Moving out of a Dubai tower has a set of steps that simply do not exist in a villa move, and they are the ones that decide whether the day runs smoothly. This checklist covers the high-rise specifics — use it alongside a general moving checklist rather than instead of one.
Before you fix a date
- Ask building management three things: what the permit process is, how long it takes, and what hours moves are permitted.
- Ask the same three questions at the building you are moving into. Both have to work on the same day.
- Check whether your building restricts weekend moves — many Downtown and Marina towers do.
- Check whether your landlord has outstanding service charges. If so, the permit will be refused.
- Avoid month-end if you have any flexibility. Lift slots are hardest to get in the last three days of a month.
The permit and the lift slot
- Get the trade licence and insurance certificate from your mover.
- Submit the permit application with your tenancy contract or title deed and Emirates ID, five to seven days ahead.
- Book the service lift slot the moment the permit is approved — approval and availability are two different things.
- Note the exact window. Most are four hours and they do not extend on the day.
- Tell your mover the window and the floor, so the crew is sized to finish inside it.
- Pay the permit fee and the refundable damage deposit, and keep the receipt.
Access details worth confirming
- Where exactly does the truck park, and is the loading bay height-restricted? Underground bays often are.
- How far is the carry from the loading point to the service lift?
- Does the building require protection on lift walls, floors and door frames? Most do, and the deposit depends on it.
- Is there a second lift if the service lift fails, and will management release it?
- Does security need crew names or vehicle details in advance?
Packing for a tower move
- Be fully packed before the crew arrives. In a four-hour slot there is no time to pack and move.
- Label every box with the destination room, not the room it came from.
- Keep boxes to a weight one person can carry comfortably — the crew will be doing lift trips all morning.
- Dismantle what you can the night before, or have the mover do it as a separate booking.
- Set aside the first-night box and your valuables to travel with you.
On the day
- Have the permit and your Emirates ID ready for security.
- Be there at the start of the slot, not partway through it.
- Confirm the protection is up before anything is carried through shared areas.
- Check the balcony, the store cupboard and the utility area — the three most commonly forgotten spaces in an apartment.
- Photograph the shared areas after the move if you want to protect the deposit.
For how this varies by district, see our pages on Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina and JLT, or read more about apartment moving.