The Views Dubai remains one of the most sought-after neighborhoods for professional expats and families choosing housing in Dubai. Located between the Emirates Golf Club and Sheikh Zayed Road, this Emaar Properties development attracts with its balanced combination of green areas, lakes, and proximity to business centers. However, apartment owners in The Views — whether Russian entrepreneurs, Indian IT specialists, British financiers, or Arab families — face renovation process challenges that differ both from other Dubai neighborhoods and from practices in their home countries.
Why renovation in The Views requires a special approach
The Views is not just a residential complex but a carefully planned community with unified architectural standards and rules. Emaar Properties, the owner and management company, has established a multi-level control system over all changes in apartments and villas. For Western buyers accustomed to relative freedom in handling their own property, this can come as a surprise. Indian and Pakistani owners, familiar with the society approvals system back home, discover that the process in The Views is more formalized and requires more documentation.
The key difference lies in the NOC system — No Objection Certificate. This is not a recommendation but a mandatory permit, without which starting work will lead to fines and a requirement to stop the renovation. The NOC system in The Views operates through the Emaar Community Management Portal, accessible at emiratesliving dot ae. Owners from European countries often try to delegate the entire process to the contractor, but this is risky — responsibility for the correctness of document submission always lies with the apartment owner according to the Title Deed.
The second critical factor is the location. The Views' proximity to water bodies creates specific climatic conditions inside apartments. Humidity in units facing the lake during summer months can exceed levels in central Dubai by fifteen to twenty percent. This requires a special approach to material selection, which European and American contractors without experience working with coastal properties in hot climates may not know.
The Views clusters and their impact on renovation costs
The Views consists of ten main clusters, each with its own specifics. The Links — the most popular cluster among expats, comprising two high-rise towers, Links East and Links West, rising thirty-four stories, as well as low-rise buildings with apartments and villas. Renovation in the high-rise towers costs more due to logistical difficulties with material delivery and the need to book the service elevator, the deposit for which reaches five thousand dirhams for the entire work period.
The Fairways, named after the neighboring Emirates Golf Club, attracts middle and high-income families from the Gulf countries and Western Europe. Apartments here typically have more spacious balconies and terraces, which creates temptation to expand the living space. However, any balcony and terrace modifications in The Views fall under the category of external modifications and require not only an NOC from Emaar but also approval from Dubai Municipality, as they affect the building's external appearance.
Panorama, Travo, Arno, Mosela, and Turia — clusters where mid-rise buildings of eight to sixteen stories predominate. These complexes are popular among Indian and Pakistani families who value the balance between relatively affordable cost and a prestigious address. Renovation in these clusters is simpler from a logistics standpoint, but timing restrictions — limits on noisy work — are enforced especially strictly here due to building density and the proximity of apartments to one another.
Emaar's permit system for The Views
Obtaining an NOC from Emaar for renovation in The Views begins with registration on the Community Management Portal. The owner needs to create an account using the apartment number from the Title Deed and contact information registered with the Dubai Land Department. The registration process takes twenty-four to forty-eight hours, after which access to the Home Modifications section is granted.
When applying for an NOC, you must specify the type of planned work. Emaar divides modifications into three categories. The first is cosmetic works, including painting walls, replacing flooring without removing the screed, installing built-in wardrobes, and updating light fixtures. For such work, an NOC is issued in a simplified manner, usually within three to five working days, provided the contractor is registered in the ecmpermits dot ae system.
The second category is internal modifications, covering layout changes, kitchen relocation, bathroom modification, and replacement or addition of door openings. Here the requirements become more serious. You must provide architectural drawings completed by a Dubai-licensed architect or engineer, MEP plans (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans), and an affection plan — a drawing showing the boundaries of the apartment and neighboring rooms. The review time for such applications can reach ten to fourteen days.
The third category is structural modifications, including any changes to load-bearing structures, combining adjacent apartments, or creating new window or door openings in external walls. For The Views, such work is extremely rare and requires not only Emaar's approval but also a full set of permits from Dubai Municipality, including structural approval from a licensed consultant and fire safety clearance from Dubai Civil Defence.
A critically important point for international owners is the deposit. Emaar requires a refundable security deposit, the amount of which varies from five to fifteen thousand dirhams depending on the scale of work and apartment type. This deposit is returned after renovation completion and final inspection, provided there is no damage to common areas — elevators, hallways, facades. Many European and American owners underestimate how strict this inspection is, consequently losing part of the deposit due to minor scratches on hallway walls or stains in the elevator.
Material selection considerations in The Views conditions
Proximity to the lake and high humidity during summer months create specific requirements for choosing finishing materials. Standard European laminate, even class thirty-two with moisture protection, performs poorly in apartments with direct water views. The reason is not leaks but constant humidity fluctuations between the air-conditioned interior and the moisture-laden air outside. The optimal choice for The Views is either porcelain stoneware combined with underfloor heating, or LVT vinyl tile with full waterproofing.
Wall paints require anti-fungal additives. In north-facing apartments where direct sunlight does not reach, moisture can condense on walls near air conditioning units. Indian and Pakistani contractors working in The Views typically know about this issue and immediately suggest paints with anti-fungal properties. Western contractors often miss this point, leading to black spots appearing on walls within four to six months after renovation.
Wallpaper in The Views is a risky choice unless it is vinyl coverings on a non-woven backing with a wet-room designation. Paper and textile wallpaper will certainly peel off in the first summer season. Arab families, accustomed to using expensive silk and velvet wallpaper in interiors, face an unpleasant surprise when the covering costing tens of thousands of dirhams has to be removed and discarded.
Timing restrictions and work schedules in The Views
Emaar imposes strict time limits for noisy work in The Views. The use of jackhammers, grinders, breakers, and other loud equipment is permitted only from eight in the morning to six in the evening on weekdays. On Friday, Saturday, and all UAE public holidays, noisy work is completely prohibited. During the holy month of Ramadan, timing restrictions become even stricter — work may only be carried out from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon, with a mandatory break for iftar, the evening breaking of the fast.
For Western contractors planning schedules according to European or American standards, these restrictions often come as a surprise. A standard two-bedroom apartment renovation that would take six to eight weeks in London or New York stretches to ten to twelve weeks in The Views precisely because of the reduced working hours. Indian and Pakistani crews familiar with local rules typically factor these restrictions into the schedule from the start and do not make unrealistic promises about timelines.
Violating timing restrictions in The Views carries serious consequences. The first violation results in a fine of two thousand dirhams and a written warning. The second violation — five thousand dirhams plus a suspension of works for three days. On the third violation, Emaar has the right to fully revoke the NOC and demand a halt to all work, with resumption possible only after resubmitting documents and paying all fines.
Choosing a contractor to work in The Views
The construction services market in The Views is divided along national and linguistic lines. Indian and Pakistani contractors dominate the budget and mid-range renovation segment, serving mostly expats from South Asia and the UAE. Their main advantages are knowledge of Emaar's local rules, quick registration on ecmpermits dot ae, and willingness to work within a limited budget. However, finishing quality standards may not meet the expectations of European or American clients accustomed to a different level of detail.
European and American contractors working in The Views are typically focused on high-end renovations with budgets starting from eighty to two hundred thousand dirhams and above. They offer premium materials, precise adherence to design plans, and Western quality control standards. The downsides are longer timelines due to the need to import specific materials and insufficient familiarity with the Emaar NOC process, which can cause delays during the approval stage.
Russian-speaking crews occupy a middle niche, serving clients from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and other CIS countries. Their experience working in the sharply continental climate of post-Soviet countries is not always applicable to Dubai's subtropical climate, especially the high-humidity conditions in The Views. It is critically important to ensure that a Russian-speaking contractor has experience specifically in this area and understands the material considerations for coastal zones.
Regardless of the contractor's nationality, three things are mandatory. First — a valid trade license from the Department of Economic Development specifying fit-out works or renovation services. Second — registration in the ecmpermits dot ae system, without which the contractor will not receive an access permit to enter The Views. Third — a portfolio of completed projects specifically in Emaar communities, ideally in The Views itself, with contact details of previous clients for reference checks.
Actual timelines and budget for renovation in The Views
The cost of renovation in The Views varies depending on the apartment type and finishing level. Cosmetic renovation of a studio of thirty-five to forty square meters starts from twelve thousand dirhams and includes painting walls, replacing flooring, updating light fixtures, and minor plumbing repairs. The timeline is two to three weeks, subject to quick NOC approval.
Renovation of a one-bedroom apartment of fifty to seventy square meters with partial redevelopment — combining the kitchen with the living room, replacing plumbing and electrical systems — costs between forty and seventy thousand dirhams. The timeline stretches to eight to ten weeks, accounting for NOC approval, material delivery, and mandatory work breaks due to timing restrictions.
Major renovation of a two- or three-bedroom apartment of one hundred to one hundred fifty square meters with full redevelopment, replacement of all engineering systems, and high-end finishing requires a budget of one hundred twenty to two hundred fifty thousand dirhams. A realistic timeline is four to five months from the start of NOC documentation to final handover inspection. Arab and Western clients focused on the luxury segment may spend from three hundred thousand dirhams and above on creating custom interiors using marble, custom-made furniture, and smart home systems.
Hidden costs that many forget when planning the budget. Service elevator deposit — three to five thousand dirhams refundable, but the funds are tied up for the entire work period. Skip bin for construction waste removal — one and a half to two and a half thousand dirhams for the entire period depending on volume. Parking fee for workers if the contractor does not have an arrangement with management — fifty dirhams per day per vehicle. For a three-month renovation with two worker vehicles, this adds nine thousand dirhams to the budget.
Inspection and handover after renovation
After work completion, Emaar Community Management conducts a mandatory final inspection before returning the security deposit. The inspector checks not only the condition of the apartment but also common areas — corridors, elevators, entrance lobbies. Any damage that occurred during the renovation must be repaired before the inspection, otherwise the restoration cost will be deducted from the deposit.
Western owners often underestimate how thorough this inspection is. Scratches on elevator walls, paint stains on hallway floors, damage to door frames where furniture was carried through — everything is recorded and assessed. The repair cost is calculated using Emaar's rates, which are usually one and a half to two times higher than market rates. A scratch on an elevator wall that could be fixed for two hundred dirhams becomes three hundred fifty dirhams on Emaar's invoice.
After a successful inspection, the owner receives a completion certificate and the deposit is refunded within fourteen to twenty-one days. This document is important to keep — it will be needed when selling the apartment in the future to confirm that all renovation work was carried out legally with Emaar's approval.
