Fit out contractor Dubai: how to choose and what it costs
Appoint a fit out contractor in Dubai by verifying the DET trade licence and classification grade, confirming the workforce is in house, comparing like for like quotes against one bill of quantities, and tying payments to a signed programme. Expect AED 150 to 400 per sq ft for a typical office fit out, and more for retail and F&B.
Why work with Monde
- Own workforce of 50+ fit out specialists under one licence
- Commercial renovation and fit out for offices, retail, F&B and hospitality
- Dedicated project managers and site supervision on every job
- Milestone payments agreed before mobilisation, not after
- One accountable contractor working across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the wider UAE
- Google rating 5 from 3 reviews
What a fit out contractor actually does
A commercial fit out contractor takes a shell and core unit or an occupied space and turns it into somewhere a business can work or trade. That covers partitions, ceilings, MEP first and second fix, flooring, joinery, lighting, painting and snagging, plus the approvals that let you open.
A main contractor builds the structure and the envelope. A fit out contractor works inside it. Getting that distinction wrong early is how projects end up with nobody coordinating the ceiling void.
Fit out contractor vs main contractor vs design and build
- Fit out contractor: owns the interior package, meaning drawings, MEP coordination, finishes, programme and handover. Works to your brief or your designer's drawings.
- Main contractor: builds the base building, structure, core and shell. Rarely involved in Cat B fit out, and usually has no reason to be.
- Design and build firm: carries design responsibility and construction responsibility under one contract. Fewer arguments between drawing and site, but you still check the licence, the grade and the insurance.
- Consultant or project manager only: manages others and employs no labour. Good on multi-site rollouts, weaker when speed on a single site decides the outcome.
If you are still mapping the different commercial scopes, our commercial fit out guides break them down by sector.
Licensing and approvals you must verify before you appoint
Ask for the trade licence, the establishment card and the contractor classification grade before you discuss price. In Dubai the fit out permit is issued through DET, and Civil Defence, DEWA and the landlord each run their own approvals on top.
Documents to check
- DET trade licence with an activity that actually covers building contracting or interior fit out
- Contractor classification grade that matches your project value
- Establishment card and the name of the authorised signatory
- Public liability and workmen's compensation insurance, in date
- Civil Defence approval where the work touches fire systems, commercial kitchens or assembly areas
- DEWA approval for load changes, metering and water connections
- Landlord or master developer NOC, which means Trakhees in Dubai World zones such as Palm Jumeirah and Deira Islands, and a different route in most Emaar and Nakheel communities
A DET approved fit out contractor hands these over in one email without being chased. If a contractor stalls on the licence or the insurance certificate, stop there. You cannot fix a licensing gap later without stopping work.
Approval drawings, MEP layouts and finishes schedules decide the programme long before a single partition goes up.
In-house workforce vs subcontracted labour
An in-house team under one licence means one employer controls quality, safety and site discipline. Subcontracted crews mean the company you appointed may not be the company doing the work.
This shows up in three ways. First, programme. When ceilings, MEP and joinery sit with three different subcontractors, every clash becomes a delay you negotiate instead of a delay the contractor absorbs. Second, finish consistency. A crew that works together on ceilings, partitions, joinery and painting repeats the same standard across a 20,000 sq ft floor plate. Third, liability. With one licence and one employer, there is one party to call when something is wrong.
Monde runs 50+ specialists directly, from MEP technicians to carpenters, ceiling crews, painters and finishers, led by project managers who are on site rather than on a dashboard.
Muhammad Karim, 5 stars: The new ceiling looks clean and straight. I brought Monde to do the painting in the villa bathroom. They finished in one day and did not delay us. Good work for a small job.
Fit out cost benchmarks in Dubai
Commercial fit out in Dubai runs from about AED 150 to 400 per sq ft for offices, AED 250 to 600 for retail and AED 400 to 900 for F&B. The band moves with how much of the shell you keep, how much MEP changes and the finish level you specify.
| Space type | AED per sq ft | AED per sq m |
|---|---|---|
| Office, shell and core to Cat B | 150 to 400 | 1,600 to 4,300 |
| Office refresh, Cat A to Cat B | 120 to 250 | 1,300 to 2,700 |
| Retail unit in a mall | 250 to 600 | 2,700 to 6,450 |
| F&B, restaurant or cafe | 400 to 900 | 4,300 to 9,700 |
| Warehouse and light industrial | 80 to 180 | 860 to 1,940 |
Worked example: 2,000 sq ft office in Business Bay
At AED 240 per sq ft, a 2,000 sq ft shell and core office taken to Cat B costs about AED 480,000. A realistic split looks like this.
- Demolition and site preparation: AED 25,000
- Partitions, ceilings and doors: AED 110,000
- MEP, HVAC and electrical works: AED 95,000
- Flooring and wall finishes: AED 70,000
- Joinery, reception desk and pantry: AED 85,000
- Lighting, power and data: AED 55,000
- DET permits and Civil Defence fees: AED 25,000
- Site management, HSE and final cleaning: AED 15,000
That is roughly 3 to 5 weeks of approvals and 8 to 10 weeks on site.
Rates are not identical across the country. Dubai quotes sit at the top of the band because of permit volume and building rules, while labour-heavy scopes in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi often land 10 to 20 percent lower. F&B sits higher than office work everywhere because of grease extraction, drainage, gas and Civil Defence. If your scope includes a back of house, read our breakdown of commercial kitchen fit out in Dubai before you compare quotes.
Ceiling and lighting design carries most of the perceived quality in a commercial fit out, and most of the MEP coordination risk.
How to vet a fit out contractor before signing
Vet on documents, site behaviour and people, not on presentation decks. Six steps cover it.
- Verify the trade licence, the classification grade and the insurance certificates against the legal name that will appear on the contract.
- Book a site visit. A contractor who quotes from photos will miss the ceiling void, the existing risers and the landlord's rules.
- Ask who the project manager will be, how many live sites that person runs, and who covers them at weekends.
- Request two references in the same sector and at similar value, then call them and ask how snags and variations were handled.
- Compare quotes line by line against one bill of quantities. A cheap total with a thin MEP line is not a cheap total.
- Check the HSE record. Ask for the method statement, the risk assessment and the incident history on recent sites.
Red flags
- No trade licence, or a licence that does not cover fit out
- Quote given before anyone has walked the site
- A large upfront lump sum with no milestone structure
- No named project manager or site supervisor
- No insurance certificate, or one that expires before handover
- Vague wording on who pays DET, Civil Defence and DEWA fees
Programme and payment: what to expect in 2026
Realistic fit out programmes in the UAE run between 2 weeks and 14 weeks on site, plus approvals. A small office refresh can finish in 2 to 3 weeks, a 2,000 sq ft Cat B office needs 8 to 10 weeks, and a restaurant usually runs 10 to 14 weeks once Civil Defence and kitchen approvals are counted.
Payment should follow the programme, not the calendar.
- Mobilisation and site setup, 20 to 30 percent
- MEP first fix and ceiling grid, next 20 to 30 percent
- Joinery, finishes and lighting, next 25 to 30 percent
- Completion and snagging close out, 10 to 15 percent
- Retention released after handover or the defects period
Davranbek Tashbayev, 5 stars: 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.
Monde holds a Google rating of 5 from 3 reviews, which matters less than the pattern behind them: finish quality, site cleanliness and finishing on programme. Franchise rollouts across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah live or die on that pattern repeating. If your sector is F&B, our restaurant renovation in Dubai guide covers the approvals sequence in detail. When you are ready, request a fit out consultation and we will walk the site before quoting.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fit out contractor cost in Dubai?
Office fit out in Dubai normally costs between AED 150 and 400 per sq ft, which is about AED 1,600 to 4,300 per sq m. Retail runs AED 250 to 600 per sq ft and F&B AED 400 to 900 per sq ft. A 2,000 sq ft shell and core office taken to Cat B at AED 240 per sq ft comes to roughly AED 480,000 including permits.
What is the difference between a fit out contractor and a main contractor?
A main contractor builds the structure, envelope, core and shell of a building. A fit out contractor works inside a completed or existing space and delivers partitions, ceilings, MEP, flooring, joinery, lighting and finishes. On most Dubai office and retail projects you appoint a fit out contractor, not a main contractor.
Do I need a DET approved fit out contractor for my office?
For commercial premises in Dubai the fit out permit comes through DET, and the contractor applying must hold the right trade licence and classification grade. Civil Defence and DEWA approvals run in parallel where the scope touches fire systems, electrical load or water connections. Check the licence before you sign, not after mobilisation.
How long does a commercial fit out take in Dubai?
Approvals usually take 3 to 5 weeks and site work 2 to 14 weeks depending on size and sector. A small office refresh can be done in 2 to 3 weeks, a 2,000 sq ft Cat B office in 8 to 10 weeks, and a restaurant in 10 to 14 weeks once kitchen and Civil Defence approvals are included.
How do I check a fit out contractor's licence in Dubai?
Ask for the trade licence, the establishment card, the classification grade and the insurance certificates, then match the legal name to the name on your contract and quotation. A DET approved fit out contractor shares these immediately. You can also ask for the licence number and confirm the activity covers building contracting or interior fit out.
Can one contractor handle Civil Defence and DEWA approvals?
A licensed fit out contractor can prepare and submit the drawings, coordinate with the consultant and follow the approvals through Civil Defence, DEWA and the landlord. What you must confirm in writing is who pays the fees and who owns the submission. Put that on the first page of the contract.
