Dubai Holiday Home Income Calculator
Compare short-let income against a long lease, after DTCM licensing, platform fees, cleaning and realistic occupancy.
Short-term letting in Dubai requires a DTCM holiday home permit. Permit costs vary by unit size and are charged per unit per year. This does not deduct utilities, which the host pays on a short-let but the tenant pays on a long lease — a meaningful difference worth adding.
What you need to know
Short-term letting is legal in Dubai but regulated: you need a holiday home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism, and the unit must be registered. Operating without one carries penalties, so factor the permit in from the start rather than treating it as optional.
The headline comparison usually favours short-let, sometimes dramatically. What narrows the gap is the cost stack: platform commission around 15%, cleaning on every changeover, and utilities, which on a short-let are the host's responsibility rather than the tenant's.
Occupancy is the variable that decides it. Dubai runs strongly seasonal — high through winter, materially softer through summer. A location that achieves 80% annually is a different business to one achieving 55%, and the difference is usually location and how actively the listing is managed.
Common questions
Is Airbnb legal in Dubai?
Yes, with a holiday home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism. The unit must be registered and operating without a permit carries penalties.
Is short-term letting more profitable in Dubai?
Often, in strong tourist locations with good occupancy. The gap narrows considerably once platform fees, cleaning, utilities and the permit are deducted.
What occupancy should I expect?
65–80% annually in prime tourist areas, materially lower elsewhere. Dubai is strongly seasonal, peaking in winter.
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Want these numbers checked against a real property?
Send us the unit you are looking at and we will run the actual figures — service charge for that building, current market rent, and what comparable units transacted at.