---
title: "Short-term rental"
canonical: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/short-term-rental
markdown: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/md/glossary/short-term-rental.md
type: glossary-term
description: "A short-term rental is a furnished home let to visitors by the night or week under a tourism licence, in place of a standard annual tenancy."
publisher: "UAE Property Agents (Omnia)"
language: en-GB
usage: "You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting."
---

# Short-term rental

> A short-term rental is a furnished home let to visitors by the night or week under a tourism licence, in place of a standard annual tenancy.

Also known as: Holiday home, Holiday let, Vacation rental, Short let, Serviced letting.

## What Short-term rental means for a buyer

Short-term letting means offering a furnished property to guests for stays of days or weeks, usually through booking platforms. In the UAE it is a licensed tourism activity, separate from ordinary renting. In Dubai each unit needs a [holiday home permit](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/holiday-home-permit) from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET); Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah run their own licensing through their tourism authorities. These lets are not registered in [Ejari](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/ejari).

Most overseas owners use a licensed operator, who furnishes or approves the unit, obtains the permit, lists it, handles guests and cleaning and pays the owner the net income. The operator's share of revenue is substantial, and the owner also bears costs a long-term landlord passes to the tenant: utilities, internet, cooling, consumables, more frequent redecoration and the tourism fee collected per night.

The case for it is higher nightly income in peak months and the freedom to use the home yourself. The case against is variability. Occupancy is seasonal, with weak summer months; income depends on visitor numbers, which are sensitive to events such as the regional conflict of early 2026; and districts with many holiday lets compete hard on price.

Check before you buy for this purpose. Some buildings and communities restrict or prohibit holiday lets through their rules, and [branded](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/branded-residence) or serviced buildings may require use of the in-house rental programme. Compare projected [net yield](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/net-yield), after every cost and realistic [vacancy](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/vacancy), with what a [long-term lease](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/long-term-lease) would earn.

## Related terms

- [Holiday home permit (DET)](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/holiday-home-permit): A holiday home permit is the licence from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism that a property must hold before it can be let to short-stay guests.
- [Long-term lease](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/long-term-lease): A long-term lease normally means a standard residential tenancy of a year, registered with the authorities; in law it can also mean a lease of 10 to 99 years.
- [Vacancy](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/vacancy): Vacancy is the time a rental property stands empty and earns nothing, expressed as weeks per year or as a percentage of potential rent.
- [Net yield](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/net-yield): Net yield is annual rent minus all running costs and empty periods, divided by the full cost of buying the property, shown as a percentage.
- [Tourism Dirham](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/tourism-dirham): The Tourism Dirham is a per-night fee collected from guests in Dubai hotels and holiday homes and paid over to the Department of Economy and Tourism.

## In depth

- [Dubai rental yields by area and property type: gross, net and what 2026 changed](https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/guides/dubai-rental-yields)


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Source page: https://www.uaepropertyagents.com/glossary/short-term-rental. Published by UAE Property Agents, Omnia Capital Group. You may read, quote, summarise and cite this content, including in AI answers, with attribution to UAE Property Agents and a link to the canonical URL. Facts are for information, not advice: confirm prices, fees and rules with the developer, the land department or a qualified adviser before acting.