Villa renovation, Town Square
Town Square villa renovation: what Nshama's tiers allow
Town Square's houses are three and four-bedroom townhouses, which many owners call villas, and Nshama's homeowner manual prices every alteration by tier. It also rules extensions out. We sort a job into the right tier before a contractor quotes it.
The tiers
Town Square villa renovation: which alteration tier is your job?
A Town Square villa renovation is, in the community's own terms, an alteration to a townhouse. Nshama publishes a Townhouse Homeowner Manual, 66 pages last revised in April 2026, which sorts every change into one of three fee tiers or onto a prohibited list, with the scope of each written out. The developer of record is Nshmi Development, and applications go in through Nshama's community portal or its connect app.
What does an alteration cost to approve in Town Square?
Nshama charges AED 2,000 for a major alteration and holds an AED 5,000 deposit on it, AED 1,000 for a minor alteration and AED 160 for a home improvement. Major works are processed in 5 working days and minor ones in 2. An unapproved major alteration carries a published penalty of AED 50,000. Extensions sit on no tier at all: the manual prohibits them.
Which jobs fall into which tier?
- Major (AED 2,000, AED 5,000 deposit, 5 working days): bath to shower or back, kitchen counters or custom islands, false ceilings, replacing floor tiles, pools, jacuzzis and ponds, a BBQ station, opening interior walls, entrance paving, staircase finishes.
- Minor (AED 1,000, 2 working days): new kitchen cabinets, wardrobes and doors, tiles glued over existing ones, a standalone fountain, a pergola fixed to a wall, standalone gazebos, sail shades and solar panels.
- Home improvement (AED 160): boundary wall or terrace screening, backyard planting, storage shelves, fly screens, artificial grass, interior lighting, CCTV and access control, exterior and interior repainting, wallpaper and wall cladding.
- Prohibited: structural changes or extensions affecting elevations, built-up area or structural walls; carport conversion; balcony enclosure; external wall cladding; structural additions in the front yard; anything blocking utility meters; any boundary alteration.
Two clauses shape the outside of every house. Exterior paint must match the existing colour palette, with no change to the scheme, and doors and windows at first-floor level may not be widened or added. One clause needs care: section 9.6(a) of the manual puts the authorities' consents before the community's, while section 9.8 says they come only after Community Management approves the proposal. We ask Nshama which order it applies before anything is filed.
Town Square villa renovation: passes and site rules for contractors
Nshama runs contractor access as a priced ladder of vehicle passes, and the rules around them are strict.
| Pass | Fee |
|---|---|
| One month | AED 160 |
| Two months | AED 315 |
| Three months | AED 525 |
| Six months | AED 790 |
| One year | AED 1,050 |
| Replacement access card | AED 105 |
| Replacement parking remote | AED 265 |
- A work permit on display in every contractor vehicle.
- One promotional sign per job, no larger than 1.5 by 2 feet, near the carport or the front door.
- No entry without hoardings and protective equipment.
- No workers overnight: the manual says the authorities are contacted and a community fine is issued.
- Entering without a permit gets the contracting company banned.
- Work on business days, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Townhouses and apartments follow different lists
The manual splits the two property types, and the split decides what a job may include. Removing interior walls, swapping a bath for a shower, replacing wet-area tiles and adding water features are townhouse work only. Apartment owners may not remove or replace floor tiles, only lay new tiles over the old ones, and not on balconies, while terrace gazebos and umbrellas stop at 2.4 m, may not be drilled into the floor and must stand 2 m back from the railing. Apartment work in Town Square belongs with our sister site for apartment renovations.
What does a Town Square renovation cost?
Town Square has no published band of its own. The nearest published row is Vision Three's cosmetic refresh of a townhouse, AED 90,000 to 180,000, and for the larger scope Yalla Renovation publishes villa renovations from AED 150,000. Both sit in our villa cost tables, the first as the townhouse price row. The tier fees and passes above come on top. Service charges are a separate matter, billed quarterly through the Dubai Land Department's Mollak system. How the authority permit fits around the community approval is set out on our Dubai approval layers page.
Questions
Town Square: related questions
- Can I extend my Town Square townhouse?
- No. The manual prohibits structural alterations or extensions that affect the external elevation, the built-up area or structural walls, along with carport conversions and structural additions in the front yard.
- Do I need approval to repaint?
- Yes, as a home improvement at AED 160, inside and out. Outside, the paint has to match the existing colour palette, and the manual permits no change to the colour scheme.
- Can I replace my floor tiles?
- In a townhouse, yes, as a major alteration at AED 2,000 plus the deposit. Tiles glued over the existing ones are a minor alteration at AED 1,000, and SPC tiles laid over existing floors count as a home improvement at AED 160.
- How do I apply?
- Through Nshama's community portal or the Nshama connect app. Minor alterations are processed in 2 working days and major ones in 5, so apply before booking the contractor's start date.
- Is the AED 5,000 deposit returned?
- The published fee schedule lists the deposit on major works without its refund terms, so ask for them in writing when you apply, and agree in the contract who funds the deposit and who receives it back.
Who you are dealing with
- OperatorWebsiteOS LLC
- Licence2646567.01
- Cost to homeownerNone
- Figures datedSeptember 2026
Tell us about your Town Square home
Townhouse or apartment, bedrooms and what you want changed. We sort the job into Nshama's tiers and come back with contractors who already hold passes there.