A month in Dubai

A holiday home is a furnished unit with a DET permit, let by a licensed operator on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis, and only as a whole unit, never room by room. The guest's check-in document is the holiday home contract: DET's guide caps it at three months, renewable for the same period if it is renewed before it runs out.

A residential lease is a different contract. Dubai's tenancy law, Law No. 26 of 2007, requires every lease under it to be registered with RERA, which the Dubai Land Department does through Ejari, and the authorities will not hear a dispute over an unregistered lease. The same law does not apply to hotel establishments. Hotel apartments pay the Tourism Dirham like hotels, AED 20, 15 or 10 per room per night by class.

No reputable source on monthly rents or deposits in Dubai was found, so this guide gives no rent figures. The fees are known. The Tourism Dirham applies to at most 30 consecutive nights of one check-in. In a holiday home it is charged per bedroom, a maid's room included: by DET's formula, a standard two-bedroom holiday home for 30 nights pays 30 nights times two bedrooms times AED 10, or AED 600, and 60 nights on the same check-in pay no more.

DET's decree obliges the operator to supply electricity and water without charging the guest extra, and DET's guide sets a fine of AED 2,000 for an operator who charges for them. VAT is 5%: the lease of a residential building is exempt, but hotel apartments and serviced units are taxed at the standard rate, according to the Federal Tax Authority.

In May 2026 the Government of Dubai announced that establishments registered with DET are exempt from collecting the Tourism Dirham and the sales fees on hotel rooms, with the timeline left to each government entity. Whether a booking made now falls inside it is unverified as of September 2026.

Deira and Bur Dubai suit a month near the airport and the creek, about 9 to 11 km from Dubai International by road, with the old town on foot. Downtown Dubai and Business Bay suit a month in a tower near the sights, where zone GP parking costs AED 4.20 an hour off-peak. Dubai Marina and JBR suit a month by the beach, with the Dubai Tram and the Dubai Metro within walking distance of JBR.

Palm Jumeirah and Jumeirah suit a month in a villa, with the car in daily use. These choices are editorial.

British citizens get a free visitor visa on arrival, valid for up to 90 days over 180, in one stay or several. EU citizens may stay 90 days in any 180 under the EU's visa waiver agreement with the UAE, which does not cover Ireland or people coming to do paid work. US citizens get a no-fee visa on arrival for personal travel of 30 days or less, and a longer stay needs an extension that immigration officials may grant or refuse.

UK travel advice says that working on a visit visa can bring a fine or a prison sentence and risks deportation, and that overstaying can bring fines for each extra day. A holiday home operator must record every guest on DET's system, and building management may view passports at check-in, so keep the passport at hand on arrival.

Airbnb calls a reservation of 28 nights or more a monthly stay. It charges the first month up front and releases it to the host 24 hours after check-in, charges later months 10 days before each period, and locks the price at booking. Its long-term cancellation policy applies to all such stays and, as a rule, asks for 30 days' notice of changes. In Dubai a holiday home listing must also show the operator's trade name and DET permit number, whichever platform carries it.

Counting bedrooms. The Tourism Dirham in a holiday home is charged per bedroom, and a maid's room counts as one.

A 30-day visa on a US passport. A longer stay needs an extension from the immigration authorities, at their discretion.

Parking by the hour for a month. Parkin sells subscriptions to vehicle owners, and renewing one needs an Emirates ID, so ask for a space with the apartment; a holiday home's terms must name it.

The contract terms. DET's guide lists, among the terms of the guest check-in document, that guests are not entitled to have holiday home lease fees returned in any case, so settle dates and extensions before paying.

Visitors at night. Visitors may not stay in a holiday home between midnight and 8:00.