Moving into a new apartment in Dubai, the urge to make it yours is immediate. You want to hang pictures, mount the television, fit blackout curtains for bright summer mornings, and maybe paint one wall something other than off-white. None of this feels like renovation, but in a rented home even small changes sit inside rules set by your lease, your landlord and your building. Most move-out disputes are about screw holes, paint colours and balcony fittings nobody discussed at move-in.
Painting: colour is usually a permission, not a right
In most Dubai leases you are expected to return the property in the same condition and colour as you received it, allowing for fair wear and tear. Painting a wall a bold colour or adding wallpaper without written consent is one of the most common reasons landlords deduct repainting costs at the end of a tenancy. Even a neutral change can be charged for if the landlord must repaint the whole room to match.
If you want to paint, ask first and be specific: which room, which colour, and whether you will repaint it back before you leave at your own cost. Get the agreement in writing and keep move-in photos of the original walls. Some landlords happily agree, particularly on longer leases, and may share the original paint code. Others say no, especially in new or furnished units. Small scuffs are treated differently from a full colour change in most cases, but your move-in photos are still your best protection.
Drilling, mounting and fixing to walls
Drilling into walls and ceilings is typically restricted or requires consent in Dubai leases, and the risks are real. Behind bathroom and kitchen tiles there may be water pipes, and electrical conduits run in invisible lines. A badly placed hole can mean a leak and a repair bill.
Landlords and building managers most commonly object to:
- Large televisions and heavy shelves on partition walls not built for the load.
- Drilling through external walls, window frames or bathroom tiles.
- Curtain rails and blinds fixed into ceilings or frames without approval.
- Extra locks and door chains fitted without telling the landlord.
For pictures, removable adhesive hooks avoid holes entirely and work well in air-conditioned interiors, though test them carefully with anything heavy. For televisions, curtain tracks and anything involving tiles, ask first and, if approved, use a maintenance company familiar with the building, who will know where pipes and cables run.
Balcony rules tenants often miss
Balconies feel private, but in most Dubai buildings they are tightly ruled because they affect the facade and the safety of people below. Building rules commonly restrict what you can store or install, how you use the railing, and whether you can enclose the space with glass, screens or shades.
Typical restrictions include no laundry hanging visibly over the railing, no storage or clutter visible from outside, limits on plants that drop water onto balconies below, and bans on barbecues in many towers. Some buildings control the colour of balcony blinds so the facade stays uniform. Villas in communities such as Arabian Ranches, Jumeirah Village Circle or Damac Hills have community rules of their own, set by the master developer or owners’ association. Check both your lease and the building rules before buying balcony furniture or fitting a shade.
Floors, doors and other quiet clauses
Leases often cover changes tenants rarely think about. Rugs are almost never a problem, but gluing or nailing flooring over existing tiles usually is. Changing door locks without consent, or without giving the landlord a key, is restricted in most leases for safety reasons. Satellite dishes, extra AC units and window films can also require building approval because they alter the exterior. In furnished apartments, moving or replacing the landlord’s furniture typically needs agreement, and you must return every listed item in good condition, so keep the signed inventory and move-in photos.
The safest habit is simple: photograph every room, wall and balcony at move-in, ask in writing before you paint, drill or install anything fixed, and save the replies. When you leave, fill small holes neatly if your lease expects it, and repaint only to the colour you agreed. Landlords in Dubai generally respond well to tenants who ask first, and most small touches are approved when they are reversible and described in advance.