There are a lot of moving companies in Dubai and the quality range is wide. The good news is that the difference shows up before you book, in how a company quotes, if you know what to ask.
Check these first
- A valid trade licence. Ask for it. You will need it anyway for your building permit, so a company that hesitates is telling you something useful.
- An insurance certificate. Ask what it actually covers — basic liability and full replacement value are very different things — and ask to see the document rather than accepting a claim on a web page.
- Reviews that describe the move. Detailed reviews mentioning building names, crew behaviour and specific problems are worth far more than a page of five-star ratings with no text.
- A real address and a real phone number. Contact details that match across the website, Google and social profiles.
The questions that expose a weak quote
“Will you survey the property?”
The single most useful question. A company that will quote a two-bedroom flat over the phone without asking about the floor, the lift or the parking is guessing, and the gap between the guess and reality appears on moving day. In person or by video call are both fine; neither is not.
“What does your quote assume about access?”
Access is where quotes diverge. Ask specifically: does the price assume a working service lift? What happens if we have to use stairs? What if the truck cannot park near the entrance? A good mover has already asked you these. A weak one will improvise an answer.
“What is not included?”
Every mover has exclusions — long carries, stair moves, storage, specialist items, handyman work. That is normal. What matters is whether they are written on the quote or produced verbally at the point you have no alternative.
“Do you handle the building permit?”
Most Dubai apartment moves need one, and the mover has to supply the trade licence and insurance certificate regardless. A company that seems unfamiliar with the process has not done many apartment moves in Dubai.
“Is the price fixed?”
And if it is hourly, what is the estimate based on and what happens when it overruns? Hourly pricing is not inherently worse, but it transfers all the risk of a bad estimate to you.
Warning signs
- A quote given in under a minute with no questions about your building.
- A price dramatically below every other quote — it usually means something has been left out.
- Reluctance to put the scope in writing.
- A large upfront cash deposit before any survey has happened.
- No trade licence, or an unwillingness to send it.
- Vague answers about insurance, or a claim that “everything is fully insured” with no document behind it.
Comparing quotes properly
Put them side by side on scope rather than price. For each one, write down: is packing included and to what extent, are materials included, is dismantling and reassembly included, what is assumed about the lift, what happens on stairs, and is the price fixed or estimated.
Very often the cheapest quote is not cheaper — it is smaller. Once the missing items are added back, the ranking changes. That exercise takes ten minutes and is the best-value ten minutes in the whole moving process.
A note on the cheapest option
Moving is labour. A materially lower price generally means fewer people, less experienced people, or less time — and all three show up in how your furniture is handled and how long your building’s lift slot is occupied. It is worth knowing what you are trading.
If you would like a quote you can compare properly, get a quote and we will put the scope in writing.