Full Guide: Emaar Property NOC and Modifications

If your property is in an Emaar community, any change — from a cosmetic refresh to reconfiguring the layout — must comply with the developer’s rules. Here’s the whole process: what you can do without a permit, what requires an NOC, how much it costs and how long you’ll wait.

What counts as a modification

A modification is any proposed change, repair or addition to your property: building a pool, landscaping, changing a villa’s internal layout, interior upgrades, renovation and the like.

Important: this service applies to all Emaar communities except Burj Khalifa, Emirates Hills and Dubai Hills Plots — those locations have their own separate rules.

What you can do without an NOC

• Interior painting
• Furniture installation
• Electrical fittings and accessories
• Routine maintenance

What is completely prohibited

In villas and townhouses:

• Changes to external façades and load-bearing walls
• Glazing balconies in townhouses
• Any extensions (increasing the floor area)

In apartments:

• Structural works and demolition of walls
• Removing existing tiling (new tiling may be laid over the old)
• Removing, relocating or re-covering MEP systems (mechanical/electrical/plumbing) and fire-suppression systems

Step-by-step: obtaining an NOC

Step 1 — Preparation and application Discuss with your consultant or contractor which documents you’ll need for the NOC. Ask the contractor to prepare the scope of work, licence and other required documents — see the list below. The application is submitted through your account on the Sakani portal (portal.sakani.ae):

1. Log in with your email and password.
2. If you have several properties, switch to the right one via “Switch Property” in the top-right corner.
3. In the left-hand menu, select “Home Modification”.

Important: this service is only available if there are no outstanding balances on your account.

Required documents:

• The contractor’s/consultant’s trade licence, registered in Dubai
• A detailed scope of work
• Current photos of the areas where changes are planned
• Project floor plans (if applicable)
• Project elevations, sections and details (if applicable)
• 3D visualisation of the proposed changes (if applicable)
• DDA plan / DM affection plan / DLD site plan (if applicable)

The engineer reviewing the application may request additional information.

Step 2 — Tracking the status The application status appears in your account as “Request Submitted” or “Request Approved”. Any queries about the application must be answered through the portal — notifications also come by email.

Step 3 — Receiving the NOC Once approved, the NOC appears in the portal with the status “Request Approved”. Then: click “Pay outstanding amount” (Visa, American Express and Mastercard accepted). After payment, the NOC can be downloaded via the “NOC” button in the same “Home Modification” section.

Step 4 — Government approvals (if applicable) If the modification requires approval from Dubai Municipality (DM), the Dubai Development Authority (DDA) or Dubai Civil Defence (DCD), these approvals must be obtained before work begins. Emaar helps clients navigate the requirements for these additional approvals.

Step 5 — Entry Permit for the contractor A key point that’s often missed: an Entry Permit is mandatory for all contractors, even if the works themselves don’t require an NOC. The permit is arranged after the Emaar NOC and all necessary government approvals have been obtained.

Step 6 — Deposit refund Once the works are complete and the area has been fully cleared of construction debris, book an inspection through the portal. If the inspection confirms the works comply with the NOC conditions, you’ll be told how the deposit refund is processed. Important: the deposit-refund application must be submitted within 2 years of the payment date — otherwise the sum is considered permanently forfeited.

Fees and deposits

• Review fee (initial review) — AED 500 (non-refundable)
• Security Deposit — AED 5,000 (refundable)
• NOC approval fee, minor works — AED 1,000 (non-refundable, includes the review fee)
• NOC approval fee, major works — AED 2,000 (non-refundable, includes the review fee)
• Soft landscaping / paving / external painting — AED 100 (non-refundable)

The initial review fee is credited towards the final NOC approval fee, rather than paid separately on top.

Separate rates for villas and townhouses:

• Soft Landscaping — AED 100 (incl. review fee)
• Hard Landscaping — AED 500 (incl. review fee)
• Minor works — AED 1,000 (incl. review fee)
• Major works — AED 2,000 (incl. review fee)
• Additional floor area (GFA/BUA) — AED 1,000 per sq ft, no more than 10–15% of the total built-up area

NOC validity period

• 3 months — apartments, and minor works in villas/townhouses
• 6 months — major works in villas/townhouses
• 15 calendar days — soft/hard landscaping

Worth knowing separately

Water drainage during works. Any de-watering process carried out during the works must be discharged into the storm-water drainage, not into the building’s general sewage — a specific requirement that’s easy to breach through ignorance, and one worth raising explicitly with your contractor in advance.

Consequences of unapproved modifications

If works are carried out without following the guidelines, the possible consequences are:

• Loss of the Defect Liability warranty, if applicable
• Inability to re-register or sell the property
• Inability to obtain the Title Deed
• Notices of violation from Emaar and/or the relevant government authorities
• Retention from the deposit of the cost of repairing damage to common areas
• If unapproved modifications are found, the deposit refund will not be processed until the violations are rectified