Thinking of sub-letting your apartment in Dubai? Read this.

Still have six months left on your lease but you’ve just found a dream pad down the road? Well, think twice before you move out and get a friend to move in because if you short-term let an apartment without following protocol you could face a fine of up to Dhs100,000.

Last week, new regulations were announced that mean tenants can lease accommodation to guests on a short-term basis if they receive a no-objection certificate from their landlord and meet Dubai Tourism’s requirements.

But at the same time, Dubai Tourism is now clamping down harder on tenants who lease their apartments out without getting the proper permission. They’re asking building developers and their security teams to monitor the situation and inform apartment owners and the Dubai Tourism authority of any suspect behaviour.

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Any tenant caught leasing out their apartment to someone else that doesn’t have the Dubai Tourism permit and permission from their landlord will be fined from Dhs200 to Dhs20,000 for their first violation. If they’re caught twice in one year, their second fine could be as high as Dhs100,000.

Owners who want to lease out apartments on a short term basis will also have to apply for the appropriate permits via Dubai Tourism. This means sites like Airbnb, which has over 300 rentals in Dubai, are now on firmer legal ground and are regulated. Find out more about registering for a permit here.

Once a home is registered as a place that can be let out on a short term basis, Dubai Tourism will inspect it regularly to ensure it maintains a certain standard. They will classify each home as either ‘standard’ or ‘deluxe’ and the rental will be expected to stick to this class.

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