite: one place for everything renovation and home fixing in Dubai, with guides, real materials, live supplier prices and the team to do the job. You see the products and prices first, you choose, and then we build.

Ready to plan your apartment? Design your room at mostreno.com/design, get a quick estimate at mostreno.com/quote, or message us on WhatsApp at +971 58 198 4007.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a one or two bedroom apartment renovation cost in Dubai?

It depends on how many rooms you renovate and which products you choose. Use mostreno.com/quote for a quick ballpark, or mostreno.com/design to price the kitchen and bathroom with real products.

Who gives the NOC for an apartment renovation?

Your building's facility management or owners association. Works that change walls, wiring or plumbing also need a permit through the Dubai BPS system.

Can I renovate my apartment if I am a tenant?

Only with the landlord's written permission and the required licences, under Article 19 of Dubai Law No. 26 of 2007.

Can I stay in my apartment during the renovation?

Often yes for painting, flooring or one room at a time. If your only kitchen or bathroom is out of use, plan to stay elsewhere for those days.

Do I need a permit just to paint?

Cosmetic work like painting usually does not need a permit, but your building may still have rules on working hours and access, so tell building management first.

What is included in a Mostreno apartment renovation?

Whatever your home needs: kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, painting, electrical and plumbing, planned and priced together by one team.