800website is a Dubai web design agency. This is not legal advice — it is the list of clauses whose absence causes the arguments we see.
What should be in a UAE web design contract?
Eight things: scope and exclusions, fixed price and payment milestones, delivery dates and what pauses them, revision rounds, IP assignment on final payment, the support window, a named handover list, and termination terms.
The two that prevent most disputes are exclusions and the handover list. Almost every disagreement we hear about started with something one party assumed was included, or a credential that was never actually transferred.
Write exclusions explicitly. “Content writing not included”, “hosting billed separately at AED 2,400/year”, “one revision round; additional rounds AED 200 each”. Specificity is not distrust; it is how both sides know what they agreed.
What clauses protect you specifically?
- IP assignment on final payment. Ownership of design and code transfers to you when you have paid. Without it, copyright stays with the creator by default.
- A handover list naming every credential — domain registrar, hosting, CMS admin, analytics, any third-party accounts.
- Delivery dates tied to your inputs. Fair to both sides: the clock runs from when content is supplied, and pauses when the agency is waiting on you.
- A defined support window — ours is 30 days on Business, 90 on Premium — and what maintenance costs after.
- Termination terms. What happens if either side walks: what is paid, what is delivered, what you keep.
Also worth agreeing: whether the agency may show the work in its portfolio. Usually fine, occasionally not, and much easier to settle upfront than after launch.
How do I check an agency is legitimate in the UAE?
Ask for the trade licence number. A licensed UAE company gives it without hesitation, and it tells you the legal entity you are contracting with — which matters if anything goes wrong.
Then check the address exists and matches their Google Business Profile, click through their portfolio to confirm the sites are live, and look for reviews on a platform they cannot edit — Google, Clutch, GoodFirms — rather than testimonials on their own site.
Contract with the licensed entity, not with an individual, and make sure the name on the contract matches the name on the licence.
Do I need a lawyer for a small website?
For a AED 3,500 project, a clear written scope with the eight points above is usually proportionate. For anything involving customer data, payments, or a significant budget, having a lawyer read it is cheap relative to the risk.
What matters more than legal polish is that both sides have written down the same understanding. Most disputes are not about clauses — they are about two people who never agreed what “a website” meant.
See our published scope and pricing, or get in touch.
Talk to us
800website is a Dubai web design and development agency with published fixed prices. Send the details and you get a fixed scope and a fixed price back — no hourly billing. Contact us, message us on WhatsApp, or call +971 58 578 5380.
