Benchmarked, not guessed
Renovation Cost Verification
Renovation cost verification tells you whether what you are being charged sits inside current UAE market ranges — and where it does not, by how much and on which lines.
- Rates benchmarked against current contractor pricing
- Compared per unit, not on headline totals
- Both directions flagged, high and suspiciously low
- Written report in 48 hours
Why totals mislead
A Lower Total Is Not a Lower Price
Two quotes for the same villa can differ by thirty percent and both be reasonable, because they describe different scopes. Comparing totals tells you nothing until the scopes match.
Cost verification works at the line level. What is the rate per square metre for the tiling, and is it consistent with what tiling costs in Dubai this quarter? What is the rate for the waterproofing system specified, not waterproofing in general?
An unusually low rate matters as much as a high one. A contractor pricing below cost on a visible line is usually planning to recover it through variations, and that recovery is rarely capped.
What gets checked
Where the Money Actually Sits
On most Dubai villa renovations, six categories account for the large majority of spend. Those are where verification concentrates.
Tiling and Flooring
Rate per square metre against material grade, plus screed, adhesive and movement joints priced separately rather than buried.
Joinery
Usually the single largest line in a kitchen or wardrobe scope. Priced by running metre, carcass material and finish — all three need stating.
MEP
Plumbing and electrical first and second fix. Point counts and cable specification drive this, and both are easy to under-state at quote stage.
Waterproofing
Priced per square metre by system. A rate that does not name the system is not a rate.
Civil and Blockwork
Demolition, partitions, plastering and making good. Disposal costs get omitted here more often than anything else.
Preliminaries
Site protection, access, supervision, permits and cleaning. Frequently absent from the quote and charged later as a variation.
What benchmarking can and cannot do. We compare against ranges observed in current UAE contractor pricing. Ranges are wide, and a rate above range is not proof of overcharging — specification, access and programme all move price legitimately. What verification gives you is the specific line to ask about, rather than a general sense that something feels expensive.
Common questions
Renovation Cost Verification — Your Questions
Is this the same as a BOQ review?
Related but different. BOQ review checks quantities and scope. Cost verification checks rates. Most owners want both, and we run them together on the same document.
Will you tell me what my renovation should cost?
We will give you a range for your scope and property, with the assumptions stated. Anyone quoting a precise figure without seeing your drawings is guessing.
What if my contractor is already appointed?
Still useful. It tells you where variations are likely to be priced aggressively, and gives you a benchmark for every change that follows.
Do you get commission from contractors?
No. We take no referral fees, keep no preferred list, and have no financial relationship with any contractor who might quote you. That is the whole basis of an independent consultant.
How current is your benchmark data?
We refresh from live project pricing. Material costs move, so a benchmark more than a quarter old is not worth much — ask any provider when theirs was last updated.
Does the DLD publish standard rates?
No. The Dubai Land Department governs property transactions and registration rather than renovation pricing, which is entirely a private contract matter.
Before you assume overcharging
Four Things That Move Price Legitimately
A rate above the market range is a question, not a verdict. These are the usual honest explanations.
Specification
A premium waterproofing system or a higher tile grade costs more because it is a different product. Compare like with like or the benchmark means nothing.
Access
Fifteenth-floor apartments with lift booking windows and restricted delivery hours genuinely cost more to build than a ground-floor villa.
Programme
A compressed timeline means overtime, extra crews and premium material sourcing. Compressing the programme is your decision and it has a price.
Risk
Occupied buildings, listed finishes and neighbouring properties all carry risk that a contractor prices in. That is prudence, not padding.
What verification gives you is the ability to ask a precise question. Not “this feels expensive” but “your tiling rate is thirty percent above range — is that the material grade or the access?” The first gets a shrug. The second gets an answer.
The money side
What This Actually Saves You
Knowing which line is above market is worth more than a general feeling that something is expensive. It turns a vague worry into a specific question.
Timing Decides the Cost
The same defect gets more expensive the longer it goes unfound. Correction is cheapest while the trade is still on site and the area is still open.
Someone Else Pays
Found early enough, the cost of putting it right sits with the contractor or developer rather than with you. That is the whole point of the timing.
Documented, So It Sticks
Photographed, measured and dated findings are considerably harder to dismiss than a conversation on site. Evidence is what turns a complaint into a correction.
Across our client base we identify more than AED 1 million in avoidable repair costs every year — money that would otherwise have come out of owners’ pockets after the work was finished. See what an inspection costs against what it typically finds.
Find Out Where Your Quote Sits
Send the quotation and drawings. Line-by-line benchmark back in 48 hours.
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