ANK Constructions & Interiors Outlines Hidden Fit-Out Costs Facing Dubai Property Buyers

(MENAFN- GetNews)
ANK Constructions & Interiors CEO Alex Berestiuk reviewing renovation plans with a site engineer in Dubai ANK Constructions & Interiors CEO Alex Berestiuk explains why defects in 'move-in ready' Dubai apartments surface around month 14, how renovation can raise or reduce value, and what buyers should check before signing.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - October 22, 2026 - ANK Constructions & Interiors, a Dubai fit-out and renovation contractor, has published guidance from chief executive officer Alex Berestiuk on the costs hidden inside“move-in ready” apartments. The guidance comes as higher supply and lower prices give Dubai buyers more room to compare units, making interior quality a larger factor in price.

Dubai's market moves from timing to quality

ValuStrat's residential price index has fallen about 10% since the end of February. At the same time, Dubai handed over roughly 24,800 homes in the first half of 2026, according to Cavendish Maxwell, the strongest half-year in several years. Year over year, villa values are up 2% while apartment values are down 3%.

“For most of the past decade, making money in Dubai property took timing, not skill,” said Berestiuk.“People bought off-plan and sold the contract before handover, so quality had no price. Now that supply has caught up, buyers finally have something to compare against. The market isn't just repricing. It's choosing.”

According to Berestiuk, two apartments on the same floor of the same tower, with the same layout, view, developer and service charge, can now differ in price by as much as 20%, increasingly because of the work done inside. He notes that this figure is an estimate based on years of company projects, not survey data.

Why problems appear around month 14

Berestiuk notes that developers deliver what they are contracted to deliver, on schedule, but a standard developer finish is designed for the handover and the photograph, not for ten years of daily use. Typical examples include:

• one tile format from the front door to the balcony;

• entry-level sanitaryware built for about five years rather than fifteen;

• cabinet carcasses made of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) that do not hold up in Dubai humidity;

• air conditioning sized by floor area rather than by how a household uses each room.

“None of this shows up in month one. It shows up in month 14,” said Berestiuk.“By then the first Dubai summer has done its work: the shower seal has dropped and the door no longer meets its frame.”

The timing has legal consequences. Structural liability in the UAE runs ten years and cannot be signed away under Articles 821 and 823 of the Civil Transactions Law, which replaced the 1985 code in June. That cover addresses collapse and structural safety. Cover for workmanship, mechanical systems and installations is contractual: in Dubai sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) it typically runs 12 months from handover, and owners generally have to notify the developer within that window. ANK advises buyers to read their own SPA rather than assume the norm applies.

“Plenty of buyers pay twice,” Berestiuk added.“Once as a premium for a unit that needed 'nothing done,' and again a year later for the work, at a higher price.”

How renovation can reduce value

Berestiuk also identifies three ways renovation can lower a property's value:

• Over-personalisation. An interior built around one owner's taste is priced by the next buyer as the cost of removing it.

• Unpermitted work. Removing the wrong wall, opening a common shaft or re-routing services without approval creates a documentation problem once a mortgage lender, valuer or community management reviews the unit.

• Timelines. Dubai Municipality requires a permit for structural modifications, and buildings and free-zone authorities have their own consent processes. Across ANK projects, a non-structural building no-objection certificate (NOC) usually clears in one to two weeks, while structural work realistically takes six to 12 weeks. These are company figures, not published service standards.

What buyers should check before signing

ANK recommends that buyers confirm:

• when the unit was handed over, and whether the defects liability period has already expired;

• whether any alterations were made, and whether permits exist for them;

• the condition of the kitchen and bathrooms, the two most expensive rooms to fix and the two that decide resale;

• what is behind the walls: air conditioning, electrical distribution and waterproofing. A snagging (defects) inspection usually costs a small fraction of what it finds.

Dubai's heat, humidity, dust and salt air also mean that materials which perform well in Europe often fail here.“Quality in this climate is a specification decision, not a decorating one,” said Berestiuk.

Contractor capacity as the next constraint

When Cushman & Wakefield Core listed the headwinds for the rest of the year, it named contractor capacity alongside thin volumes and supply-chain problems.

“The scarce resource in Dubai is no longer land, and it's no longer a permit. It's the ability to build properly,” said Berestiuk.“The easy money was made at the entrance. The next money will be made inside.”

About ANK Constructions & Interiors

ANK Constructions & Interiors has carried out renovation projects in Dubai for 12 years. The company delivers full renovations and turnkey fit-outs for villas and apartments, as well as commercial fit-outs for offices, retail and food and beverage venues. ANK offers snagging inspections free of charge to prospective fit-out clients. More information is available at ankco.

Media contact

Julie HerasymenkoANK Constructions &...

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