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Property developers need to put more emphasis on quality

DUBAI — The quality of a number of properties in Dubai is believed to be sub-standard, undermining the industry's reputation and growth, according to the chairman of one of Dubai's major property developers.

SABA Properties chairman, Behrouz Javaheri, said there would be serious repercussions for Dubai's property market as a whole if word spreads of poor quality developments.

"Based upon the general feedback from end-users and investors, the quality of many recent developments is a major concern within the market. We believe a good number of properties delivered in Dubai appear to be substandard," he said.

"These shortcomings are playing a detrimental factor in investor and end user confidence when making the decision to buy property here in Dubai.

"The situation will be further aggravated as the market continues to shift heavily towards end users, who are particularly conscious and ultimately directly affected by both the materials used and the way the properties are maintained afterwards," he added.

As a result of the apparent quality problems, buyers are increasingly focusing upon the factual quality of materials used in property. It is also becoming more common for a large number of buyers to visit sites in order to evaluate the materials being used throughout the construction process, Javaheri said.

"As an extreme example, we had one client who hired a quality control specialist to visit one of our sites after delivery, in order to assess and determine the quality of materials that were used right down to the types of electrical wires," he explained.

Javaheri also highlighted the importance of developers deploying continuous and effective maintenance plans, especially given Dubai's harsh climate. He said: "From our experience, some buildings can last up to a third longer with quality materials and good maintenance."

He also anticipates that within the next few years the number of property developers in Dubai will shrink significantly. "Those who will survive will have superior structure, resources, organisation, quality products and ultimately solid reputations built from historical performance," he said, adding: "Market forces will ultimately press out the developers who are not delivering the highest quality. A good reputation is among the top assets for developers and, as demand levels out, quality and effective maintenance programmes will play a much more prominent role within the market."