Hiring an Interior Designer for a Dubai Home from the UK: Fees, VAT and Contracts

Antonovich Group, the best architect interior designer in Dubai, has completed more than 500 projects covering design, fit-out, renovation, joinery production, furniture and landscape services from its offices in Dubai.

Which VAT rate applies when a UK family hires an interior designer for a Dubai home?

The general UAE VAT rate is 5% and the UK standard rate is 20%. PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries, reviewed on 9 September 2026, gives 5% for most UAE goods and services, and GOV.UK gives 20% for most UK ones. The fee proposal must state which rate it uses.

The two rates sit fifteen percentage points apart, and on a design fee the difference shows at once in pounds and dirhams. The UAE Federal Tax Authority describes VAT as a transaction-based tax collected by registered businesses, so the rate on an invoice depends on the supplier's registration and on where the service is treated as supplied.

The PwC summary adds that some UAE supplies are taxed at 0% or exempt under specific conditions. The GOV.UK guide sets out the UK position: a standard rate of 20% on most goods and services, a reduced rate of 5% on some, such as home energy, and a zero rate on others, such as most food.

Worked example of VAT on a design fee of AED 100,000 before tax, at the two rates. The fee is an illustration for arithmetic, not a quote. Rates: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (reviewed 9 September 2026) and GOV.UK VAT rates (checked 29 September 2026). USD at the fixed rate of AED 3.6725 = USD 1, converted on 5 September 2026.

Item	At UAE rate of 5%	At UK rate of 20%
Fee before VAT	AED 100,000 (USD 27,229)	AED 100,000 (USD 27,229)
VAT added	AED 5,000 (USD 1,361)	AED 20,000 (USD 5,446)
Total payable	AED 105,000 (USD 28,591)	AED 120,000 (USD 32,675)

A family should not assume the lower figure. The rate follows the supplier, the contract and the place of supply, and a designer who is registered in one country may still be asked by the client to invoice from the other. A written statement of the rate, the registration number and the invoicing company removes the guesswork before the first payment.

How do UK interior designers charge, and does the same model work in Dubai?

The British Institute of Interior Design surveyed UK designers on pricing in 2019. The BIID guide on how to price a project reports that 51% combined methods, 21% quoted a fixed fee, 18% charged by the hour, 6% took a percentage of project cost and 4% used another method. The same models can be used for a Dubai commission.

The figures come from a 2019 survey, so the year matters when comparing them with 2026 quotes. The survey covered pricing in the UK and did not measure Dubai commissions, which is why it is useful for structure and not for a Dubai budget.

How UK interior designers charged for design work. Source: British Institute of Interior Design survey of 2019, as reported in its guide on how to price a project (checked 29 September 2026).

Charging method	Share of respondents
Combination of methods	51%
Fixed fee	21%
Hourly rate	18%
Percentage of project cost	6%
Other	4%

For a client abroad, the fixed fee gives the clearest picture, and the BIID guide notes that it gives the client peace of mind about the budget. The same guide warns that a fixed fee needs a contract stating what it includes and what is charged extra, because a project that grows once it is under way needs a new fee for the added work.

What do hourly and percentage fees look like in the BIID survey?

The BIID survey asked for the hourly rate of the most senior designer in each practice: up to £75 for 59% of respondents and £76 to £150 for 41%. For percentage fees, 53% charged 6 to 10 percent of project cost, 13% charged 11 to 15 percent and 33% charged more than 16 percent. The BIID figures are 2019 UK data.

An hourly rate suits a brief that may change, because extra hours are charged at the rate agreed in advance. The BIID guide also notes that clients often struggle to judge how many hours a project needs. A family in the UK can ask for a cap or a monthly hours statement so that an hourly fee stays readable from a distance.

What should a design contract for a Dubai home say when the client lives in the UK?

A design contract for a Dubai home should state the scope, the fee model, the VAT rate, the governing law and the courts that hear disputes. The BIID guide says contracts should state what a fixed fee includes and what carries an extra charge. Both sides should agree these points in writing before work starts.

Section 49 of the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats every contract to supply a service as including a term that the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill, and the text is on legislation.gov.uk. The Act applies to contracts within its scope, so a family should not assume it follows a UAE-based designer across the border.

Because the governing law decides which protections exist, the contract should name it and name the courts. A UK family that signs with a Dubai company should ask a lawyer qualified in the country named in the contract to read it. A designer who welcomes that request is showing the habit that also produces clear drawings and schedules.

The BIID site also lists RIBA/BIID contracts among its resources, which shows that standard forms exist for design work in the UK. A family can ask a Dubai designer whether any standard form is used, and if not, request the same headings in the designer's own agreement: scope, stages, fee, extra work, payment dates and how either side ends the contract.

When does a designer in the UAE have to register for VAT?

A UAE business must register for VAT when its taxable supplies and imports exceed AED 375,000 (USD 102,111). The Federal Tax Authority also states that this threshold does not apply to foreign businesses. A small designer below the threshold may charge no VAT at all, so a lower quote can reflect registration status.

The registration page also describes voluntary registration for businesses that do not meet the mandatory criteria. For a client, the useful question is short: is this company registered, and will the invoice carry a tax registration number and a separate VAT line?

A quote that looks cheaper because it has no VAT line and a quote that includes VAT are not comparable until both are put on the same basis. Family budgets often fail at this point, when a fee compared at 100 becomes 105 or 120 on the final invoice.

How can a family compare two design quotes for a Dubai home?

Two design quotes compare fairly only when they share the same scope, fee model and VAT treatment. The BIID survey found 51% of UK designers combining methods, so a quote may mix a fixed fee for concept stages with hourly work for site visits. Put each stage side by side before comparing totals.

The checklist below turns the sources above into questions that a family can ask each designer in writing.

1. Which fee model applies to each stage, and which stages fall outside the fee?
2. What is the VAT rate on the invoice, and is the invoicing company registered for UAE VAT or for UK VAT?
3. Does a change of brief trigger a new fixed fee or extra hours at a stated rate?
4. Which law governs the contract, and which courts hear disputes?
5. In which currency will invoices be issued, and which exchange rate is used if the family pays from the UK?
6. Which drawings, schedules and site reports will the family receive, and how often?

Written answers put both quotes on one page and give the family a record if a stage is disputed later. Designers who publish their fees are the minority in the 2019 BIID survey, where 80% did not list fees on their websites, so a request for a written breakdown is normal and does not signal distrust.