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Holiday Home Management in Dubai

Permit, pricing, guests and cleaning, all run to Dubai’s short-term rental rules, so your income is not put at risk by a missed requirement.

Four gates before your unit can take a booking

  1. Building rules. Some buildings and communities restrict or ban short stays. Your owners’ association or developer may need to approve it.
  2. Permit. Every short-term rental in Dubai needs a holiday home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism. Operating without one can lead to fines, commonly starting around AED 5,000, and removal of listings. How the permit works.
  3. Guest-ready unit. The unit must be furnished, safe and equipped to the standard the authority and guests expect.
  4. Operating set-up. Insurance, guest registration, Tourism Dirham collection and, where relevant, VAT registration are put in place before the first booking. Tourism Dirham explained.

Gross income looks great. Net income decides.

Example only. Figures are assumptions, not forecasts. Use your own numbers. An example one-bedroom, with deliberately simple assumptions:
Item Holiday home Annual lease
Gross income AED 127,750 (AED 500 a night, 70% occupancy) AED 85,000 rent
Management fee AED 25,550 (20% of revenue) AED 5,100 (6% of rent)
Cleaning and linen AED 8,760 (about 73 stays at AED 120) Not applicable
Utilities and internet AED 9,000 Paid by tenant
Service charge AED 12,000 AED 12,000
Net income before furnishing and tax AED 72,440 AED 67,900
In this example the holiday home earns about AED 4,500 more a year, around 7%. A weaker occupancy, a bigger unit that costs more to clean or furnishing costs can erase that gap. A strongly performing unit can widen it. That is why we run your actual numbers before you commit.

From booking to five-star review

  • Listing and pricing. Photography, a clear description and daily price changes based on season, events and demand. Pricing and occupancy.
  • Guest screening and registration. We confirm identity, share house rules and submit guest details as required.
  • Check-in and support. Clear arrival instructions and a named contact when something goes wrong.
  • Turnover. Cleaning, fresh linen and a quick inspection between every stay, with a photo record.
  • Reporting. A statement showing bookings, fees, taxes collected and your payout. [State payout schedule, for example monthly or quarterly.]

The rules we handle so you do not get fined

Requirement Details
Holiday home permit Required for every short-term rental. Must be kept current.
Tourism Dirham A per-night, per-bedroom fee collected from guests and paid to the authority, usually by the 15th of the following month. Commonly cited at AED 10 per bedroom per night for standard properties.
Guest registration Guest details must be submitted to the authorities soon after check-in.
VAT Registration is required once taxable turnover passes AED 375,000 in 12 months. Voluntary registration is possible from AED 187,500. 5% VAT then applies to bookings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because it involves check-ins, cleaning, pricing and guest support, fees are higher than for annual rentals. Market rates are commonly 15% to 25% of booking revenue. Ask what the percentage covers, as cleaning, laundry, supplies and maintenance are sometimes billed separately. [State your fee and what it includes.] If you prefer a steadier arrangement, see annual lease management.
Yes. The permit is a requirement of the authority, not of the platform. Listing platforms also ask for the permit number, and listings without one can be removed.
Often yes. We can block dates for your own stays. Tell us how often you expect to use it, so we can price and plan the calendar around you.
Then you cannot operate a holiday home there, whatever the permit says. Check your building’s rules or ask the owners’ association before you buy or furnish. If short stays are not possible, an annual lease may be the better fit.
The permit holder, which is the owner or the licensed operator named on it. If a management company files on your behalf, you still carry the responsibility, so we show you the filings. [State exactly who holds the permit in your model.]
[State your payout schedule, for example monthly after the end of each month, with a statement.]

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Send us the building and unit type and we will tell you honestly whether holiday letting suits it.
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