CAT B office fit out Dubai: scope, costs and timeline
A CAT B office fit out in Dubai turns a bare CAT A shell into an office your team can occupy. Budget AED 180 to 350 per sq ft and allow 15 to 24 weeks from appointment to handover, with 8 to 14 weeks on site.
Why work with Monde
- In-house workforce of 50+ specialists under Monde's own trade licence, not subcontracted labour
- Commercial fit-out focus across offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- A professional project manager assigned to every project
- One point of accountability from site survey to snagging and handover
- Completed commercial fit-out projects across the UAE
- Google rating of 5 from 3 reviews
CAT A vs CAT B fit out: shell-and-core versus tenant-ready
CAT A is the landlord's shell-and-core delivery. CAT B is the tenant's scope. That one line explains most of the confusion.
CAT A gives you a lightly finished floor: a raised floor or screed, a basic ceiling, MEP risers capped at the floor plate and a finished lift lobby. Landlords in DIFC, Downtown Dubai and Abu Dhabi Global Market hand over at CAT A. The tenant signs the lease and starts CAT B.
| Element | CAT A (landlord) | CAT B (tenant) |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling | Basic grid or exposed soffit | Acoustic tile, plaster or feature ceiling with lighting |
| Floor | Screed or basic raised floor | Carpet tile, LVT, stone or engineered timber |
| HVAC | Risers capped at the floor | Ducts, diffusers, VAV boxes, zoned thermostats |
| Power and data | Capped riser | Sockets, floor boxes, containment, structured cabling |
| Partitions | None | Glazed and drywall partitions, acoustic rated where needed |
| Lighting | Basic or none | Design lighting with sensors and emergency circuits |
| Pantry and tea point | None | Joinery, plumbing, power and extraction |
If your floor already has a fit-out and you are changing it, you need office renovation rather than a CAT B fit out. The distinction changes pricing, permits and how much of the floor stays occupied during works.
What a CAT B office fit out includes
A CAT B fit out covers partitions, ceilings, HVAC distribution, MEP, lighting, joinery, flooring, AV and IT infrastructure and acoustic treatment, built to your layout rather than the landlord's grid.
- Partitions: single and double glazed systems, drywall, acoustic rated walls around boardrooms and phone rooms.
- Ceilings: mineral fibre grid, plasterboard, open grid or baffle, with all MEP set out above before the ceiling closes.
- HVAC distribution: ductwork, supply and return diffusers, VAV boxes and thermostats zoned per meeting room and open area.
- MEP: small power, distribution boards, containment, lighting circuits and pantry drainage.
- Lighting: design lux levels for task areas, emergency and exit lighting, occupancy or daylight sensors.
- Joinery: reception desk, pantry units, storage walls and boardroom credenzas.
- Flooring: carpet tile in workspace, LVT in circulation, stone at reception, access panels where the raised floor must stay live.
- AV and IT: structured cabling, floor boxes, screen positions and a comms room with dedicated cooling.
- Acoustics: absorber panels, door seals and sound insulation where open plan meets enclosed rooms.
Ductwork and cabling must be complete and inspected before ceilings close, so the MEP drawing set matters more than the mood board.
Joinery, stone and lighting detailing from a completed Monde interior. Office reception and boardroom finishes are built by the same in-house trades.
CAT B office fit out cost Dubai in AED per sq ft
Expect AED 180 to 350 per sq ft for a CAT B office fit out in Dubai. A 5,000 sq ft office lands between AED 900,000 and AED 1.75 million before loose furniture and IT hardware.
Worked example, 5,000 sq ft in Business Bay at mid specification:
- Fit-out contract: AED 950,000, about AED 190 per sq ft, covering carpet tile, grid ceiling, glazed partitions, power and data for 60 work positions, two meeting rooms and a pantry.
- Design and consultancy: AED 85,000, roughly 9 per cent, for test fit, MEP drawings, submission drawings and site supervision.
- Authority and permit fees: AED 30,000 to 45,000 for the municipality or DDA permit, Civil Defence review, DEWA connection work, landlord NOC and refundable deposits.
- Optional extras: AED 250,000 to 500,000 for loose furniture, AV and IT hardware.
Core cost is AED 1.07 million to AED 1.15 million, or AED 214 to 230 per sq ft. Upgrade to full-height veneer, stone reception and acoustic systems and you reach AED 350 per sq ft, which is AED 1.75 million on the same floor. Most contractor quotes cover fit-out works only, so normalise them against a benchmark using our office fit out cost in Dubai breakdown.
Abu Dhabi floors in ADGM and Al Maryah Island sit in a similar range, but approvals run through different channels and add one to two weeks. Sharjah and the northern emirates come in 10 to 20 per cent lower on labour and locally sourced material.
Approvals and compliance for a CAT B fit out
You need a landlord or asset manager NOC first, then a fit-out permit from Dubai Municipality or the DDA, Civil Defence approval for fire and life safety, and DEWA sign-off where the electrical load or metering changes.
In a managed tower, whether Emaar, TECOM or DIFC, the sequence rarely changes. NOC from the asset manager, submitted with stamped drawings, trade licence and insurance certificates. Fit-out permit from the authority, which needs drawings from a registered consultant. Civil Defence submission for fire alarm, sprinkler modification, smoke detection and means of escape. DEWA application for load changes, sub-metering and final connection inspection. Then completion inspections and handover documentation.
Without the NOC your contractor cannot mobilise, however good the programme looks. This work sits inside the wider commercial interior fit out scope we deliver across the UAE.
CAT B fit out timeline by stage
Allow 15 to 24 weeks from appointment to handover on a 5,000 to 15,000 sq ft office. Construction cannot legally start before the permit is issued.
- Site survey and test fit, 1 week. Measure the floor, confirm riser positions, check the base build drawings.
- Design and MEP drawings, 3 to 4 weeks. Layout, finishes, reflected ceiling plan, power and data, HVAC.
- Permits and approvals, 4 to 6 weeks. Authority, Civil Defence and landlord reviews run in sequence.
- Procurement of long lead items, 4 to 8 weeks, running in parallel with permits. Joinery, imported finishes and HVAC equipment are the usual bottlenecks.
- Construction on site, 8 to 14 weeks. Partitions, first fix MEP, ceilings, second fix, flooring, joinery, painting.
- Testing, commissioning and snagging, 1 to 2 weeks. HVAC balancing, lighting control checks, fire alarm test, snag list closed.
- Handover with as-built drawings, O&M manuals, warranties and spare materials.
The site was clean when they left. We needed them fast on a running job. They finished the renovation on time. Good work from start to end. Davranbek Tashbayev, 5/5
Recessed lighting, cove detail and stone tiling from a completed Monde wet area, finished to the same standard as our commercial washroom and pantry works.
How to choose a CAT B fit out contractor in Dubai
Check three things: who employs the workforce on site, who signs the contract and holds the programme, and what happens in the twelve months after handover.
Contractors who subcontract most of the work add a management layer and a margin, and accountability splits between trades when something goes wrong. Ask how many people on your floor are on the contractor's own payroll, and ask for the trade licence and the project manager's name.
Then test handover discipline. Snagging should be closed before final payment, not after, and defects liability should run at least 12 months. You should receive as-built drawings, O&M manuals and test certificates on handover day.
Look at completed commercial fit-out projects in offices, retail and F&B before you shortlist. Monde runs an in-house team of more than 50 specialists with a project manager on every job, and holds a Google rating of 5 from 3 reviews.
their team is professional and well organized. They understand site conditions, client requirements, material coordination hayat Berhe, 5/5
If your floor is empty and the lease is signed, request a CAT B fit-out quote with the floor area, building name and target handover date. Those three details are enough for a realistic per sq ft number.
Frequently asked questions
What does a CAT B office fit out include?
A CAT B fit out covers everything from the landlord's CAT A shell to a working office: partitions, ceilings, HVAC distribution, MEP, lighting, joinery, flooring, AV and IT infrastructure and acoustic treatment. It excludes loose furniture, IT hardware and the landlord's base build works. If your floor is already fitted out and you are changing it, that is renovation rather than CAT B.
How much does it cost to convert CAT A to CAT B in Dubai?
Budget AED 180 to 350 per sq ft, so a 5,000 sq ft office costs roughly AED 900,000 to AED 1.75 million before furniture. Design and consultancy typically add 8 to 12 per cent, and authority fees AED 30,000 to 45,000. Specification moves the number more than floor size.
How long does a CAT B fit out take in Dubai?
Plan 15 to 24 weeks from appointment to handover. That splits into 3 to 4 weeks of design, 4 to 6 weeks of permits and 8 to 14 weeks on site, plus 1 to 2 weeks for commissioning and snagging. Permit timelines are controlled by the authority and the landlord, not the contractor.
Who pays for the CAT B fit out, landlord or tenant?
Almost always the tenant. Landlords deliver CAT A and stop there, though some offer a fit-out contribution or rent-free period on longer leases. Where a contribution exists it is usually capped per sq ft and released against invoices, so read the lease clause before you budget.
Do I need a permit for a CAT B fit out in Dubai?
Yes. You need a landlord or asset manager NOC, a fit-out permit from Dubai Municipality or the DDA, Civil Defence approval for fire and life safety, and DEWA sign-off for any load or metering change. Working without a permit risks fines, stopped works and problems at lease end.
