How to Manage Your Holiday Home in Dubai: The Only Guide You Need

Thinking about renting a holiday home in Dubai? It’s natural to worry about things like maintenance and management for someone with no experience. This article will focus on all the aspects of efficient property management in Dubai, from choosing the house (if you haven’t yet) to preparing it for your guests, maintenance, and everything that comes in between.

Let’s jump in!

Choosing the Right Place for Investment

Ok, so let’s begin with the very basics, and that is choosing the right property. What is the right property? It’s the one that generates the most profits. How does it generate more profits? Well, by attracting more visitors. Although we have a whole article on that topic, here, let’s just give you a brief list of some of the most popular areas in Dubai with the most potential:

Downtown Dubai: It’s one of the most sought-after places in Dubai on Airbnb due to its close proximity to the city’s main attractions. You could generate some serious profits if you find a property in the area since it’s always hot on Airbnb listings.
Dubai Marina: This is another place that generates the most traffic on Airbnb listings. The reason is that it provides easy access to the beach, some excellent restaurants, and shops. Not to mention the mesmerizing views of Dubai’s majestic skyscrapers and luxury yachts through the windows.
Palm Jumeirah: Known for opulent private villas and ultra-luxury hotels, this man-made archipelago is another great option if you are looking forward to hosting high-profile clients. The investment is high, but the return will be just as good.
Deira and Bur Dubai: If your target market is more of on-budget visitors who are there to experience the local charm, cuisine, and more cultural side of Dubai, you would love to own a rental apartment in Deira or Bur. The best thing? You’ll never be short of visitors.

Preparing Your Holiday Home in Dubai in the Best Way

One of the most important parts of home management is keeping it tip-top for your visitors. In fact, if done right, this could be the key to your Airbnb success story. Even the most average property could be turned into a luxurious space with good preparation where travelers can enjoy their stay to the fullest.
Comfortable beds, entertainment systems, a spacious living area, a fully stocked kitchen, and other amenities like excellent housekeeping services should be at the top of the list. If you want to go a little extra, you could also go on to include concierge assistance and gym access.
However, make sure that all the aforementioned is done in accordance with the type of guests you will be hosting. A space designed for families might not appeal to solo travelers. The same stands the other way around. You have to be very targeted in your approach when it comes to functionality and aesthetics.
If you are not sure about these things yourself, you can also hire a short-term rental property management company like Suiteable, where we manage every aspect of your property between guests, from furnishing to maintenance and everything in between without you breaking a sweat.

Obtaining a License for Short-Term Rental Property

Although Dubai presents itself as a place of unlimited opportunities for people in real estate, it doesn’t mean there are no regulations. In fact, when it comes to short-term rental properties, the regulations get even more stringent, requiring a long process to get approval from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Here’s a brief overview of the steps involved in getting approval:

1.Determining Eligibility

The first step is to determine whether your property is eligible for short-term renting according to the standards by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. If your property is well-furnished and has all the basic amenities required for a comfortable stay, your chances are bright. However, make sure that the property doesn’t have a shared accommodation.

2.Prepare All Documents

You’ll need a bunch of documents that need to be presented in front of the authorities to get your license. These documents include, but are not limited to, the title deed registered under the current landlord’s name, the Ejari certificate for every unit that you intend to rent, and proof of adequate third-party public liability insurance covering a minimum amount of 500,000 per incident.

3.Appoint an agent

Although now you can manage your own property by applying for a license in your name, handling it through an agent just makes things much easier. If you are looking for an approved commercial agent to manage your property and handle your bookings, go for a rental property management company like Suiteable to ensure everything remains up to the mark.

4.Apply

To apply for the license online, simply visit the DCTM website and create an investor account in your name. Next, visit the licensing portal to submit your application with all the important documents uploaded, followed by paying the fees.

5.Wait for Approval

If all the requirements are met successfully, it takes around 40-60 days for DCTM to approve your property. However, keep in mind that you are required to renew your license every single year in order to stay in compliance with the local regulations.

Pricing Your Rental Holiday Home in Dubai

Pricing is going to play a crucial role in how many visitors you are going to attract to your listing and how many of them you are going to convert into your guests. If your price justifies your amenities, property size, location, views, and other things against comparable units in the same area, there’s nothing that’ll stop you from getting regular visitors. Remember, there’s not going to be a “high” season all the time, where you can charge a premium for the bare minimum. Your target is running a sustainable rental business across every month and season, and that can only be achieved if you provide all the things, all the time, to everyone, without questions.

Optimizing Your Listing

The modern markets run on marketing. If you are bad at it, you’re losing a lot of guests every month. Although it includes a broad spectrum of things, let’s just focus on the listing, for example. Are the pictures on your listing top-notch?
Does your description highlight all the things that would make your rental property a feasible choice for travelers? Is your property listed on multiple popular platforms among Dubai travelers? Are you responding quickly to all the queries?
There are tens of questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure whether you’re doing your marketing the right way, even beyond your listings. This is going to matter a lot to maintain your long-term success.

Maintaining Your Holiday Home

While renting a holiday home could be a potentially great source of passive income, a fair share of it is going to go back into maintenance as well. Although these things won’t be your headache if you hire a good holiday home management company like Suiteable, let’s still have a look at some maintenance tasks broken down in parts if you intend to maintain your property by yourself:

Daily maintenance tasks

Daily maintenance is simple. All you need to do is tidy up the living spaces to ensure that there’s minimum dirt buildup. If there’s some, make sure to clean it up. Another thing you would want to do is look at all the appliances to see if they are working in good condition. If not, fix them before your guest arrives.

Weekly maintenance tasks

Weekly tasks include deep cleaning every important area of the house, including the bathroom, living room, bedroom(s), and bathroom(s). Having a look at the exteriors to spot any sign of damage will also ensure that there’s no problem once the guests are here to stay.

Monthly maintenance tasks

Monthly maintenance tasks are more about keeping a check on all the safety apparatus installed in the house. This includes checking smoke alarms, CO alarms, fire extinguishers, and any other safety equipment in the house. Also, have a look at all the nooks and crevices of the house to see if there are any signs of insects or rodents lurking around.

Need a Hand to Manage Your Property?

Well, that was all you needed to know to efficiently manage your property. However, we also know that it can be quite challenging to do it all on your own. And that’s why you don’t always have to do it alone. At Suiteable, we specialize in managing all sorts of rental properties in Dubai, helping you maintain seamless operations and maximum profitability through efficient services. If you are looking for someone to manage your property, contact us now! Let us handle all the weight lifting whilst you enjoy the rewards!