DTCM Holiday Home Rules in Dubai: The DET Licence Guide

DTCM is now DET — start here

If you plan to rent a residence short-term in Dubai, you need a holiday home permit. It is issued by the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), which absorbed the former DTCM, and it is mandatory for any residential property offered for stays under six months — no grace period, and enforcement is active. Operating without one draws fines starting at AED 5,000, escalating for repeat offences. This is the licensing layer; the deposit you take from guests is a separate, operator-set decision (more on that below).

The core rules

• Permit required per unit, renewed periodically (fees scale by bedroom count).
• 90-day booking cap — a single stay over 90 days is treated as a long-term let under different rules.
• Tourism Dirham of AED 15 per room per night, collected from guests and remitted to the government.
• Hotel-standard furnishing and safety — full furnishing, linens, and fire safety equipment.

Figures and thresholds change; always confirm current requirements on the official DET portal before you list.

Where security deposits fit in

A point of frequent confusion: DET does not set a holiday home security deposit. The permit rules cover licensing, tax, safety, and stay length — not the damage deposit you take from a guest. That amount, and how you hold it, is yours to decide, which is why practice varies so widely. The fair way to set it is by exposure, covered in holiday home damage deposits in Dubai.

Running a compliant, guest-friendly operation

Compliance keeps you legal; a clean deposit process keeps your ratings high. Once your DET permit is in place, take deposits as a card hold rather than cash — the guest keeps their money, you keep documented protection, and releases are instant. That is what Akara does for holiday-home and property teams, alongside the wider short-term rental deposit guide.