Frequently Asked Questions

As per DTCM: A holiday home is any furnished mainland or freezone-located residence (studio to multiple bedrooms) that is rented out to guests based on the activity terms and criteria.

• Copy of individual owner’s passport or UAE ID for individual owners or tenants (if the property owner is a company, the owner or one of the company’s partners’ passport or UAE ID copy should be included, alongside license documents or the company’s articles of association)
• Submission of proof of authorisation to use the Unit:
  Copy of property Title Deed;
  Authorisation from the owner, using the approved form from DTCM (if the property owner is a legal person, i.e. a company, an authorised signatory can sign the form on the condition that proof of his authorisation is also submitted)
• A bill issued for the Unit by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority that is no less than three months old as of the date of the application, and in the name of the owner or the Licensee (or tenant) of the Unit.

No. Hotel and hotel apartments have a different classification. Only units which have RESIDENTIAL classification can be licensed as a holiday home.

As a tenant you can sub-let one property only, subject to:

• Having written approval from your Landlord authorizing you to sub-let the unit as a holiday home.
• You should have valid tenancy contract and Ejari.

You can either submit a statement of account from DEWA or log in to your DEWA account and take a screenshot of the account profile. The screenshot must show the account owner and DEWA account number.

The Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and either a payment completion certificate or a letter (Addressed: To Whom It May Concern) from the developer or building owner(s) clarifying the below:
1. That there is no title deed for this unit
2. If the unit is still on a payment plan, mention that the unit is on a payment plan and there is no outstanding dues
3. Mention that the unit is residential

No. Residential villas must be in a gated compound comprising a minimum of four villas. Commercial villas located on main roads may also be considered by DTCM to operate as holiday homes.

Permits registered by us (the Operator) can be cancelled only by us upon termination of our Vacation Rentals Management Agreement and completion of responsibilities by both parties.

Note: A Permit may not be cancelled for a Unit that a Guest is staying in.

Starting from 1st April 2022, we’re expanding the list of mandatory items to be provided by the Operator existing and upcoming properties for better guest satisfaction and smoother operations:

1. Standardized Linen: Bed sheets and towels
2. Standardized Safe boxes
3. Standardized Kitchenware (glasses, plates, crockery, cutlery)

Definitions
Cutlery: A collective ensemble of eating and serving utensils such as knives, forks, and spoons.
Crockery: Plates, dishes, and other eating and serving tableware.

All other items can be provided by the landlords, as long as they are in presentable and working condition.

Explanation:
1. Standardized Linen program and its benefits:

• Unlike regular retail items, these hotel-grade bed linen and towels are specially designed to withstand multiple washes with the laundry company.
• A Standardized program ensures there is no chance of misplacing any item. This is crucial while processing 1,000+ items with laundry companies on a daily basis.
• Replacing such items is instant and affordable with zero downtime.
• We are providing high-quality bed sheets and towels available at discounted rates, and all properties are being equipped with the same items.
• Our newest buying standards are Bedsheets – (240 thread count, polycotton 80/20%), Towels – (600gsm, 100% cotton), and Bath mats – (900gsm).

2. Standardized Safe boxes
The Problem:
Using regular safe boxes is not practical in the hospitality business and usually leads to more serious problems for the Operator and the Landlord. 1 out of 3 guests will generally lock the safe box and forget the pin code. Most of those cases happen during checkout and when guests have a flight to their home country. In those cases, the operator has to deliver the safety security key to restore access. If for any reason the safety key is not working or gets lost, this leads to an even more serious problem such as breaking the safe box to re-gain access to guest items.

The Solution:
The solution is to place hotel grade standardized safe boxes, that provide three extra layers of protection;

• Our safe boxes have a simplified way to operate with instructions embedded for the guests on how to operate and avoid mistakes. Thus guests can create their own pin code with ease and no further guidance is needed.
• In case the guest forgets the PIN, the duty supervisor has access to a secure file containing the unique MASTER CODE of that Safe box, which can be remotely provided to the guest and the guest can restore access instantly. The MASTER CODE will be then replaced with a new one when the guest checks out with a new unique one.
• In case of an emergency (for example: When the device has a low battery and the MASTER CODE does not work), the company’s Security Supervisor holds a MASTER KEY, which can then be used to restore physical access to the safe box.

3. Standardized Kitchenware
The Problem:
7 out of 10 guests will unintentionally break at least a glass or a plate during their stay. When we rent properties with kitchenware provided by the landlords, during replacement time it’s impossible to find similar models, thus we would have no choice but to replace either the broken peace only (which would mean the set will look uncoordinated) or we have to replace the entire set with a new one to still maintain the aesthetics. In addition, many items provided by the landlords are also incomplete, sometimes over expensive, (whereas it drives additional dissatisfaction for the guest when we ask them to pay for an expensive plate or glass) or excessive (sometimes the landlords would leave an excessive number of items and expect the Operator to account for each item during check-out)
This is extremely impractical as even though full inspection is conducted by the Guest Relations Officer during each check-in and check-out, having each knife/fork/spoon accounted for would be extremely unpractical).

The Solution:
The solution is to use Standardized Kitchenware whereas:

• We’re buying professional, long-lasting, and in-expensive kitchenware in bulk quantities with volume discounts.
• We have set standards for each property on the number of spoons, forks and knives as part of Kitchenware.
• For example, a 1-bedroom or Studio apartment should have and maintain simple set numbers where housekeepers, inspectors or GRO’s can simply replenish the missing/broken items.
• By using inexpensive rates, our guests feel treated reasonably when they pay for broken glass or cup, and quotations are provided instantly during checkout (Therefore, avoiding the hassle of reaching out to the landlord or having to replace custom-made kitchenware.)