Andrew Prokopenko
There are over 100 interior design styles. Each has its own unique features, and some are very similar to each other and differ only in details. There are no strict rules for creating a design: it is a creative flight of fancy...
At Meraas, modifications are split into two levels — Major and Minor — and the approval process for each is fundamentally different. The rules also differ between apartments and villas/townhouses.
Meraas Apartments
IMPORTANT: Major modifications can only be requested by the owner.
Major modifications in apartments include, for example: changing the fire-suppression system; demolishing load-bearing and non-load-bearing internal walls; changing the number of rooms; relocating electrical points with a change in load; redesigning a bathroom/kitchen without changing the water-supply and drainage points; changing the HVAC system; replacing tiling in wet areas; modifying suspended ceilings; and altering the design of windows and doors.
Applications are submitted through the RealConnect portal (website or app).
Minor modifications — replacing tiling outside wet areas, painting, changing chandeliers and sockets, smart-home systems without cameras, artificial grass on the balcony, planters, a video intercom without recording — require only an access permit from DCM, with no NOC, no DDA approval and no final inspection.
Completely prohibited in apartments: pouring a cement screed / lightweight concrete; installing a suspended ceiling on a balcony or in a porch; demolishing load-bearing walls; adding lifts; building a new staircase in duplexes; drilling holes at plumbing points; relocating drainage; changing the fire-suppression system. On the exterior: replacing the electrical panel with an increased load; installing additional AC units; new windows/doors; altering the façade; glazing balconies; large plants in heavy planters; satellite dishes; extending the balcony; external CCTV cameras.
Meraas Villas and Townhouses
The rules for villas are considerably broader than for apartments — much more is permitted here, since there are no neighbours behind shared walls.
In addition to the apartment Major list, for villas the following also count as Major modifications: installing or relocating a lift inside the villa; building a new staircase in duplexes; redesigning a bathroom and kitchen with relocation of plumbing points; installing a pool (with approval from the developer’s infrastructure team); a jacuzzi on the roof or terrace; solar panels; external CCTV cameras; a barbecue area; water features and decorative walls; a pergola (maximum height 2.8 m); and building auxiliary structures (for example, to house pool pump equipment).
Completely prohibited even for villas: installing an intermediate floor slab in double-height spaces; extending a staircase to an inaccessible roof; relocating utilities onto the façade. On the exterior: changing the façade colour; adding an external lift; altering the design of windows/doors; replacing the electrical panel with an increased load; glazing balconies/terraces/porches; large plants and trees in heavy planters; a satellite dish on the balcony; a rooftop pergola; a pool or water features on the roof; works on a roof shared with a neighbouring villa; lighting in common areas; changing the use of the carport; increasing the height of the fence between plots; new gates; and altering the existing external cat ladder.
Cost
The administrative NOC fee is AED 525 (without DDA approval) or AED 1,050 (with DDA approval); a separate pool NOC is AED 15,750.
The deposit is AED 10,000 (or AED 20,000 if DDA approval is required), and is refunded after inspection.
NOC renewal is AED 525, and is allowed only once.
Update Date:06.09.2026
Update Date: 06.09.2026
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