Changing your main door in a managed Dubai community

Why the main door is controlled

The managed communities of Dubai were designed as a whole, with the facades, the colours and the entrance doors chosen to read as one street. The community management protects that look under the community rules every owner signs up to, and the main door is the single most visible change an owner can make to a facade. So the rule is simple: the condition of the door is yours to maintain and improve; the design of the door is part of the community.

What you can do without approval

Repolish or refinish the existing door, including stripping and re lacquering a timber door that has faded in the sun. Change the colour of the door, in most communities, provided the style stays the same; a stained timber door can go darker or lighter, a painted door can take a new colour from the approved palette. Replace the hardware, the lock, the lever or pull and the hinges. Replace the door with a new one in the same style and proportion, which most communities treat as maintenance, although it is worth a quick note to the community office with a photo. None of this changes the look of the street.

What needs an NOC

A new design: a different panel layout, a flush door where there was a panelled one, a grooved contemporary leaf in a traditional community. A change of configuration: a pivot door where there was a hinged pair, a single leaf where there were two, a wider or taller opening. New glazing: a sidelight, fanlight or vision panel that was not there before, or the removal of one. A material the community does not use on facades. For any of these, the community management issues a no objection certificate, and the work should not start until it is in hand.

Change	NOC needed	Notes
Repolish or refinish the existing door	No	Keep the style
Change the colour	Usually no	Same style; check the approved palette in painted communities
Replace hardware, lock or hinges	No
New door, same style and proportion	Usually no	Send the community office a photo as a courtesy
New design or panel layout	Yes	Drawing and specification submitted
Pivot in place of hinged, single in place of pair	Yes	Drawing, and the opening may need structural review
Add or remove sidelight, fanlight or glazing	Yes	Drawing and glass specification
Interior doors	No	Never controlled

Community by community

Emaar communities, Arabian Ranches, The Springs, The Meadows, The Lakes, Emirates Hills and Dubai Hills among them, are managed by Emaar Community Management, which issues the NOC through the community portal or office. Damac communities such as Damac Hills are managed by the developer community management on the same basis. Nakheel communities such as Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Islands and Jumeirah Park review external changes through Nakheel community management. Jumeirah Golf Estates has its own community management. Older freehold areas and villas outside a managed community usually have no restriction beyond the municipality, though a building permit may apply to structural changes to the opening.

How the process works

First, decide the door with us: we survey the opening, draw the new door with its glazing and hardware, and give you a specification sheet. Second, the owner or tenant submits the drawing, the specification and the application to the community management; some communities also ask for a photo of the existing door and a facade elevation. Third, the community reviews it against the design guidelines and issues the NOC, usually with conditions on colour, materials and working hours. Fourth, production starts on the NOC, and installation follows. We do not put a door into production before the approval is in hand, so nothing is made that cannot be fitted. If the community asks for a change to the drawing, we revise it.

If you are a tenant

Tenants can apply, but the landlord's consent is normally required, and the community will usually want to see it. Agree the door with the landlord first; many landlords welcome an upgrade at the tenant's cost and will sign the consent.

See our community pages for what suits each community, and main doors for the doors themselves.