As Dubai continues its incredible economic boom, more and more companies are seeking entry into the UAE market by opening a branch of their operations in Dubai. However, real estate service firm CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) cautions businesses from jumping into commercial office space in Dubai without examining the details.

Simon Townsend, director of the company’s Middle East branch, said Dubai’s commercial buildings are impressively designed on the outside, but often lack the interior functionality that potential tenants require.

“For corporations, the perfect floor plate is a big rectangle with a small central core and very few columns, so they can plan the space perfectly,” he told delegates during a seminar at Cityscape. “The shape of the future supply of office space is going to make it very difficult for tenants to get a nice big open floor plate.” (Read full article from Gulf News here)

He said many office blocks in Dubai are sold on a floor by floor basis, a commitment that global firms are often unable to make. Clarification of the office building management and service charges is also cited by analysts as an area which needs attention. They say corporations are desperate to locate in Dubai, but are unsure about who pays what towards a building, how much they pay, how it is audited and what happens in the event of default.