Before you lease
The listing tells you the rent. It can’t tell you whether the office works for you. Ten things decide that — get each one in writing before you pay a dirham.
01 · The space
01
Net or gross, and what the size includes
Dubai offices are quoted by gross area more often than not — the common corridors, the core and the walls are in the number. Two 2,000 ft² offices can seat very different teams. Rent is paid on the quoted figure, so know what it measures.
SeeA floor plan with the net usable area marked.
02
Shell & core, semi-fitted or fully fitted
A fitted office lets you move in within weeks. Shell & core means ceilings, flooring, partitions and often cooling distribution are yours to build — budget months and real money, and negotiate a rent-free period to cover the works.
SeeAn inventory of what stays, and the reinstatement clause.
03
Chiller charges, and who pays them
Air conditioning is the biggest running cost in a Dubai office after the rent. Some buildings include it; others bill district cooling (Empower and others) by consumption, with its own deposit and fixed capacity charges.
SeeThe cooling provider and a recent bill for the unit.
04
Included, or billed on top
On leases the landlord usually carries the service charge, but not always — some buildings pass part of it on, or bill admin and maintenance fees separately. It changes the true cost per square foot.
SeeA written confirmation of every charge on top of the rent.
05
Bays allocated, and what more costs
Allocated bays are usually tied to the size of the unit, and extra bays are rented separately — or not available at all. For a client-facing team, visitor parking matters as much.
SeeThe bay count written into the lease.
07
Lifts, hours, security and the commute
Lift waits at nine in the morning, weekend access, the walk from the metro and the parking ramp at peak hour are what your team will live with every day.
SeeA visit at the busiest time of day.
08
Fibre providers in the building
Not every building has both of the UAE’s telecom providers on fibre. A slow or single connection is hard to fix once you have signed.
SeeThe providers’ coverage for the building.
06
Free zone or mainland, and your activity
A free-zone licence needs an office in that free zone; a mainland licence needs a mainland address with Ejari. Some activities — clinics, training, food — need approvals the building may not allow.
SeeThe authority, and the landlord’s no-objection where needed.
09
Cheques, rent-free, renewal and break
The rent is only part of the deal. The number of cheques, a rent-free period, how much the rent can rise at renewal and whether you can leave early all have a price.
SeeA draft lease before any deposit changes hands.
10
Everything you pay, and when
Rent, 5% VAT on commercial rent, the security deposit, the agency fee, Ejari, DEWA and any cooling deposit — the first payment at signing is far more than one cheque.
SeeThe payment-by-payment schedule on every listing.
Talk to an advisor
Size, area, fit-out, parking, budget and move-in date — send it once. Not every space we handle is on the website, and the right one is often off-market.